This Day in Queer History

On this day in 1948, historian John D'Emilio was born. His scholarship shaped how we understand LGBTQ+ history in America, and his leadership at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force drove policy change.

On this day in 1955, Phyllis Lyon, Del Martin, and three other lesbian couples founded the Daughters of Bilitis in San Francisco, the first homophile organization exclusively for women. Lyon and Martin later became the first same-sex couple to legally marry in the U.S.

On this day, the Oklahoma Supreme Court awarded custody of two boys to their divorced gay father, declaring that homosexuality alone is not grounds for ruling a parent unfit.

On this day in 1993, actress Amanda Bearse came out as gay while co-starring on Married with Children, becoming one of the few openly LGBTQ+ performers on a hit network sitcom.

On this day in 1998, Will & Grace premiered on NBC, becoming the first prime-time program to feature openly gay lead characters and bringing queer lives into millions of American living rooms.

On this day, Soldier's Girl, a film based on the true story of a soldier in love with a transgender woman, was nominated for an Emmy. The nomination brought a powerful trans love story to mainstream recognition.

On this day, openly transgender Michelle Poley won an Emmy as part of the CNN Election Center team, a milestone in trans visibility in broadcast journalism.

On this day in 2010, Dan Savage and his husband Terry Miller uploaded the first It Gets Better video to YouTube, launching a global movement to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth and give them hope for the future.