This Day in Queer History

On this day, lyricist Lorenz Hart was born. Half of Rodgers and Hart, he penned My Funny Valentine, Bewitched, and Blue Moon. His homosexuality remained a closely guarded secret until decades after his death.

On this day, Mabel Hampton was born. A Harlem Renaissance dancer, lesbian activist, and philanthropist, she proudly declared at 82 that she had been a lesbian her entire life and wanted all her people free.

On this day in 1946, Lesley Gore was born. The voice behind 'It's My Party' and 'You Don't Own Me,' she lived proudly as a lesbian with partner Lois Sassoon for over 33 years.

On this day in 1948, Cal Anderson was born. A Vietnam veteran, he became the first openly gay member of the Washington State legislature and fought for LGBTQ+ civil rights until AIDS took his life in 1995.

On this day in 1948, Miriam Ben-Shalom was born. After being discharged for homosexuality in 1976, she fought in court and became the first openly gay person reinstated to U.S. military service.

On this day in 1972, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover died and left the bulk of his estate to Clyde Tolson, his companion of over 40 years. The homophobic lawman's most enduring relationship was with a man.

On this day in 1976, A Chorus Line won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Directed and choreographed by bisexual Michael Bennett, the groundbreaking musical won nine Tony Awards before Bennett died of AIDS-related lymphoma at 44.

On this day in 1978, the Coalition for Gay Rights in Ontario distributed a brief to Ontario legislators urging the inclusion of sexual orientation in the province's human rights code.

On this day, Mary Lambert was born. The openly lesbian singer and songwriter drew on her experiences growing up in a Christian household to co-create the marriage equality anthem Same Love with Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

On this day in 1993, Tony Kushner's Angels in America: Millennium Approaches opened on Broadway. The landmark play won the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award, forever changing how American theater portrayed queer lives and the AIDS crisis.

On this day in 1994, Metro Weekly published its first issue in Washington, DC. It became one of the oldest and most trusted LGBT publications in the nation's capital.

On this day, Aya Kamikawa became Japan's first openly transgender elected official, breaking new ground for trans visibility and political representation in Asia.

On this day, Rhode Island's governor signed same-sex marriage into law after it passed both legislative chambers, adding another state to the growing tide of marriage equality in America.