On what would have been her 91st birthday, the incredible life of reporter Jackie Forster has been celebrated on the Google UK homepage.
The journalist was known for her lively style of reporting—notably her coverage of Grace Kelly’s wedding in Monaco—but also for her commitment to LGBT+ rights.
Forster came to understand her sexual identity while on a lecture tour in Savannah, Georgia and later came out publicly in 1969 at London’s Hyde Park.
The Independent reports that previously, Forster had felt as though she needed "to get rid of the feeling there is really something rather nasty and nobody else should know about it” before thinking, "How dare they?”
In 1972, Forster co-founded the magazine Sappho, a groundbreaking publication that gave a voice—and increased the visibility of—lesbians in Britain.
She also campaigned to help lesbian women access artificial insemination via donor, co-penning a book about lesbian motherhood called Rocking The Cradle in 1981.
Forster marched in the UK’s very first Pride parade in 1972 and regularly appeared on TV to speak out for LGBT+ rights.
She was also known—under her maiden name Jackie McKenzie—for her roles in 1950s West End plays and films including You’re Only Young Twice and You Can’t Escape.
“Today’s Doodle by London-based illustrator Hannah Warren celebrates 91 years of Forster’s passion and pioneering spirit,” a statement by Google reads.
Forster died from emphysema in October 1998. In her obituary, Forster’s friend and collaborator Gill Hanscombe described her as a “rare individual”.
“She has noble instincts and the noblest of them is to fight for injustice of any kind, not just for lesbians," said Hanscombe.
