This Day in Queer History

This month, George Cecil Ives was born. The poet and penal reformer founded the Order of Chaeronea, a secret society for queer people to support one another. He believed love between men was a true form of democracy.

Today in queer history, Klaus Wowereit was born. The openly gay politician served as Governing Mayor of Berlin for over a decade and held the fourth-highest office in Germany.

On this day, Connecticut became the second state to abolish laws prohibiting homosexual acts between consenting adults, following Illinois in the slow march toward decriminalization.

This month, the first issue of The Newsletter for lesbian and bisexual women was published in North Carolina. In a region where queer voices were often silenced, the publication created vital community connection.

This month, Glenn Burke came out in Inside Sports. The first MLB player to acknowledge his sexuality to teammates and owners, Burke played for the Dodgers and Athletics before dying of AIDS-related causes in 1995.

This month in 1987, the U.S. Senate voted 75-23 to allow a former Presidio hospital to serve as an AIDS treatment facility in San Francisco. President Reagan threatened to veto the measure if it reached his desk.

This month in 1989, Axel and Eigil Axgil became the first legally married gay couple in the world, wed in Copenhagen after 40 years together. Denmark led the way for marriage equality.

This month, Abby Stein was born. She became the first openly transgender woman raised in a Hasidic community, a direct descendant of its founder, and the first trans woman ordained by an Orthodox institution.

This month in 1991, Gus Kenworthy was born. The openly gay American freestyle skier became a visible champion for LGBTQ+ representation in winter sports and beyond.

On this day, NPR announced it would offer domestic partner medical and dental benefits to employees in same-sex relationships, extending the policy to unmarried heterosexual couples as well.

This month, an Ottawa court ordered the Canadian government to grant a gay federal worker spousal and bereavement benefits equal to those of heterosexual employees. The ruling affirmed that equal work demands equal recognition.

This month in 1994, Missouri teacher Rodney Wilson created National LGBTQ History Month, choosing October because schools are in session and it includes National Coming Out Day, giving queer history a permanent home in education.

This month in 1999, the first sexual orientation case reached the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Lesbian inmate Marta Alvarez had been fighting since 1994 for same-sex conjugal visits.

This month, the first transgender demonstration took place in Paris. France would later become the first country to declassify transsexuality as an illness in 2009, turning protest into policy.