2010: Voters in El Paso, Texas pass an initiative that strips health insurance benefits from the unmarried partners of city employees. Supporters say that their intention was to target gay city employees and their partners.

1513: Spanish conquistador Vasco Nunez de Balboa discovers a community of cross-dressing males in present-day Panama and, according to reports, feeds at least 40 of them to his dogs.

1926: The Captive, a melodrama about a young woman seduced by an older woman (her “shadow”), creates a sensation on Broadway for its lesbian undertones. 1991: California Governor Pete Wilson vetoes AB 101 a gay and lesbian employment rights bill, inciting what some call Stonewall II, a month of marches and angry protests across the state. … Read More

1977: Soap premieres on ABC with then unknown Billy Crystal playing Jodie Dallas, one of TV’s first prominent and sympathetic gay characters. 1996: In the U.S. Congress, a bill that would ban employment discrimination against lesbians and gay men is defeated by one vote. 1997: The newly crowned Miss America, Kate Shindle, vows to dedicate her … Read More

1989:    Keith Haring reveals he has HIV. Prices for his art soar as collectors anticipate his death. 2010: The Supreme Court of Mexico ruled in quick succession that Mexico City’s same-sex marriage law is constitutional, that the same marriages contracted in Mexico City must be recognized throughout Mexico, although no other state is required … Read More

1972: The Ohio Secretary of State refuses to grant articles of incorporation to the Greater Cincinnati Gay Society.  Two years later, the Ohio Supreme Court upholds the decision, stating that even though homosexual acts are now legal in Ohio, “the promotion of homosexuality as a valid life style is contrary to the public policy of … Read More

1982: In France, the Age of Consent for same-sex acts is lowered from 21 to 15, the same as for heterosexual acts. 2010: Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker rules that Proposition 8, the 2008 referendum that banned same-sex marriage in California, violates the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause. 2011: President Barack Obama signs a … Read More