Ruth Ellis: Venus Magazine, 2000’s

Retrieved from GLBT Historical Society

A Venus Magazine spread of Ruth Ellis (1899-2000) a Black lesbian activist from Springfield, Illinois. Ruth was the only child of a former slave and the first Black mail carrier of Illinois, Charles Ellis Sr.

In this article Ruth discusses her life as the oldest open living lesbian at the age of 99, how she navigated heart break and isolation as a young Black lesbian in high school, her wife Babe, and her Pride Parade experiences.

Mother Ruth has done a lot of work for Black queer youth in Detroit, so much so that Kofi Adoma opened the Ruth Ellis Center in honor of her incredible activism.