This Day in Queer History

On this day, Katherine Mansfield was born in New Zealand. The modernist short story writer, who found friendship with Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence, wrote passionately in her journals about her romantic relationships with women.

On this day in 1979, an estimated 125,000 people attended the first National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights. Led by the Salsa Soul Sisters, it nationalized the queer movement.

On this day, the first conference of Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Lesbians was held. Queer women from across the region gathered to build solidarity, proving that the fight for liberation crosses every border.

On this day in 1990, bisexual composer Leonard Bernstein died at age 72. From West Side Story to the New York Philharmonic, his genius reshaped American music and culture forever.

On this day in 2006, Rep. Gerry Studds died at 69. He was the first openly gay member of the U.S. Congress, coming out in 1983 and serving Massachusetts for nearly 25 years.