This Day in Queer History

On this day, Anacharsis Cloots was guillotined by the French revolutionaries he once championed. The radical orator and atheist advocated for sexual freedom and was likely an outspoken ally of lesbians and gay men.

On this day in 1942, Grethe Cammermeyer was born. After disclosing she was a lesbian during a routine interview, she fought her military discharge in court, won, and returned to serve openly.

On this day in 1971, a federal judge granted U.S. citizenship to a gay Cuban man, defying the Immigration and Naturalization Service. The ruling declared that homosexuality alone cannot bar anyone from becoming an American citizen.

On this day in 1986, William Hurt won the Best Actor Oscar for Kiss of the Spider Woman. It was the first time someone won an Academy Award for portraying a gay character. A milestone for queer representation on screen.

On this day, ACT UP staged its first major action at Wall Street, demanding the federal government stop delaying approval of AIDS drugs. Seventeen protesters were arrested, launching a movement that changed how the world fights epidemics.

On this day in 2018, bisexual student Emma Gonzalez led the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C. The 18-year-old president of her school's Gay-Straight Alliance linked gun reform to queer activism with fierce, unapologetic clarity.