This Day in Queer History

On this day, drag queens Stella and Fanny appeared in court in women's clothing after being arrested the night before. The prosecution couldn't prove a crime, and both were acquitted.

On this day, Jim Toy was born. A pioneer of Michigan's LGBT movement, he came out at a 1970 anti-war rally and helped establish the first university office in the nation dedicated to sexual orientation concerns.

On this day, singer Rod McKuen was born. The new age celebrity of the late 1960s acknowledged having sex with men, asking interviewers, "Does that make me gay?" and refusing to be defined by labels.

On this day in 1993, Russia legalized homosexual acts between consenting adults when Yeltsin signed the law to secure membership in the Council of Europe, a rare moment of progress in a country with a long history of persecution.

On this day, the State of Hawaii created a domestic partners registry, taking an early step toward recognizing same-sex relationships in a state that had long been at the center of the marriage equality fight.

On this day in 2013, NBA player Jason Collins came out in Sports Illustrated, becoming the first active male pro athlete to do so. He later made the cover of Time's 100 Most Influential People.