This Day in Queer History

On this day, Lillias Irma Valerie Arkell-Smith, living as Sir Victor Barker, served in the Royal Air Force. Assigned female at birth, Barker lived decades as a man, navigating fascist politics and military life before dying in obscurity.

On this day, the Gay Liberation Front launched Come Out!, the first gay newspaper, in New York City. It ran for three years, giving the movement its own voice in print.

On this day, China determined that same-sex acts would no longer be considered a 'social order' offense, a quiet but significant step toward decriminalization.