This Day in Queer History

On this day, Italian poet Giacomo Leopardi wrote a consoling love letter to Antonio Ranieri, one of many between them. Their bond remains one of literary history's great queer love stories.

On this day, Alvin Ailey was born. The groundbreaking choreographer revolutionized modern dance and founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, leaving a legacy that transcended the closet he navigated throughout his life.

On this day in 1967, the Los Angeles homophile group Pride mobilized hundreds of demonstrators on Sunset Boulevard to protest police raids on gay bars. Years before Stonewall, queer Angelenos were already fighting back.

On this day, four lesbians refused to leave Toronto's Brunswick tavern and were arrested. As they walked out, they sang 'I enjoy being a dyke!' They became known as the Brunswick Four.

On this day, the Lesbian Organization of Toronto moved to a new center on Jarvis Street, sharing space with feminist publication The Other Woman and a coffeehouse called Three of Cups.

On this day in 1988, Raleigh, North Carolina enacted a gay rights ordinance, a pointed milestone in the hometown of notorious homophobe Jesse Helms.