LGBTQ+ History Month – Day 7
There are few San Jose LGBTQ+ activists whose reach has been as wide as Wiggsy Siversten. Read about her 50 year career fighting against religious bigots and for LGBTQ+ rights. From the Briggs Initiative in 1978, to the AIDS quarantine initiative in 1986, to conducting LGBTQ+ sensitivity programs to the San Jose Police and Fire Departments, to supporting same-sex marriages, Wiggsy has been front and center in the LGBTQ+ community.
In 1984, Wiggsy and Ken Yeager had drinks at Toyon Bar in San Jose, and chatted about the need for an LGBTQ+ political group in San Jose. It was from this conversation that the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee (BAYMEC) was born.