This Day in Queer History

On this day, Mother Clap was convicted for running a molly house, a tavern where gay men socialized and found partners in 18th-century London. Her story reveals a hidden queer subculture thriving under threat of death.

On this day in 1816, Charlotte Cushman was born in Boston. America's first great performer excelled in both male and female roles, living openly among a circle of creative women who were her lifelong romantic partners.

On this day in 1899, Ruth Charlotte Ellis was born. She lived openly as a Black lesbian from around 1915, owned a printing business in Detroit, and became one of the oldest out African American lesbians at 101.

On this day in 1909, Samuel M. Steward was born. A professor turned tattoo artist, Kinsey informant, and legendary queer writer under the name Phil Andros, he lived unapologetically.

On this day, screenwriter and biographer Gavin Lambert was born. He chronicled Hollywood's hidden queer lives, documenting the gay and bisexual relationships behind some of cinema's biggest names.

On this day in 1944, novelist Lisa Alther was born. Her fiction portrayed lesbianism as one of many authentic ways to live, with heroines who moved fluidly between identities and relationships.

On this day, a Minnesota judge granted custody of Sharon Kowalski to her father instead of her partner Karen Thompson. Thompson fought for years and ultimately won guardianship in a landmark gay rights victory.

On this day, the Catholic gay organization Dignity voted to peacefully challenge the Vatican's letter calling homosexuality 'intrinsically evil.' In San Francisco, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and Holocaust survivors protested the Pope's visit.

On this day, eight British Columbia couples took the fight for same-sex marriage to the B.C. Supreme Court. They argued that defining marriage as between a man and a woman was unconstitutional. Canada was heading toward equality.

On this day, Senators Merkley, Baldwin, and Booker introduced the Equality Act, seeking to make LGBTQ individuals a protected class in education, housing, employment, and more. It has yet to pass.

On this day in 2019, Meghan Stabler became the first openly transgender member of Planned Parenthood's national board of directors, named one of The Advocate's Champions of Pride that same year.