Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official for a major American city, helped pass an ordinance that banned gay discrimination in public housing and employment in San Francisco.

Another activist, Billy Bean, was a professional baseball player who kept his sexuality a secret during his career, only to later come out and serve as the sport’s first ambassador for inclusion.

And there was Edith Windsor, a widow whose case led the U.S. Supreme Court to grant federal recognition to same-sex married couples for the first time.

Over the decades, these and other notable figures fought to expand the rights of the L.G.B.T.Q. community and advance change around the United States. Here are the Times obituaries for seven such figures.

Harvey Milk (1930-1978)

When Harvey Milk moved to San Francisco, he opened a camera shop that became his base as a neighborhood activist in the 1970s.