This Day in Queer History

On this day in 1940, Barney Frank was born. One of the first openly gay elected officials in the world, he served in Congress for over 30 years and married partner Jim Ready in 2012.

On this day, Suzanne Westenhoefer was born. The pioneering comedian became the first openly lesbian comic on television and the first openly gay comic to host her own HBO special, blazing trails with fearless humor.

On this day, Ed Northe founded the Imperial Court of Canada, a monarchist society of drag personalities that became a driving force for equality and the oldest continuously running LGBTQ organization in Canada.

On this day in 2014, model Geena Rocero came out as transgender during her TED talk on the Transgender Day of Visibility. She went on to found Gender Proud, advocating for trans rights worldwide.

On this day, Gilbert Baker died at 65. The artist who created the rainbow flag in 1978 gave the LGBTQ+ community its most enduring symbol, one the Museum of Modern Art ranked alongside the recycling sign in global recognition.