This Day in Queer History

On this day in 1939, journalist and activist Arthur Bell was born. A founding member of the Gay Activists Alliance, he wrote his first Village Voice piece covering the Stonewall riots, documenting a movement as it ignited.

On this day, an anti-Vietnam War march in New York included a gay contingent. The Student Mobilization Committee's Gay Task Force drew parallels between America's oppression of queer people and the racism driving the war.

On this day, a Special Joint Committee on Canada's Immigration Policy recommended that homosexuals no longer be prohibited from entering the country. The border was finally opening to people the law had long kept out.

On this day in 1976, Patrick Dennis died at 55. Author of the beloved Auntie Mame, he led a double life as a conventional husband and a fixture of Greenwich Village's gay scene.

On this day, voters turned an unincorporated stretch of Los Angeles into the nation's first 'Gay City,' West Hollywood, and elected a gay majority to their brand-new city council.

On this day, Deborah Glick became the first openly gay or lesbian individual elected to the New York State Legislature, championing civil rights, reproductive freedom, and LGBTQ+ equality from day one.

On this day, San Francisco voters approved a domestic partners referendum and elected two lesbians to the Board of Supervisors, advancing queer political power in a landmark election.

On this day, Tammy Baldwin became the first openly gay or lesbian politician elected to the U.S. Senate and the first Wisconsin woman to serve in the chamber, a historic double milestone.

On this day, Maryland voters approved Question 6, allowing same-sex couples to obtain civil marriage licenses while protecting clergy from performing ceremonies that violated their beliefs.

On this day in 2012, Spain's highest court upheld the country's same-sex marriage laws, affirming that marriage equality was here to stay in one of Europe's most Catholic nations.

On this day, Minnesota voters rejected Amendment 1, which would have constitutionally defined marriage as between one man and one woman. The ballot measure failed, and the state legalized same-sex marriage the following year.

On this day in 2012, Washington State voters approved Referendum 74 legalizing same-sex marriage, making it one of the first states where marriage equality was won by popular vote.

On this day in 2012, Maine voters approved a constitutional amendment overturning a 2009 ban on same-sex marriage, reclaiming marriage equality through the ballot box.

On this day in 2017, Palm Springs elected America's first all-LGBTQ+ city council: three gay men, a transgender woman, and a bisexual woman. Representation across the entire spectrum.

On this day, Kyrsten Sinema made history as the first openly bisexual member of the U.S. Senate, breaking new ground for LGBTQ+ representation at the highest levels of American government.

On this day, Jared Polis won the Colorado governor's race, becoming the nation's first openly gay man elected governor and the first Jewish governor of Colorado.

On this day in 2018, Sharice Davids made history as the first openly LGBTQ Kansan elected to Congress and one of the first two Native American women to serve in the House.