This Day in Queer History

This month, a novel introduced Calafia, a fictional Black queen ruling an all-female island of Black women. In 1530, Spanish conquistadors named the land they found 'California' after her, a queer origin story hidden in plain sight.

During this year, Julie d'Aubigny was born. A sword-fighting, opera-singing, larger-than-life bisexual 17th-century celebrity who burned through lovers of every gender and inspired novels for centuries.

On this day, Farley Granger was born. Best known for two Hitchcock collaborations, he published a memoir in 2007 openly discussing his life and his relationship with partner Robert Calhoun.

This month, Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness was published in the United States, selling 20,000 copies. Its plea for queer existence made it one of the most important lesbian novels ever written.

On this day, a federal appeals court ruled in Norton v. Macy that firing a NASA employee for alleged homosexual conduct was unlawful, setting an important precedent against government employment discrimination.

This month, the Task Force on Gay Liberation formed within the American Library Association. Barbara Gittings compiled its first gay-positive bibliography, proving that representation on the shelves could change lives beyond them.

This month, the Gay Alliance Toward Equality held its founding meetings in Vancouver, becoming the first Canadian group to pursue civil rights strategies for queer liberation.

This month, the Furies Collective formed in Washington, D.C. Members including Rita Mae Brown and Charlotte Bunch created a lesbian feminist separatist community whose newspaper and ideas continue to shape queer feminist thought today.

On this day, the United Kingdom's first Gay Pride March drew about 2,000 gay men and lesbians to the center of London, launching a tradition of visible queer pride across Britain.

On this day in 1972, presidential candidate George McGovern endorsed gay rights, the first in U.S. history to do so. Party stalwarts denounced him, but McGovern planted a flag future candidates would eventually rally around.

On this day, Randy Burns and Barbara May Cameron launched Gay American Indians in San Francisco, the first gay Native American liberation organization and a safe space for community and solidarity.

This month, Blue Boy magazine debuted, blending gay pornography with lifestyle content for over three decades. Published by Donald Embinder, it ran from 1974 to 2007 as part of a growing queer media landscape.

This month in 1975, California and Washington decriminalized private consensual adult homosexual acts, with Indiana following the next year. State by state, the walls of criminalization were finally beginning to fall.

This month, Haaz Sleiman was born. The Lebanese-American actor portrayed Jesus in the TV series Killing Jesus and came out as gay in a powerful 2017 Facebook video, embracing his identity publicly.

This month, the Susan B. Anthony dollar debuted. Most complaints were about its quarter-like size, not that it featured the likeness of a woman whose closest relationships were with other women.

On this day, sci-fi legend Arthur C. Clarke nearly came out in a magazine interview. Asked about bisexual experiences, he replied, 'Of course! Who hasn't?' The co-writer of 2001 lived boldly between the lines.

This month, bodybuilder Bob Paris came out in Ironman magazine, becoming the first male professional athlete in any sport to do so while still competing. He lost 80% of his endorsements but never his courage.

This month in 2000, Vermont became the first U.S. state to perform civil unions for same-sex couples, a groundbreaking step toward legal recognition that would help pave the way for marriage equality nationwide.

On this day in 2009, registered partnerships went into effect, granting same-sex couples legal recognition and protections. Another country stepped closer to full equality.

This month in 2010, Denmark began allowing same-sex couples to apply jointly for adoptions, expanding family recognition for LGBTQ+ parents in one of the world's most progressive nations.