United States of America
This page provides an overview of LGBTQIA+ history in the United States, including key events, legal milestones, and social movements. It highlights both progress and challenges while preserving historical records for research and education. Some materials may reflect outdated or discriminatory views, included here to document the historical context in which they existed.
19th Century
The 19th century had strict gender roles, but historical records show people living beyond those expectations. Newspaper articles from the 1830s describe women wearing breeches instead of dresses, facing criticism and being labeled "unsexed." Some accounts mention women who lived as men, sometimes for survival or better opportunities, and other situations of transgender men who lived authentically despite legal and social barriers.
Some publications in the 1850s discussed a "third sex," often in response to women wearing shorter skirts and loose trousers known as bloomers. This style, popularized by women's rights activists, challenged expectations of how women should dress and behave. By the 1860s, newspaper articles reference Macintosh balls, gatherings where drag performers and gender expression played a central role, reflecting early forms of ball culture.
One well-documented figure from this period was James Barry (1789–1865), a transgender man and respected surgeon. Historical records like these show that transgender and gender-diverse people have always existed, even if history has not always recognized them.
- Read more LGBTQIA+ history in the 19th century.
20th Century
- Read more LGBTQIA+ history in the 20th century.
US Records
- Army LGBTQIA Records (USA)
- FBI LGBTQIA Records (USA)
- Police Records (USA)
- White House LGBTQIA Records (USA)
Related Pages
- History of Censorship (USA)
- History of Cross-Gender Acting (USA)
- History of Drag (USA)
- History of Entrapment (USA)
- History of Hate Crimes (USA)
- History of LGBTQ Terms (USA)
- History of Panic Defense (USA)
- History of Police Raids (USA)
- McCarthyism (USA)
- Landmark Supreme Court Cases (USA)
- United States of America (Aging Events) for some events that will need documenting.
State and Territory Archives
- Archives By State (USA)
- State of California
- State of Colorado
- State of Florida
- State of Idaho
- State of Michigan
- State of Minnesota
- State of Mississippi
- State of New York
- State of Oklahoma
- State of Tennessee
- State of Texas
- State of Washington
- State of Wisconsin
- Virgin Islands of the United States
- Washington D.C.
