1966: Time magazine publishes an unsigned two-page article, “The Homosexual in America” which includes statements such as “Homosexuality is a pathetic little second-rate substitute for reality, a pitiable flight from life”
1960: U.S. Court of Federal Claims overturns the Other Than Honorable discharge issued by the Air Force to Fannie Mae Clackum for her alleged homosexuality. This is the first known instance of a homosexuality-related discharge being successfully fought, although the case turned on due process issues and did not affect the military’s policy of excluding … Read More
1976: The Vatican calls homosexuality “a serious depravity” that “can in no case be approved of” in its newly released “Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics” 1982: On the syndicated “Helen Gurley Brown Show”, the host (and Cosmopolitan editor) asks National Gay Task Force director Lucia Valeska, “Is it true that gay people are … Read More
1977: Miami becomes the first major Southern U.S. city to pass a gay rights ordinance, despite highly publicized opposition from Floridan orange juice spokesperson Anita Bryant.
1971: Novelist Merle Miller comes out in a New York Times Magazine essay entitled “What it Means to Be a Homosexual”. He later says, “I don’t see any great rush of people lining up to declare themselves as homosexual. Who is to say they should do so? I think, however, it is rather important. For … Read More
1967: The Louisiana Supreme Court rules that the state’s statutory ban on “unnatural carnal copulation” applies to women engaged in oral sex with other women.
1976: The Vatican calls homosexuality “a serious depravity” that “can in no case be approved of” in its newly released “Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics” 1982: On the syndicated “Helen Gurley Brown Show”, the host (and Cosmopolitan editor) asks National Gay Task Force director Lucia Valeska, “Is it true that gay people are … Read More
1958: In the landmark case One, Inc. v. Olesen, the United States Supreme Court rules in favor of the First Amendment rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) magazine “One: The Homosexual Magazine.” 1983: A lesbian couple, Zandra Rolon and Deborah Johnson, are refused service when they try to sit in the romantic … Read More
1977: The Advocate reveals that the CIA has been collecting information on some three hundred thousand people who have been arrested in the U.S. for committing homosexual acts. 1981: Premiering tonight on ABC, Dynasty, featuring gay character Steven Carrington, cat fights and more shoulder pads than have ever been seen on TV before. 2000: The … Read More
1973: “An American Family“, a documentary series focusing on the Loud family of Santa Barbara, CA, premieres on PBS. Not only does it presage the era of reality TV, son Lance Loud comes out publicly on the show, characterizing himself as “Homo of the Year.” 1984: The Wall Street Journal allows staff writers to now use the word … Read More