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 Some materials may reflect outdated or discriminatory views, included here to document the historical context in which they existed.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

• United States of America 1800s (Articles)

Notable LGBTQIA+ Individuals

• Levi Suydam (c.a. 1820-?)
• William Dorsey Swann (1858-1925)

Possible LGBTQIA+ Individuals

• Charley Miller
• Edwin Kelly
• Francis Leon (1844-1922)
• James Barry (1789-1865)
• Joseph Israel Lobdell
• Madame Louise "Lou" Graham (1861-1903)
• Walt Whitman (1819-1892)
• W. H. Leake

20th Century

Decades

• United States of America 1900s
  • United States of America 1900s (Articles)

• United States of America 1910s
  • United States of America 1910s (Articles)

• United States of America 1920s
  • United States of America 1920s (Articles)

• United States of America 1930s
  • United States of America 1930s (Articles)

• United States of America 1940s
  • United States of America 1940s (Articles)

• United States of America 1950s
  • United States of America 1950s (Articles)

• United States of America 1960s
  • United States of America 1960s (Articles)

• United States of America 1970s

• United States of America 1980s

• United States of America 1990s

US Records

• Army LGBTQIA Records (USA)
• FBI LGBTQIA Records (USA)
• Police Records (USA)
• White House LGBTQIA Records (USA)

Major Events

• Stonewall Riots
• Christopher Street Liberation Day
• Gay Freedom Day
• Black Nite Brawl

Major Organizations

• ACT UP
• Gay Activists Alliance
• Gay Liberation Front
• Mattachine Society
• National Coalition of Gay Organizations
• Homophile Movement

LGBTQIA+ Publications

• Vice Versa, subscription by Lisa Ben
• One, Inc.

LGBTQIA+ Leaders and Icons

• Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)
• James Baldwin
• Lee Craig Schoonmaker (1944-2018)
• Marsha P. Johnson
• Matthew Shepard (1976-1998)
• Sylvia Rivera
• Samuel Steward

Possible LGBTQIA+ Individuals

• John W Lemke (1897-1919)

LGBTQIA+ Supporters

• Emma Goldman (1869-1940)

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.