This Day in Queer History

On this day in 1899, Butch Cassidy robbed a train, his nickname earned from his earlier work as a butcher. The word 'butch' would take on new life decades later, embraced by the lesbian community in the 1940s.

On this day in 1952, singer-songwriter Ferron was born. A pioneering voice on the women's music circuit, she influenced artists like Ani DiFranco and the Indigo Girls, earning comparisons to Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen.

On this day in 1965, the San Francisco Council on Religion and the Homosexual held a press conference protesting police harassment of their New Year's Ball. Most of the representatives speaking out were heterosexual allies.

On this day, the first Lambda Literary Awards were presented in Washington, D.C., with Armistead Maupin as emcee. Winners included Dorothy Allison, Paul Monette, and Edmund White.

On this day, President Bill Clinton became the first president to declare June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. The proclamation coincided with Stonewall's 30th anniversary and called on Congress to pass hate crimes legislation.

On this day, we celebrate queer love in Ancient Greece. From Sappho to Alexander the Great, from Achilles and Patroclus to Harmodius and Aristogeiton, these stories remind us that queer love has always existed.

On this day in 2006, the Danish parliament voted to allow lesbians access to artificial insemination, repealing a 1997 ban. Another barrier to queer family-building fell in Scandinavia.

On this day, Leo Varadkar, an openly gay son of an Indian immigrant, became the Prime Minister of Ireland. A nation once ruled by the church chose progress.