What You Need to Know About ‘When We Rise,’ Dustin Lance Black’s New LGBT Miniseries

Tonight, ABC premieres the new miniseries When We Rise, written and created by Dustin Lance Black.

The seven-part miniseries will chronicle the history of the LGBT rights movement, from its origins in San Francisco to present day. It will focus on the personal and political struggles of a diverse group of men and women from the LGBT community. The series is partially inspired by activist Cleve Jones’s memoir When We Rise: My Life in the Movement.

When We Rise begins Feb. 27 and airs through March 3.

Meet the 5 activists profiled in the series and the actors who play them:

Aquino, who plays Chung, is a transgender actress, but producers and casting agents didn’t know when they initially called her in for the part. It wasn’t until she came out in a note that they realized she was trans.

“I wrote them a note saying, ‘Thank you for having me. It would be an honor to be part of the project,'” she says. “And I inserted in there, ‘I just want to make sure that you know that I’m trans.'”

There are quite a lot of other stars slated to appear during the series. This list includes names like Whoopi Goldberg, Rosie O’Donnell, David Hyde Pierce, Denis O’Hare and Willam Belli.

‘When We Rise’ premieres tonight on ABC at 9 p.m. EST and airs through March 3.