As America gets set to celebrate its 250th birthday on July 4, here’s a timeline of some of the most noteworthy events that have shaped the gay rights movement.
Literally I was a High School graduate when my home state(California) decided to remove the ban on gay marriage in 2013, talk about a pleasant graduation present.
Having said that, it makes me angry that we still have to fight with these people in power over who gets to have basic human rights and who doesn't, and the recent Chiles v. Salazar ruling is just the tip of the iceberg for me.
Thank you Rebecca. That's a super interesting, important and valuable timeline history. Congratulations. I added my bit of history - my 2021 memoir 'Living and Loving in the age of Aids - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Loving-Age-AIDS-memoir-ebook/dp/B08F4GWCFC/ - Amazon blurb: Distinguished designer Derek Frost and his husband, J—creator of The Embassy Club, London’s answer to Studio 54, and Heaven, Europe’s largest gay discotheque—met and fell in love more than 40 years ago.
Their lives were high-octane, full of adventure, fun and fearless creativity. Then suddenly AIDS arrived in their lives. When they got tested, J received what was then a death sentence: he was HIV Positive. While the onset of AIDS strengthened stigma and fear globally, they confronted their personal crisis with courage, humor and an indomitable resolve to survive. J’s battle lasted 6 long years.
Turning to spiritual reflection, yoga, nature—and always to love—Derek describes a transformation of the spirit, how compassion and empathy rose phoenix-like from the flames of sickness and death. Out of this transformation also came Aids Ark, the charity they founded, which helped to save more than 1,000 HIV Positive lives among the world’s most marginalized people.
This is a story of joy and triumph; about facing universal challenges; about the great rewards that come from giving back. Derek speaks for a generation who lived through a global health crisis that many in society refused even to acknowledge. His is a powerful story chronicling this extraordinary time.
Something notable and missing from this timeline are trans rights — which are apart of the gay rights movement.
In addition to documenting sodomy laws, I think it would insightful to include mentions of cross dressing laws (which tie into the suffragette movement) and the recent escalation and erosion of sex/gender identity protections.
This timeline gives the illusion that gay rights are just starting to roll back, with a huge gap between 2020-2026, and the manufactured attack on trans people (our canaries in the coal mine) that has escalated over the past 6 years.
Thanks for reading! As we noted at the beginning “This is the first of a two-part series on the history of LGBTQ rights in the U.S. On June 30, we will publish another timeline focused on the underreported history of transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans.” This is because there is such a rich history of trans and gender non conforming folks in the US that it deserves its own timeline, if we tried to add to this article it would be way too long.
Harvey Milk was NOT killed outside City Hall; he was killed in his office, Please watch the Academy Award winning documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk."
Literally I was a High School graduate when my home state(California) decided to remove the ban on gay marriage in 2013, talk about a pleasant graduation present.
Having said that, it makes me angry that we still have to fight with these people in power over who gets to have basic human rights and who doesn't, and the recent Chiles v. Salazar ruling is just the tip of the iceberg for me.
Thank you Rebecca. That's a super interesting, important and valuable timeline history. Congratulations. I added my bit of history - my 2021 memoir 'Living and Loving in the age of Aids - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Living-Loving-Age-AIDS-memoir-ebook/dp/B08F4GWCFC/ - Amazon blurb: Distinguished designer Derek Frost and his husband, J—creator of The Embassy Club, London’s answer to Studio 54, and Heaven, Europe’s largest gay discotheque—met and fell in love more than 40 years ago.
Their lives were high-octane, full of adventure, fun and fearless creativity. Then suddenly AIDS arrived in their lives. When they got tested, J received what was then a death sentence: he was HIV Positive. While the onset of AIDS strengthened stigma and fear globally, they confronted their personal crisis with courage, humor and an indomitable resolve to survive. J’s battle lasted 6 long years.
Turning to spiritual reflection, yoga, nature—and always to love—Derek describes a transformation of the spirit, how compassion and empathy rose phoenix-like from the flames of sickness and death. Out of this transformation also came Aids Ark, the charity they founded, which helped to save more than 1,000 HIV Positive lives among the world’s most marginalized people.
This is a story of joy and triumph; about facing universal challenges; about the great rewards that come from giving back. Derek speaks for a generation who lived through a global health crisis that many in society refused even to acknowledge. His is a powerful story chronicling this extraordinary time.
it was gay and lesbian rights for those decades, stop rewriting our history
Something notable and missing from this timeline are trans rights — which are apart of the gay rights movement.
In addition to documenting sodomy laws, I think it would insightful to include mentions of cross dressing laws (which tie into the suffragette movement) and the recent escalation and erosion of sex/gender identity protections.
This timeline gives the illusion that gay rights are just starting to roll back, with a huge gap between 2020-2026, and the manufactured attack on trans people (our canaries in the coal mine) that has escalated over the past 6 years.
Thanks for reading! As we noted at the beginning “This is the first of a two-part series on the history of LGBTQ rights in the U.S. On June 30, we will publish another timeline focused on the underreported history of transgender and gender-nonconforming Americans.” This is because there is such a rich history of trans and gender non conforming folks in the US that it deserves its own timeline, if we tried to add to this article it would be way too long.
Harvey Milk was NOT killed outside City Hall; he was killed in his office, Please watch the Academy Award winning documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk."