A personality that changed fronm a deviant behavior to hero

Identify an American personality for whose stance on a specific public issue, and whose course of action was
considered deviant before the 1960's, but now the same person is held up as a hero/heroine for his impact on
the American society.
It is important to name the person and his/her behaviors or actions. It is important to identify and/or name the
people or group(s) who considered the behavior deviant or criminal. It is important to explain the contexts of it
all and how formerly deviant behavior, (or ideology) became normalized.