This Day in Queer History

On this day, the New York Times reported that publisher Alfred Knopf acquired the American rights to Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness, bringing the landmark lesbian novel to U.S. readers.

On this day, psychologist Evelyn Hooker presented research proving that homosexuals and heterosexuals show no clinical difference, a finding that would eventually help remove homosexuality from the DSM.

On this day in 1969, a National Institute of Mental Health study chaired by Dr. Evelyn Hooker urged the decriminalization of private sex acts between consenting adults, lending scientific authority to the fight for queer freedom.

On this day, Winnipeg hosted the second national gay rights conference, featuring the first major gay demonstration in the Canadian prairie provinces as part of the opening session.

On this day, Toronto hosted the Gay Softball World Series for the first time in Canada, drawing players from eleven cities and proving LGBTQ+ athletes belonged on every field.

On this day in 2005, the Off-Broadway musical Naked Boys Singing! reopened in Milwaukee after police shut it down on obscenity charges. The campy show about gay life refused to stay quiet.

On this day in 2012, genderqueer and trans writer Charlie Jane Anders won the Hugo Award for Six Months, Three Days. A Lambda Literary Award winner, she has championed queer and trans visibility in speculative fiction.