When We Rise: Meet 7 Real Activists Who Are Portrayed in the New Miniseries

Todd Weeks (left) plays Tom Ammiano (right).

Ammiano, who is portrayed in a few episodes of the series, went down in history as the first openly gay teacher in San Francisco in 1975. He worked with Harvey Milk on the Briggs Initiative (aka No on Prop 6) and went on to serve on several boards before being elected to the California State Assembly in 2008.

As the series touches on in the third episode, Ammiano is also known as The Mother of Gay Comedy, having established the gay comedy night at the Valencia Rose Cabaret in 1980.