This Day in Queer History

On this day in 1928, Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness was published in the U.S., becoming the first major English-language novel with an explicitly lesbian theme. Americans bought over 20,000 copies within a month.

On this day, Laura M. Ricketts was born. As co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, she became the first openly gay owner of a major-league sports franchise, proving queer leadership belongs at every level of American sports.

On this day in 1973, the American Psychiatric Association unanimously voted to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. After three years of activist pressure, science finally caught up with truth.

On this day in 1973, Christopher R. Barron was born. The conservative activist co-founded GOProud and organized LGBT for Trump, carving space for gay voices within Republican politics.

On this day in 1977, Quebec's National Assembly amended its Charter of Human Rights to include sexual orientation, becoming the largest political jurisdiction in North America to protect LGBTQ+ people.

On this day in 1980, Kortney Ryan Ziegler was born. A filmmaker, scholar, and the first person to earn a Ph.D. in African American Studies from Northwestern, his work centers queer and transgender Black lives.

On this day in 1988, the Free University of Amsterdam convened the International Scientific Conference on Gay and Lesbian Studies, sparking a landmark debate between constructionist and essentialist views of sexuality.