This Day in Queer History

On this day, Karl-Maria Kertbeny wrote the word "homosexual" for the first time in a letter to Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, coining the term that would replace pejorative labels and reshape how the world understood sexuality.

On this day, Rudolph Valentino was born. The silent film icon and original "Latin lover" was the subject of decades of speculation about his sexuality, with some historians suggesting his marriages were lavender covers.

On this day, Jon Reed Sims was born. He founded the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band, the world's first openly gay musical group, giving queer people 'an alternative to the baths and the bars.' He died of AIDS at 37.

On this day, the Cooper's Donuts riot erupted in downtown Los Angeles as drag queens and hustlers fought police arresting their friends at a popular gay meeting place. It was the first documented LGBT uprising in the U.S.

On this day in 1994, Noah Galvin was born. The openly gay actor came out at 14 and went on to star in ABC's The Real O'Neals and take the lead role in the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen.

On this day in 2012, the Family Equality Council hosted its first International Family Equality Day, raising global awareness about the need for equal treatment of LGBTQ+ families everywhere.