1967: CBS airs “The Homosexuals”, an episode of CBS Reports. This first-ever national television broadcast on the subject of homosexuality has been described as “the single most destructive hour of antigay propaganda in our nation’s history.” 1972: East Lansing, Michigan becomes the first U.S. City to ban discrimination in city hiring on the basis of sexual … Read More
1976: Mayor George Sullivan of Anchorage, Alaska vetoes a municipal civil rights ordinance that would have extended protections in housing and employment to LGBT people, proclaiming that the “people of Anchorage should not be forced to associate with sexual deviates.” 1982: Wisconsin becomes the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual … Read More
1977: Blueboy Forum, which bills itself as the U.S.’s first gay-oriented TV show, debuts on New York cable. 2012: Maryland passes legislation to legalize gay marriage, becoming the eighth state to do so.
1982: Wisconsin becomes the first state in the U.S. to enact a statewide gay rights statute. 1983: Tennessee Williams dies at the age of 71 in his suite at the Hotel Elysee in New York City.
1977: Thelma Houston’s Don’t Leave Me This Way begins its 17-week top 40 run. It goes on to become a perennial gay anthem. 1991: Minnesota governor Arne Carlson issues an executive order banning sexual orientation discrimination in the public sector.
1972: The NYC Council vetoes a proposed gay rights ordinance that would have prohibited discrimination against gay men and lesbians in employment, housing and public accommodations.
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
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
1978: Harvey Milk makes national news when he is sworn in as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. 1979: Acting San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein names Harry Britt to fill the vacant Board of Supervisor’s seat left empty by the assassination of Harvey Milk. 2004: The New Jersey legislature passes a bill … Read More