1982: Voters in Lincoln, Nebraska, go to the polls to decide whether or not to accept a proposed gay rights ordinance for the city. Leading the fight against the initiative is local psychologist Paul Cameron who has asserted, among other things, that gay and lesbian teachers are forty-three times more likely to molest a child than … Read More
1967: The Student Homophile League of Columbia University pickets and disrupts a panel of psychiatrists discussing homosexuality. 1984: Secretary of Health and Human Services Margaret Heckler announces in a press conference that the “probable” cause of AIDS has been discovered: a transmissible virus that has recently been isolated by U.S. and French researchers. The … Read More
1984: Claiming an “absence of compelling need” for such legislation, California governor George Deukmejian vetoes a gay rights bill that would have prohibited job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
1984: In Sydney, Australia, Elton John marries recording tech Renate Blauel. Close friends claim he has found “a cover, not a lover.” 1988: Three lesbian guests on The Oprah Winfrey Show are introduced as “women who hate men.”
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
1967: New York City’s Civil Service Commission makes public its year-old policy of allowing city agencies to hire and employ lesbians and gay men. The new policy comes partly in response to Mattachine Society of New York lobbying efforts. 1984: Dan White is paroled from prison, after having served barely five years for the murders … Read More
1980: The New York State Court of Appeals abolishes the state’s sodomy laws. 1982: The Quebec government overwhelmingly approves a measure that gives domestic partners of gays and lesbians legal protection and access to economic benefits previously restricted to straights. 1984: The Times of Harvey Milk wins the New York Critics’ Award for Best Documentary of … Read More
1984: Berkeley, CA becomes the first city in the U.S. to extend spousal benefits to gay city employees and their live-in lovers. To qualify, applicants must fill out an “Affidavit of Domestic Partnership”
1984: West Hollywood, the first city in the U.S. to have a city council with a majority of LGBTQ members, is incorporated in Los Angeles County.
1976: Patrick Dennis, author of “Auntie Mame” dies at the age of 55 in NYC. 1984: California voters decided to turn a previously unincorporated portion of Los Angeles into the nation’s first “Gay City”, West Hollywood. An estimated 40% of the population is LGBTQ.