This Day in Queer History

In 1840, Frances Thompson was born. A former slave and anti-rape activist, she became the first known trans person to testify before the U.S. Congress, speaking truth about the Memphis massacre of 1866.

During this year in 1879, E.M. Forster was born. His gay novel Maurice, written in 1914, was not published until after his death. For 50 years, his lover was a married London police officer.

During this year in 1892, Ellis Island opened and processed over 20 million immigrants until 1954. How many were gay or lesbian remains unknown, with some estimates reaching one million.

In 1906, Imre: A Memorandum was published, one of the first gay American novels with a happy ending. Written by Edward Prime-Stevenson, it told the story of two men finding love in Budapest.

Palm Springs wasn't always a gay paradise. Legal, cultural, and demographic shifts transformed a desert town into a place where queer people could finally exhale and build real community from the ground up.

During this year in 1933, James Hormel was born. He became the first openly gay U.S. ambassador in 1999, appointed by President Clinton while senators compared homosexuality to addiction.

During this year, lovers Erika Mann and Therese Giehse launched their anti-fascist cabaret in Germany. When the Nazis shut it down, they reopened in Zurich as a rallying point for exiles.

During this year, Illinois repealed its sodomy laws, becoming the first U.S. state to decriminalize homosexuality and setting a precedent that would take decades for the rest of the nation to follow.

During this year, Dr. Harry Benjamin published The Transsexual Phenomenon, the first book devoted to treating transsexuals, a term he coined. It became an influential defense of the transgender community.

In 1967, LAPD raided gay bars the Black Cat Tavern and New Faces on New Year's Eve, beating patrons and hospitalizing a bartender. Hundreds protested on Sunset Boulevard, sparking one of L.A.'s earliest queer uprisings.

In 1967, P.R.I.D.E. (Personal Rights in Defense and Education) became the first organization to use the term 'Pride' in connection with LGBTQ+ rights, fueling the formation of gay rights groups across California.

During this year, Chinese American bisexual artist Magdalen Hsu-Li was born. A singer, painter, poet, and educator, she went on to create Chickpop Records and champion queer visibility.

Gay gyms were never just about fitness. They were bulletin boards, therapy sessions, and lifelines where friendships, activism, and romance formed between sets, building community long before apps existed.

On this day, Colorado and Oregon decriminalized private consensual adult homosexual acts, joining a slow but growing wave of states rolling back laws that policed queer intimacy.

During this year in 1971, the first issue of The Empty Closet was published in Rochester, New York. The free LGBT newspaper is still in print, honored by the NY State Senate on its 40th anniversary in 2011.

During this year in 1972, Science Magazine published a report suggesting male homosexuality may be determined in the womb by prenatal chemical or hormonal factors. Nature over nurture, in print.

In 1972, Hawaii decriminalized private consensual adult homosexual acts, becoming one of the earliest states to remove the threat of criminal punishment for simply loving who you love.

During this year, Ohio repealed its sodomy laws, decriminalizing private consensual adult homosexual acts and marking a significant legal victory for LGBTQ+ rights in the Midwest.

In 1975, New Mexico decriminalized private consensual adult homosexual acts, adding to the wave of states dismantling archaic laws that had long criminalized queer people simply for existing.

During this year in 1976, Iowa decriminalized private consensual adult homosexual acts, joining the growing number of states recognizing that what happens between consenting adults is not the government's business.

During this year, the first lesbian mystery novel in America was published. Angel Dance by Mary F. Beal broke ground in genre fiction, proving that queer stories belonged in every section of the bookstore.

In 1977, Vermont decriminalized private consensual adult homosexual acts, joining a growing wave of states dismantling laws that had long been used to criminalize queer intimacy.

In 1977, Harvey Milk took office as the first openly gay elected official in California history. He served eleven months, passed a landmark gay rights ordinance, and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

During this year in 1978, North Dakota decriminalized private consensual adult homosexual acts, joining the growing movement of states dismantling their sodomy laws.

During this year in 1980, Arizona decriminalized private consensual adult homosexual acts, joining a growing number of states dismantling sodomy laws one by one.

During this year, French actress Adèle Haenel was born. She later began a relationship with director Céline Sciamma and publicly acknowledged their love in her César Award acceptance speech.

Classic soap operas hid queer stories in plain sight. Through coded language, 'friendships that were more,' and subtle glances, LGBTQ+ narratives bloomed on screen even when explicit representation was forbidden.

In 1993, the World Health Organization officially deleted homosexuality from its list of diseases. The long-overdue decision affirmed what queer people always knew: who you love is not a sickness.

During this year, Phat Family Records released the groundbreaking CD Down 4 the Swerve, featuring 14 tracks by gay, lesbian, and bisexual hip-hop artists from across the U.S. and Europe. Queer voices claimed space in hip-hop.

In 2008, the Arizona LGBTQ Storytelling Project was founded by Jamie Ann Lee to teach LGBTQ+ communities media production skills, putting the tools of storytelling directly into queer hands.

On this day, Norway became the first Scandinavian country and sixth in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, extending full equality to its LGBTQ citizens.