This Day in Queer History

On this day in 1528, Cecchino de Bracci was born. The beloved pupil of Michelangelo and nephew of Luigi del Riccio, his early death inspired the great artist to write 48 passionate funeral epigrams.

On this day, James Buchanan was born. America's only bachelor president lived with Senator William Rufus King for a decade, with contemporaries calling them 'the Siamese twins,' period slang for a gay couple.

On this day in 1859, Scottish doctor Margaret Georgina Todd was born. She coined the scientific term 'isotope' and shared her life with Dr. Sophia Jex-Blake, writing her partner's biography after her death.

On this day, the Student Homophile League of Columbia University picketed and disrupted a panel of psychiatrists discussing homosexuality, refusing to let so-called experts define queer lives unchallenged.

On this day in 1986, HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler announced Robert Gallo had discovered the virus causing AIDS, later named HIV. She promised a vaccine in two years. Decades later, there still isn't one.

On this day in 2012, Marc Acito won the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play for Birds of a Feather. He lives in New York City with his husband Floyd Sklaver.

On this day, the French Senate approved same-sex marriage, making France the fourteenth country to legalize marriage equality and affirming LGBTQ+ rights in one of Europe's most influential nations.