LGBTQ History

As far back as there is written history, there are references to Queer people.  Ancient art and writings has been found from all over the world depicting same sex couples, Trans people, and all other forms of queer identity.  Our history is tied in with all of human history, and I encourage everyone to look into the vast amount of information that is out there.

Here is a brief history of the Queer Movement in the U.S.:

1924 – The first homosexual rights organization in America is founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago — The Society for Human Rights. It produced the first American publication for homosexuals, Friendship and Freedom. The group exists for a few months before disbanding under police pressure, after several members were arrested.

1950- The Mattachine Society is founded in L.A.   This group was started by Harry Hay, a labor activist and teacher, who got a group of male friends together, to protect and improve the rights of homosexuals.  By 1961, there were regional groups across the country.

1955 – The Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian rights organization in the U.S., was founded in founded in San Francisco.  They provided support and education to women that were afraid to come out.

1960’s-  Ball Culture become very popular in Harlem.  Drag Queens, and members of the trans community formed “houses” made up mostly of people of color, a group of people that live and perform together in ballroom competitions that include Vogueing, Drag performances, Cat walking, and dance competitions.  This culture was highlighted later on in the 1990 documentary Paris is Burning, about a very well-known House Mother Paris Dupree of the House of Dupree.

1969- The Stonewall riots happened in New York City. The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in Greenwich Village, patronized by drag queens, transgender people, many poor queers, and queers of color. Police raids of the Inn, and others like it were routine. One June 28^th, when the police moved in to raid the bar once again, and arrest anyone wearing clothing of the opposite birth sex, the patrons were done with the abuse, and fought back.  What began as a scuffle in a bar, quickly moved to the streets, where more people fed up with constant government abuse, continued to fight the police. The Stonewall Riots are credited as the beginning of the Gay Rights Movement in America.

1970- The first Gay Liberation marches are held in New York, and Los Angeles, to commemorate Stonewall, and continue the fight for Gay Rights

-Sylvia Rivera, a Hispanic trans woman, and trans rights activist present at Stonewall, founded STAR, Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries- a group supporting homeless Drag Queens, trans and queer youth with food and shelter, and also advocating for their inclusion in the larger, Gay Rights Movement.

1973 – The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.  This is a major step forward for queer people, who up until now were considered mentally ill.

1977- Harvey Milk becomes the first openly gay person to run for public office in California, when he was elected as city-county supervisor in San Francisco. The following year, Milk and the mayor of San Francisco George Moscone, were assassinated by former supervisor Dan White.

1979 – The first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights happens on October 14^th.  This march solidified small, local movements into a nationwide demand for equal rights for gays and lesbians.

1981- Gay-related immune deficiency (GRID), was sometimes informally called the gay plague, was the  name first proposed to describe what is now known as AIDS. This is a time in history where backlash against the queer community was incredibly widespread, and many become fearful of queer people all over again.

1987- ACT UP ( AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was formed in New York City as a direct action group that fought for the rights of people living with AIDS.  They fought very publicly for medical research, and legislation regarding discrimination of AIDS patients.  ACT UP brought queer culture to the forefront, and made political action a powerful tool in the queer community.

1993- Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, was signed into law by President Clinton.  The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual service members, while barring openly queer people from military service.

1994- The Audre Lorde project was founded in Brooklyn.  The project is named after Audre Lorde, a Caribbean-American queer poet and activist much loved in the queer community. The Audre Lorde Project is an organization for queer people of color. The organization concentrates on community organizing and radical nonviolent activism around progressive issues, especially relating to queer and transgender communities, AIDS and HIV activism, pro-immigrant activism, prison reform and organizing among youth of color.

1998- Angela Davis, a black, queer, formerly incarcerated political activist,  formed Critical Resistance, a grass roots organization that fights to dismantle the prison industrial complex.

2000- Civil Union, a legally recognized relationship similar to marriage, but without all the benefits, becomes legal in Vermont, although not recognized under Federal law.  Other states follow, offering benefits to same sex partners, unavailable to them before.

2004- Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize same sex marriage.

2011- After years of protest, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is finally repealed, and service members are allowed to serve openly.

Wanna know more? ( And you should!) Look up : Bayard Rustin, Kate Bornstein, Amber Hollibaugh, Urvashi Vaid