This Day in Queer History

On this day, Karl M. Baer became one of the first people to gain full legal recognition of his gender identity, receiving a new birth certificate from the German courts after undergoing early sex-change surgery.

On this day, David Bowie was born. The iconic musician shattered gender norms through personas like Ziggy Stardust, publicly declared himself gay in 1972, and forever changed how pop culture understood identity.

On this day in 1977, Pauli Murray became the first Black woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. A civil rights activist, NOW co-founder, and queer trailblazer, she lived with lifelong friend Maida Springer Kemp.

On this day, Harvey Milk took office on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay elected official in California history. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.