Who was Barbara May Cameron? All about the photographer and poet as Google Doodle celebrates the artist’s 69th birthday

Google recently celebrated the 69th birth anniversary of Barbara May Cameron on May 22, 2023. She was a well-known photographer, poet, writer, and human rights activist who gained recognition for her writings and speeches. The doodle art was created by LGBT artist Sienna Gonzales.

The Google logo comprised a cartoon of May Cameron with a camera on her neck and a pride flag on her hand. A group of women were standing behind Cameron representing members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The doodle has San Francisco in the background, which is the place where Cameron moved to, following her graduation.

Artist Sienna Gonzales also expressed her satisfaction with her creation, stating:

"It was an absolute privilege to depict Barbara May Cameron and pay tribute to her as a champion for queer Native American visibility."

The Doodle comes a few days before Pride Month in the US.

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Barbara May Cameron was the co-founder of Gay American Indians (GAI)

Barbara May Cameron did a lot of work for the LGBTQIA+ community over the years (Image via boisepride/Twitter)

Born on May 22, 1954, Barbara May Cameron grew up under the guidance of her grandparents and later joined the American Indian Art Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She came out in 1973 and shifted to San Francisco, where she joined the San Francisco Art Institute and soon began working for the LGBTQIA+ community.

Cameron was also the co-founder of the gay rights organization, the Gay American Indians, which she established after teaming up with Randy Burns in 1975. By the 80s, the organization had 1,000 members, and it also launched the GAI History Project.

Barbara May Cameron participated in various activities for the welfare of the LGBTQIA+ community, including the Lesbian Gay Freedom Day Parade and Celebration, which was inaugurated in 1970 and is celebrated towards the end of June every year in San Francisco.

Barbara was the executive director of Community United Against Violence and was a member of the Citizens Committee on Community Development, the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, and the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. She participated in AIDS and childhood immunization programs alongside working with San Francisco AIDS Foundation and American Indian AIDS Institute.

May Cameron was also known for her essay titled No Apologies: A Lakota Lesbian Perspective and was a founder of Institute of Native American Health and Wellness. She was a recipient of the Harvey Milk Award for Community Service as well as the Bay Area Career Women Community Service Award.

Barbara passed away on February 12, 2002, due to natural causes, and was 47 years old at the time of death. She was romantically linked to Linda Boyd for 21 years, and the duo also had a son named Rhys Cameron Boyd-Farrell.

In an interview with Google about the Doodle, Linda stated that although Barbara was known for the work she did for the LGBTQIA+ community, she also had a playful side to her.