United States of America
From LGBTQIA+ Archives Wiki
A general overview of LGBTQIA+ movements and historical events. These also include international headlines related to LGBTQIA+ history from the perspective of residents in the United States.
Early 20th Century (1880s-1910s)
Major Events
LGBTQIA+ Leaders and Icons
LGBTQIA+ Supporters
Possible LGBTQIA+ Individuals
Usage of "Homosexual/Homosexuality"
- Library of Congress, Chronicling America, first record using term "homosexual" in a piece titled "Cause and Cure of Anarchy" (1898) in the Omaha Daily Bee. The piece describes Luigi Lucheni, an Italian anarchist who assassinated Empress Elisabeth of Austria the same year, stating "he was like Caserio... in temperament a homo-sexual". Caserio may be referring to Italian anarchist Sante Geronimo Caserio, who assassinated President of France, Marie François Sadi Carnot in 1894. The article is largely an attempt at psychoanalyzing people with anarchist leanings but has no real scientific or medical basis.
- Library of Congress, Chronicling America, next record using term "homosexuality" in a piece by Voice of the People titled "How the Southern Pacific Scabs were Herded" (1913). The piece describes homosexuality and prostitution as forms of degeneracy which are allegedly popular topics being discussed by scabs waiting for work. The article is written from the perspective of a union worker reporting to a Louisiana socialist newspaper.
1920s
- A Chicago newspaper affiliated with the Communist Party remarks on the opening of the Institute for Sex Science in Germany under Dr. Hirschfeld (March 4, 1924).
- William J. Fielding publishes Homosexual Life (1925).
- Mae West's play The Drag is banned in the State of New York, some of the cast is arrested. The play is reported to have had strong "homosexual" themes (February 1, 1927).
World War II (1930s-1940s)
- See USA World War II
More Articles
- The Waterbury Democrat in the State of Connecticut publishes an op-ed on cross-dressing.
Post-War (1940s-1960s)
- Homophile Movement (1950s-1960s)
- Mattachine Society (1950s-1960s)
LGBTQIA+ Publications
- Vice Versa, subscription by Lisa Ben
- One, magazine by the Mattachine Society
Decades
McCarthyism and Federal Persecution
- See McCarthyism (USA) to learn more about the persecution of LGBTQIA+ communities during the McCarthy era under Senator Joseph McCarthy.
- See FBI Sex Deviates (USA) to see more on the persecution of LGBTQIA+ communities by the FBI, under J. Edgar Hoover, and other enforcement agencies.
- Due to the rise in federal pusuits against gay communities, local police, and even residents, participated in entrapment and extortion of gay individuals or those suspected of being gay. See History of Entrapment (USA) for more.
Man Wins Morals Case, Washington D.C. (1960)
- The Evening Star reports on a win for a man who "admitted his homosexuality" on the argument of "differentiating between the condition of homosexuality and a public homosexual act" (August 19, 1960).
Stonewall (1960s-1980s)
Decades
Major Events
LGBTQIA+ Leaders and Icons
Right to Distribute and Read Magazines
Early LGBTQIA+ communities had to fight for the right to have their materials distributed by the United States Postal Service (USPS), even topics centered on "homosexuality" could be described as obscene and banned by the post office. Communities also had to fight obscenity laws to distribute pornographic and other materials considered illicit which centered on queer sexualities.
USPS Can Ban Obscene Materials "Designed to Appeal to Homosexuals" (1960)
- The Evening Star covers a ruling by District Court Judge George L. Hart Jr. which continues a United States Post Office ban on magazines "designed to appeal to homosexuals and other perverts... He rejected arguments that homosexuals have the right to read such magazines. (August 16, 1960).
Appeals Court Upholds Post Office Ban (1961)
- The Evening Star reports the United States Court of Appeals upheld the ban on 3 magazines "displaying partly nude males" from the United States Post Office (March 24, 1961).
Police Raids
Common throughout the 60s, and decades prior, was the practice of police raiding bars and other gay establishments to charge and convict individuals on obscenity or moral charges, sometimes just called "homosexual charges"
Tampa Seizes 30 In Vice Raids (1961)
- The Evening Star, a newspaper in Washington D.C., reports on Tampa police arresting "30 persons today on homosexual charges." Sheriff Ed Blackburn comments "there will probably be more than 100 arrests as the result of an investigation" (June 4, 1961).
HIV/AIDS Crisis (1980s-1990s)
Current Events
2019
- January 20th, 2021 - President Joe Biden signs the Executive Order 13988, Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.
2022
- February 22nd, 2022 - Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, issues a directive requiring the state's Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate supportive families of transgender youth for "child abuse".
- March 28th, 2022 - Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida, signs the "Don't Say Gay" bill. The bill restricts teachers from discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity, and is so broad that even rainbow flags and photos of same-sex partners had to be removed from classrooms.
- June 3rd, 2022 - CatholicVote, a conservative Catholic group, launches "Hide the Pride" to attempt to checkout LGBTQ-themed books from public libraries and free libraries to prevent interested readers from accessing them.
- June 11th, 2022 - In San Lorenzo, California a group of Proud Boys targeted a Drag Queen Story Hour event taking place at the San Lorenzo Library shouting insults and attempting to disrupt it.
- June 11th, 2022 - In Couer D'Alene, Idaho 31 Patriot Front members, a far-right White Supremacist group, were arrested likely with intent to cause violence at a Pride event.
- June 15th, 2022 - President Joe Biden signs the Executive Order 14075, Advancing Equality for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Individuals.
- June 29th, 2022 - In Kent, Washington the Kent School District board of directors votes 2-1 to leave "Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)" by Lev AC Rosen in middle school libraries following controversy initially raised by one of the school principals. The book challenge began in December of 2021 and was successfully pushed back by LGBTQ activists, librarians, and other locals.
- July 19th, 2022 - the House of Representatives passes the Respect for Marriage Act by 267-157, all Democratic Party members voted yes, 47 GOP members also voted yes, 157 GOP members voted no.
- July 23rd, 2022 - UpRising Bakery in Chicago area cancels drag event after vandalism and harassment.
Related Pages
- History of Censorship (USA)
- History of Entrapment (USA)
- History of Panic Defense (USA)
- History of Police Raids (USA)
