Mary Jane Rathbun

Mary Jane Rathbun (1922 - 1999)

an American medical cannabis rights activist known as "Brownie Mary";

as a hospital volunteer in San Francisco during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s,

she baked and delivered her "magical" marijuana brownies to hundreds of

patients in order to ease their symptoms of pain and nausea;

despite being arrested 3 times over the years, she lobbied to make

medical cannabis legal in 1996, and also helped establish the first

medical cannabis dispensary in the USA.

Notable quotation --

"If the narcs think I'm gonna stop baking brownies for

my kids with AIDS, they can go fuck themselves."

Tessa Thompson

Tessa Thompson (1983 -     )

American actor of stage, television, and film;

known for her roles in Veronica Mars (2005–2006),

Men in Black: International (2019),

as Valkyrie in the Marvel Thor movies (2017 & 2022),

and in the sci-fi series Westworld (2016–2022).

Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan (1957 -     )

Cuban singer, songwriter, actor, and businesswoman;

lead singer of Miami Sound Machine

from 1975 until going solo in 1989;

hailed as the "Queen of Latin Pop;"

the 1985 hit Conga became her signature song;

a 1990 tour bus crash caused life-threatening injuries

to Gloria's spine from which she fully recovered

and returned to recording and touring;

currently re-recording her music catalogue with Brazilian rhythms;

recipient of 8 Grammy Awards and the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

M.J. Bassett

M.J. Bassett (1968 -     )

British film and television writer, director, and producer

known for cult horror and dark fantasy films/series;

one of only a few openly transgender directors working in Hollywood;

her forthcoming movie is the digital streaming remake of Red Sonja.

Lorna Crozier

Lorna Crozier (1948 -     )

Canadian poet, author, and former chair of the

Writing Department at the University of Victoria;

one of Canada's pre-eminent poets, her writings often 

deal with themes of human relationships, the natural world,

language, memory, and perception;

this video is a good introduction to her life, interests, and poetry

for those who may want to know more.

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee Jones (1954 -     )

American singer-songwriter and musician;

an artist dedicated to experimentation and change,

her style encompasses jazz, folk, and R&B

with a distinct pop sensibility;

winner of 2 Grammy Awards;

her memoir Last Chance Texaco was published in 2021.

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth (1797 - 1883)

American abolitionist and activist for African-American civil rights,

women's rights, and alcohol temperance;

born into slavery on a Dutch plantation in New York,

she was repeatedly beaten, raped, and sold to new masters;

she escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826;

in 1828, she went to court to recover her son and became the

first black woman to win such a case against a white man.

Her most famous speech, delivered extemporaneously in 1851,

became widely known during the Civil War by the title "Ain't I a Woman?"

But that later 1863 version changed Sojourner Truth’s northern

Dutch-accented English to the dialect of a “stereotypical southern slave”

to make it more palatable to white readers;

please see both versions of the speech at the

Sojourner Truth Project website here.

Jen Pawol

Jen Pawol (1976 -     )

American professional baseball umpire and former art teacher;

first woman to umpire a Major League Baseball game

on August 9, 2025 (on the field) and

on August 10, 2025 (behind the plate).

Rachel Brosnahan

Rachel Brosnahan (1990 -     )

American actor of stage, television and movies;

best known for portraying Midge Maisel,

an aspiring 1950s-era stand-up comedian, in the

streaming comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023),

for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award and

two consecutive Golden Globe Awards;

currently starring as Lois Lane in the film Superman (2025).

Marie Tharp

Marie Tharp (1920 - 2006)

American geologist and oceanographic cartographer;

her 1952 discovery and mapping of the 10,000-mile-long

Mid-Atlantic Ridge proved that the sea floor was spreading and

caused a paradigm shift in earth science, vindicating

the then-controversial theories of plate tectonics and continental drift;

many scientists infamously dismissed her explanation as "girl talk."

Victoria Mboko

Victoria Mboko (2006 -     )

Canadian professional tennis player;

just won her first WTA Tour singles title at the 2025 Canadian Open;

currently ranked No. 1 WTA singles player in Canada

and No. 24 in the world.

Niki de Saint Phalle

[Blue Nana, 2000]

Niki de Saint Phalle (1930 - 2002)

French sculptor, painter, filmmaker, and author/illustrator;

with no formal art training, she was a noted "outsider" artist

and a rare female monumental sculptor;

one of her most famous creations is the Tarot Garden in Tuscany,

a large sculpture garden of huge, tarot-themed works;

her other most famous creations are "Nanas," a series of

light-hearted, whimsical, colourful, large-scale sculptures

of animals, monsters, and female figures;

she is now acknowledged as "one of the most significant 

female and feminist artists of the 20th century,

and one of the few to receive recognition in the

male-dominated art world during her lifetime."

Woman With Sore Feet

Salma Hayek

Salma Hayek (1966 -     )

Mexican and American actor, director and producer

in both Mexican and American TV and films;

notable movies include Desperado (1995), 

Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003), and two

movies in the Puss in Boots franchise (2011, 2022);

for her breakout performance in the biopic Frida (2002),

she became the first Mexican nominatee for an Academy Award for Best Actress;

her charitable work includes increasing awareness on violence against women

and discrimination against immigrants.

