This Day in Queer History

On this day, artist Duncan Grant was born. A central figure of the Bloomsbury Group, his lovers included Lytton Strachey and John Maynard Keynes, and his art and life radiated creative freedom.

On this day in 1989, jazz musician Billy Tipton died at 74. Born female, he lived as male from age 19, married five times, and adopted three sons. His identity was only revealed after his death.

On this day, AIDS activists staged a protest on the Golden Gate Bridge, halting morning rush-hour traffic in San Francisco. Twenty-nine demonstrators were arrested, demanding the government act on the epidemic.

On this day in 2013, President Obama became the first to mention gay rights in a U.S. inaugural address, declaring that 'the love we commit to one another must be equal,' a watershed moment.

On this day, Helen Grace James finally received her honorable discharge, sixty years after the Air Force discharged her as 'undesirable' for being gay. 'The Air Force recognizes me as a full person in the military,' she said.

On this day in 2019, singer and actress Kaye Ballard died at 93. Star of The Mothers-in-Law, she never married and lived with one woman for 40 years, her private life quietly defying convention.