1987: Michael Bennett, choreographer of A Chorus Line and Dreamgirls, dies of AIDS at the age of forty-four in Tucson, Arizona. 1989: Lambda Book Report presents the first Lambda Literary AWARDS as part of the American Booksellers Association convention in Washington, DC Armistead Maupin emcees; “Lammy” winners include Dorothy Allison, Paul Monette, Michael Nava, Karen … Read More
1880: The United States Census finds 63 men in 22 states incarcerated for “crimes against nature.”
1718: The death penalty for “sodomy and buggery” is instituted in Pennsylvania, bringing Pennsylvania into conformity with English statute and common law. The law remained in effect until 1786 when, after the Revolution, Pennsylvania legislators were the first to revoke the death penalty for sodomy. 1982: AIDS makes the front page for first time in … Read More
1431: Joan of Arc is burned at the stake for heresy. Among her “crimes” are cross-dressing and inappropriate relationships with women. 1968: Los Angeles Homophile groups organize a “gay-in” in Griffith Park. 1977: In an essay in Newsweek, applauding the efforts of Anita Bryant in Florida, columnist George Will condemns gay rights ordinances as “part … Read More
1965: Ten men and three women participate in an ECHO (East Coast Homophile Organization) picket of the White House. 1979: Los Angeles outlaws discrimination against homosexuals in private sector employment and in patronization of business establishments in its city. Mayor Thomas Bradley signs bills which go into effect July 2, 1979. 1987: U.S. Representative Barney … Read More
1987: Prominent gay actor, director and playwright Charles Ludlam dies of AIDS at age 44. 1989: Guy Baldwin of Los Angeles becomes the 11th International Mr. Leather at the contest at the Vic Theatre in ChicagoT 1998: U.S. President Bill Clinton signs Executive Order 13087 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in the competitive service … Read More
1960: In San Francisco, the Daughters of Bilitis sponsors a three-day national convention of lesbians, perhaps the first public gathering focused on the topic of lesbianism in the United States. 1977: Wyoming repeals its laws against homosexual acts between consenting adults. 1987: With wife Tammy Faye weeping at his side, disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker goes … Read More
2009: The California Supreme Court issues its ruling in Strauss v. Horton, upholding Proposition 8 by a 6–1 vote but ruling that the marriages performed before the measure took effect remain legal and valid.
1895: Oscar Wilde is convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years’ hard labour. 1913: Colonel Alfred Redl, former chief of Austrian counterintelligence, commits suicide when it becomes known that he has been blackmailed, on account of his homosexuality, into working for the Russians for the past year. Later in the century, the Redl … Read More
1610: The Virginia Colony passes the first anti-sodomy law of the American colonial period. 1919: Anders als die Andern (“Different from the Others“), the first pro gay film, premieres in Berlin. Magnus Hirschfeld is a producer and makes a cameo appearance. The movie stars Conrad Veidt. 1953: A Mattachine Foundation circular estimates total membership in the society at … Read More