Jane Lynch

Jane Lynch (1960 -     )

American actor, comedian, and singer;

rose to prominence in such films and series as

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Glee (2009–2015),

and Only Murders in the Building (2021–2024);

also host of the game shows Hollywood Game Night (2013–2020)

and the American version of The Weakest Link (2020 onwards);

winner of a Golden Globe, 5 Primetime Emmys

and 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards;

an openly lesbian icon of the LGBTQ+ community.

Danai Gurira

Danai Gurira (1978 -     )

Zimbabwean-American actor, playwright, producer and activist;

dedicated to portraying and writing roles for strong black women;

recipient of an Obie Award and several Tony nominations for her plays;

her best known acting roles are Michonne in The Walking Dead and

General Okoye of Wakanda in the Marvel Cinematic Universe;

she is an advocate for women, the end of poverty, and HIV/AIDS awareness.

Dame Diana Rigg

Dame Diana Rigg (1938 - 2020)

English actor of stage and screen;

played innumerable iconic roles from

Emma Peel (The Avengers) in the 1960s

to Olenna Tyrell (Game of Thrones)

near the end of her life

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852)

English mathematician and writer;

daughter of the poet Lord Byron and

reformer Anne Isabella Milbanke;

chiefly known for her work with Charles Babbage and his

proposed mechanical general-purpose computer which

anticipated the essential features of modern electronic computers;

she was the first to point out the possibility of encoding information

besides mere arithmetical figures for pure calculation.

Bette Midler

Bette Midler (1945 -     )

American actor, comedian, singer, and author;

multi-award winner for her long recording career

as a singer with many iconic hit songs;

multi-award winner for her acting career

in many comedic and dramatic films on stage,

television and movies;

long history of charity work and philanthropy

focused on community assistance.

Sun and Stars

Gena Boubard

Gena Boubard

Canadian professional makeup artist and

advocate for Indigenous LGBTQIA2S+

youth empowerment and representation;

Two-Spirit Anishinaabe (they/them) from

Sagkeeng First Nation in Treaty 1 territory, Manitoba;

awarded the title of Miss Indigenous Canada 2025.

Dame Cleo Laine

Dame Cleo Laine (1927 - 2025)

English jazz singer and musical theatre star known for her scat singing;

her international recording career also involved collaborating with

many of the pre-eminent singers and musicians of her time;

her many awards and honours included being made a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1997).

Nichola Goddard

Nichola Goddard (1980 - 2006)

Canadian soldier and captain in the

1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery,

served with Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry

in Canadian operations in the Afghanistan War;

first Canadian female combat soldier to be

killed in action on the front lines;

posthumously awarded the General Campaign Star,

Meritorious Service Medal, and Sacrifice Medal.

Dame Pat Barker

Dame Pat Barker (1943 -     )

English writer and novelist;

her multi-award winning fiction often centres on

themes of memory, trauma, survival and recovery,

often in the context of war and oppression;

her famous Regeneration Trilogy (1991-1995)

deals with the trauma of World War I, while

her latest Trojan War Trilogy (2018-2024)

retells Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, but from

the perspective of the women involved in those myths.

Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kidjo (1960 -     )

Beninese-French singer-songwriter, actor, and activist;

fluent in 5 languages (French, English, Fon, Yoruba, and Gen),

she sings in all of them, often using Benin's traditional

Zilin vocal technique and vocalese;

she has released many albums, performed around the world,

and frequently collaborated with other artists;

winner of 5 Grammy Awards and the Polar Music Prize;

her activism covers many causes, particularly the

education and empowerment of girls and women in Africa.

Frances Featherstone

Frances Featherstone

English contemporary artist who works primarily in oils;

trained at the University of the West of England in Bristol (first-class degree);

worked for several years a Senior Designer for the BBC;

now exhibits her award-winning art internationally;

latest award is the Maire Ragnhild Hollingsworth Prize for Oil Painting

for her painting Motherly Loves, currently being exhibited at

The Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2025, London, England.

Motherly Loves

Motherly Loves by Frances Featherstone, 

currently on exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts

Summer Exhibition 2025, London, England

Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft (1759 - 1797)

English writer and philosopher best known for

her advocacy of women's rights;

foremother of feminist thought;

author of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792);

married to philosopher William Godwin, one of the

forefathers of the anarchist movement; 

she died after giving birth to their daughter, Mary, who

grew up to be Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.

Agnes Moorhead

Agnes Moorhead (1900 - 1974)

American actor in radio, stage, film, and television;

one of the principal performers in

Orson Welles' Mercury Players (1937 - 1946);

had notable roles in films such as Citizen Kane (1941),

Show Boat (1951), Johnny Belinda (1948), and

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964);

she gained acclaim for her role as Endora

on the sitcom Bewitched (1964 -1972);

recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, 

two Golden Globe Awards, and 

four nominations for Academy Awards.

Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt (1927 - 2008)

American singer and actor known for

her distinctive vocal style and sultry screen presence;

has reached icon status due to her song Santa Baby (1953)

and her television portrayal of Catwoman (1967);

an activist in many human rights and civil rights causes.

Rosie O'Donnell

Rosie O'Donnell (1962 -     )

American talk show host, comedian, and actor;

after a series of TV and film roles, she hosted the

daytime talk show The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996 - 2002)

which won several Daytime Emmy Awards;

after coming out as a lesbian in 2002, she became an

outspoken advocate of LGBTQ issues and other liberal causes;

she was a moderator on the daytime talk show 

The View (2006 - 2007) which included the start of

a long-running public feud with Donald Trump.

Airyn De Niro

Airyn De Niro (1995 -     )

American model and voice actor who is studying

to be a mental health counsellor;

she has recently come out as trans

and has her family's support.

Rose O'Neill

Rose O'Neill (1874 - 1944)

American cartoonist, illustrator, artist, and writer;

the first published female cartoonist in the USA,

in 1909 she created popular "baby Cupid"

comic strip characters called Kewpies;

a toy company soon began producing Kewpie dolls

which were a sensation and one of the first

mass-marketed toys in the United States;

active in women's suffrage, she has been inducted into

the National Women's Hall of Fame;

as a comics pioneer, she was also inducted into

the Eisner Awards Hall of Fame.

Lita Ford

Lita Ford (1958 -     )

British-American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter;

lead guitarist for the all-female rock band The Runaways in the late 1970s,

followed by a successful glam metal solo career, with her biggest hit

being Close My Eyes Forever (1989), a duet with Ozzy Osbourne;

following a long hiatus, she returned with a comeback album (2012)

and an autobiography (2015), both entitled Living Like a Runaway;

recipient of the 2014 Certified Legend Award by Guitar Player magazine.

Mysterious

Self-portrait by lalameidje

⌘ Half-truths in hoop earrings ◆

I cannot find ANY info about her online.

All her social media accounts are scrubbed.

Joan Jett

Joan Jett (1958 -     )

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, businessperson, and actor;

a rock icon, she is often called the "Godmother of Punk";

co-founder of The Runaways and founder of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts;

biggest hits include I Love Rock 'n Roll and Bad Reputation;

long-time vegetarian and supporter of animal rights.

Josephine Baker

Josephine Baker (1906 - 1975)

American born French dancer, singer, actor;

her career was centred primarily in France

where she headlined Les Folies Bergère in Paris

during the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties;

in Nazi-occupied France, she aided the

French Resistance and Allied intelligence services;

France later awarded her the Resistance Medal, the Croix de Guerre,

and named her a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour;

she adopted 12 multiracial children and raised them

in France, calling them her Rainbow Tribe.

Beverley McLachlin

Beverley McLachlin (1943 -     )

Canadian lawyer, professor, jurist, and author;

first woman to serve as Chief Justice of

the Supreme Court of Canada (2000 - 2017)

Twyla Tharp

Twyla Tharp (1941 -     )

American dancer, choreographer, and author;

a pioneer of modern dance, her company Twyla Tharp Dance has

extensively toured the world since 1965, performing original works

set to classical, jazz, and contemporary pop music;

her many awards include 2 Emmies, a Tony, 19 honorary doctorates,

the 2004 National Medal of the Arts and the

2008 Kennedy Center Honors.

Guerrilla Girls

Guerrilla Girls (1985 -     )

For almost four decades the Guerrilla Girls have been using their campaigning art to highlight sexism and inequality in the arts. The members of this anonymous feminist collective wear masks to ensure the focus remains on their message, not their appearance. They identify themselves individually by using the names of famous women artists of the past.

"We're the conscience of the art world." 

The Guerrilla Girls have produced several books and many videos of their collective artworks and activism. They currently have an exhibition at the Tate Modern in London, England which runs until the end of 2025.

The collective has had its issues over the years, facing internal controversies over diversity, race, class, ideology and power sharing.

Mary Anning

Mary Anning (1799 - 1847)

English fossil collector, dealer, and palaeontologist;

she made many groundbreaking fossil discoveries in

the Jurassic marine fossil beds near her coastal home;

her findings helped change scientific thinking about

prehistoric life and the history of the Earth.

From a poor family and with only a basic education,

she struggled financially all her life;

although women were not allowed to join

the Geological Society of London, some male geologists

strove to arrange an income, a pension later in life,

and recognition for her important achievements.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie (1975 -     )

American actor, filmmaker, and humanitarian;

best known films include Girl, Interrupted,

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Mr. & Mrs. Smith,

and two Maleficent films;

as a filmmaker, she has written, directed and/or produced

several movies about serious issues;

recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award,

a Tony Award and three Golden Globe Awards;

the humanitarian causes she promotes include

conservation, education, and women's rights;

noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a

Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,

undertaking field missions to refugee camps and war zones worldwide.