Ryan White

To Elaine Cox, Ryan White wasn’t a global celeb—he was a sick little boy.

Cyclist Marshall “Major” Taylor, one of the barrier-breakers honored in IM’s Indiana Bicentennial coverage, was the first African-American athlete to win a world championship outside of boxing and to set world records.

In some ways, the recent furor over Indiana’s RFRA echoed a heated discrimination debate from three decades ago, when the state was previously a battleground in the national culture wars.

Best known as one of Indy’s top florists, he helped bring the city’s LGBT festival out of the closet.