This Day in Queer History

On this day in 1874, poet Amy Lowell was born. A literary rebel who won the Pulitzer Prize posthumously, she openly defied Boston society and called her lover, actress Ada Dwyer, "Peter."

On this day, Sheila James Kuehl was born. A former child actress turned trailblazer, she became California's first openly gay legislator in 1994 and its first woman named Speaker pro Tempore.

On this day, Alice Walker was born. The bisexual author of The Color Purple won both the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, later describing her romance with Tracy Chapman as "delicious and lovely."

On this day, All in the Family aired a groundbreaking episode where Archie discovers his bar buddy is gay. It was the first time a network TV show featured a positive plotline about a gay character.

On this day in 1977, the world's first gay and lesbian film festival premiered in San Francisco. Frameline became the longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival, celebrating queer stories on screen for decades.

On this day in 2011, the Canadian House of Commons passed a law protecting gender expression rights, strengthening legal protections for transgender and gender-diverse Canadians.

On this day in 2018, Adam Rippon competed at the Pyeongchang Olympics, winning bronze and becoming the first openly gay U.S. male athlete to medal at a Winter Games. He then won Dancing with the Stars.