This Day in Queer History

On this day in 1882, Harry Allen was born. From the 1900s through the 1920s, he was one of the Pacific Northwest's most notorious men, a rabble-rouser and Lothario who lived boldly as himself.

On this day in 1885, D.H. Lawrence was born. The boundary-pushing novelist explored sexuality and homosexuality throughout his work, most overtly in Women in Love, challenging the conventions of his era through fearless prose.

On this day in 1948, author Jewelle Gomez was born. A poet, critic, and activist, Gomez centered Black lesbian identity in her writing and later sued California for the right to marry her partner.

On this day, KQED in San Francisco aired The Rejected, the first TV documentary about homosexuality in America. Made for under $100, it presented a positive, normalizing view to viewers and critics alike.

On this day in 1993, And the Band Played On premiered. Based on Randy Shilts' book, the film exposed how government incompetence and apathy allowed the AIDS epidemic to devastate an entire generation.