8 events documented
On this day in 1513, conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovered a community of cross-dressing males in present-day Panama and reportedly fed at least 40 of them to his dogs. Colonial violence targeted gender nonconformity from the start.
On this day, the Chevalier d'Eon was born. The French diplomat and spy lived 49 years as a man and 33 as a woman, successfully infiltrating courts across Europe while defying every convention of gender.
On this day in 1840, scholar John Addington Symonds was born. One of the earliest advocates for homosexuality, he introduced the word into English usage and wrote pioneering studies of same-sex love.
On this day in 1943, bisexual activist and writer Lani Ka'ahumanu was born. She co-authored Bi Any Other Name and became a leading voice for bisexual visibility and feminist advocacy.
On this day, the film Breakfast at Tiffany's opened in theaters. Written by openly gay author Truman Capote and adapted by George Axelrod, it became one of Hollywood's most enduring classics.
On this day, The Washington Blade published its first issue as The Gay Blade, delivering hard-hitting journalism and gay activism that would make it one of America's most important queer publications.
On this day in 1987, Traverse City, Michigan voted unanimously to repeal a law banning the sale of condoms within city limits, a small but meaningful public health victory during the AIDS crisis.
On this day, Dennis Barrie, director of the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center, was acquitted of obscenity charges for displaying a Robert Mapplethorpe exhibit. Art, even when provocatively queer, prevailed over censorship.
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