1980: “Young, Gay and Proud”-the first gay-themed title from the Boston-based publisher Alyson Publications-arrives in bookstores. The publishing house, founded by gay activist Sasha Alyson, goes on to become the country’s principal gay small press giving many prominent gay writers their start. 1983: More than eighteen thousand people fill Madison Square Garden for what is … Read More

1948: Alfred Kinsey publishes Sexual Behavior In The Human Male 1962: Illinois becomes first state in The US to discriminalize homosexual acts between to two consenting adults in the privacy of their homes. 1977: The Nevada State Senate – meeting a mere twenty miles from the nearest legalized brothel and just across the street from the nearest … Read More

1965: Ten gay and lesbian demonstrators picket the White House in Washington, D.C., the first in a series of demonstrations staged this year by the East Coast Homophile Organization (ECHO) 1976: The Lavender World’s Fair – the first all-gay world’s fair, featuring a “Spectacular Grandstand Concert,” “Special Lesbian Guest Stars,” “The World’s Largest Outdoor Disco” … Read More

1977: A New York judge rules that transsexual tennis player Renee Richards is eligible to play in the women’s division of the U.S. Open tennis championships and does not have to undergo a chromosome test. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDu7mvm8CvE] 2001: Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg steps down from an advisory board of the Boy Scouts of America, citing … Read More