This Day in Queer History

On this day, Michelangelo wrote to Tommaso Cavalieri that forgetting his name would be harder than forgetting food itself, because Tommaso nourished both body and soul. Love letters from a Renaissance master.

On this day, writer and activist Sarah Schulman was born. She co-founded the Lesbian Avengers, originated the Dyke March, and became one of the most important AIDS historians and queer voices in American letters.

On this day, Illinois became the first U.S. state to repeal its sodomy law, a quiet revolution that took the rest of the country decades to follow.

On this day in 1983, Bobbi Campbell, one of the first people publicly open about his AIDS diagnosis, co-wrote the Denver Principles. He gave the epidemic a human face and demanded dignity for people with AIDS.

On this day, the first AIDS Walk was held in Los Angeles. Produced by Craig Miller and AIDS Project LA, the fundraiser attracted 4,500 walkers and became a model for community-driven action against the epidemic.

On this day, New Zealand became the seventh country in the world to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, joining a small but growing circle of nations choosing equality.

On this day in 1993, Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing premiered at London's Bush Theatre. The tender play about two working-class teenage boys falling in love became a landmark of queer British storytelling.

On this day in 1997, Evanston, Illinois unanimously extended anti-discrimination protections to transgender people, an early municipal victory for trans rights in the United States.

On this day in 1998, Fiji's new constitution went into effect, granting constitutional protections to gay and lesbian citizens despite opponents who claimed it would 'increase homosexuality.'

On this day in 2004, the Miami Beach City Council unanimously voted to create a domestic partner registry, extending official recognition to same-sex couples in one of America's most iconic cities.

On this day in 2011, Serbia's Parliament approved subsidizing sex reassignment surgery through its health insurance law, expanding access to gender-affirming care in the Balkans.

On this day, Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender person to speak at a major U.S. party convention, addressing the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.