This Day in Queer History

On this day, William Shakespeare was born. The world's greatest playwright is still debated as possibly queer. He also coined the word 'drag' as a stage direction: Dressed Resembling A Girl.

On this day, Ma Rainey was born. The Mother of the Blues made no secret of her love for women, recording "Prove It on Me Blues" in 1928, a bold declaration of lesbian desire decades ahead of its time.

On this day, the term 'transgender' appeared in print for the first time, used in a review of Gore Vidal's Myra Breckenridge. A word was born that would come to name a movement.

On this day, Vermont became the first state in the U.S. to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples, a groundbreaking step toward marriage equality that transformed the national conversation.