April 5 in LGBTQ History
2005: Kansas voters approve an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriages and civil unions.
April 4 in LGBTQ History
1971: Four “reformed” homosexuals go on The David Susskind Show to tout their conversions to heterosexuality and praise the therapy of sometime poet and literary critic Eli Siegel, whose doctrine of “Aesthetic Realism” teaches that homosexuality is the result of a distorted philosophical view of the world. Aesthetic Realists-who never use the word “homosexuality” but … Read More
April 3 in LGBTQ History
1972: The U.S. Supreme Court effectively upholds a lower court ruling giving state governments the right to refuse employment to gay men and lesbians. The court had refused to review the case of an openly gay man turned down for a job at a Minnesota university library because of his homosexuality. 1975: New Mexico becomes … Read More
April 2 in LGBTQ History
1976: The owner of a Hoboken, NJ dinner theater, the Clam Broth House, cancels an upcoming production of The Boys in the Band after learning that the play is about homosexuality. “The Clam Broth House is a family restaurant,” says manager Arthur Pelaez, “and I do not feel that this kind of play is the type … Read More
April 1 in LGBTQ History
1970: The Advocate estimates there are approximately 6,817,000 gay men and lesbians living in the United States. 1971: The French leftist newspaper, Tout, edited by Jean-Paul Sartre, calls for complete sexual liberation in France, including the right of individuals to be freely and openly homosexual. French police begin massive seizures of the publication on the grounds that it is … Read More
March 31 in LGBTQ History
1979: “In The Navy” begins a thirteen-week run in the nation’s Top 40. The U.S. Navy briefly considers using the song as a recruitment theme . . . until the full implications of the lyrics are explained. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InBXu-iY7cw] 1981: In an article in The Globe, First Lady Nancy Reagan says, “Women’s liberation and gay … Read More
March 30 in LGBTQ History
1985: In a letter to ultra-conservative American Coalition for Family Values, former Los Angeles Police Chief and state assembly member Ed Davis responds against anti-gay politicians and pressure from the group that he take a public pledge refusing donation or endorsements from gay political groups. “I close this letter,” he says, “by asking you to … Read More
March 29 in LGBTQ History
1976: By a vote of 6 to 3, the U.S. Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of Virginia’s sodomy laws. 1985: The Los Angeles Times comes out in favor of gay rights and urges the U.S. Supreme Court to take a stand on more gay-related issues. 1988: Georgetown University, the nation’s oldest Roman Catholic university, loses … Read More
March 28 in LGBTQ History
1969: Society for Individual Rights president Leo Laurence and his lover are featured in a photo-illustrated article in the Berkeley Barb. Calling for “the Homosexual Revolution of 1969,” Laurence exhorts gay men and lesbians to Join the Black Panthers and other left-wing groups and to “come out” en masse. 1990: With the opening of the Robert … Read More
March 27 in LGBTQ History
1977: On Face the Nation, White House press secretary Jody Powell defends charges that the Carter Administration panders to gay activists by saying, “For an organized group who feel they have a grievance that they are not treated fairly, for them to have a right to put that grievance before high officials and say ‘We … Read More