This Day in Queer History

On this day, Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater. Historians have long debated Lincoln's sexuality, noting his years sharing a bed with Joshua Speed and intimate male friendships that went beyond frontier convention.

On this day, Sir John Gielgud was born. Perhaps the greatest actor to grace the English-speaking stage, he never came out publicly, but his private life included a long relationship with designer Paul Anstee.

On this day in 1968, Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band opened on Broadway. The groundbreaking play offered the first truly honest portrayal of gay lives in American theater, running for over 1,000 performances.

On this day in 1980, thousands of Cubans stormed the Peruvian embassy in Havana seeking to leave. Over the following months, Castro let over 100,000 depart from Mariel, including an estimated 25,000 gay men fleeing persecution.

On this day in 1985, the first Gay Erotic Film Awards were held in Los Angeles. Queer adult cinema got its own celebration, claiming space in an industry that had long marginalized it.

On this day, Simone de Beauvoir died. The feminist philosopher who wrote The Second Sex had relationships with women throughout her life, including a lasting partnership with Sylvie le Bon.

On this day, Malta became the first European state to include gender identity as a protected class in its constitution, setting a powerful precedent for trans rights across the continent.