This Day in Queer History

Today in queer history, Maude Adams was born. The highest-paid performer of her era and the original Peter Pan on Broadway, she shared her life with two long-term female partners.

On this day in 1907, Frances V. Rummell was born. Writing as Diana Fredericks, she published the first explicitly lesbian autobiography in which two women end up happily together.

On this day, Ella Wesner died. The most celebrated male impersonator of the Gilded Age vaudeville circuit, she once eloped to Paris with the notorious Josie Mansfield, scandalizing high society.

On this day, Harry Hay, Rudi Gernreich, Dale Jennings, Bob Hull, and Chuck Rowland held the first meeting of the Society of Fools in Los Angeles, the weekly gatherings that gave birth to the Mattachine Society.

On this day in 1975, two members of Gays of Ottawa laid a wreath at the National War Memorial. It was the first time gay people were allowed to participate in the ceremony, honoring queer veterans long erased from remembrance.

On this day in 1985, NBC aired An Early Frost, the first major TV movie about AIDS. Starring Aidan Quinn, it told the story of a man coming out and disclosing his HIV status to his family.

On this day, figure skater Adam Rippon was born. The 2016 U.S. national champion became the first openly gay American athlete to qualify for a Winter Olympics at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

On this day in 1992, Australia removed its restrictions on gays and lesbians serving in the military, opening the armed forces to all who wished to serve their country.

On this day, the New South Wales legislative council passed a motion marking Intersex Awareness Day, shining a spotlight on the human rights challenges faced by intersex people worldwide.