LGBT History

Via press release from the White House: Twenty-five years ago today, Matthew Shepard lost his life to a brutal act of hate and violence that shocked our nation and the world. The week prior, Matthew had been viciously attacked in a horrific anti-gay hate crime and left to die – simply for being himself. Matthew’s tragic and senseless murder shook …

EuroNews reports: Suella Braverman questioned the United Nations Refugee Convention in a speech in Washington, arguing that “simply being gay, or a woman” should not be by itself grounds for international protection. The British government has made the fight against illegal immigration a priority. With a general election due next year, which the opposition party Labour is widely tipped to …

Gentle readers, today is Madonna’s 65th birthday. Below is a short story that first appeared on JMG on this day in 2006, a date which, as you’ll see, plays a role in the story. Ricky Loved Madonna Twenty years ago today, August 16th 1986, I was a few months into a new job with AMC Theatres, a position that I …

Los Angeles’ ABC affiliate reports: Earlier this year, the Temecula Valley Unified School District rejected textbooks and curriculum materials for an elementary school program because it included references to slain gay-rights activist Harvey Milk. The school board president even referred to the LGBTQ icon as a “pedophile,” drawing outrage from Newsom and other leaders across the state as well as …

Gentle readers, I’m rerunning my annual Pride rant for the nineteenth year. I wrote this post in 2005 a couple of days after attending Pride in NYC. In the following years I’ve reposted it in advance of the NYC Pride March. If you’re in town, I encourage you to attend. Love each other. Watching The Defectives Last Sunday at 12:30pm, …

Via press release from the White House: Our Nation has made tremendous progress in advancing the cause of equality for LGBTQI+ Americans. To keep building on that progress, we must reflect honestly on the darkest chapters of our story and on how far we have come. Seventy years ago, as the Cold War set in, President Eisenhower signed an Executive …

The Guardian reports: Paul O’Grady, the beloved TV presenter and comedian who broke on to the scene with his drag act persona Lily Savage, has died at the age of 67. His husband, Andre Portasio, confirmed in a statement that O’Grady died “unexpectedly but peacefully” on Tuesday evening. Days ago, O’Grady had finished a stint playing Miss Hannigan in the …

The Associated Press reports: Walter Cole, better known as the iconic drag queen who performed for decades as Darcelle XV and a fearless advocate for Portland’s LGBTQ+ community, has died of natural causes in Portland, Oregon. He was 92. Darcelle, who died Thursday, was crowned the world’s oldest working drag performer in 2016 by the Guinness Book of World Records …

The Guardian reports: Amid the rainbow tulle, sequins and sparkles of Sydney’s 45th Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade emerged the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, in a simple open-necked shirt and jeans. Albanese is the first sitting prime minister to join the parade, which celebrates and continues to push for equality for the LGBTQIA+ community. The parade, under the theme …

The Associated Press reports: Tony Earl, a Democrat who served one term as Wisconsin’s governor in the 1980s and later bemoaned the increasing partisanship in politics, has died. He was 86. Earl, a champion of gay rights and a staunch environmentalist, died on Thursday “peacefully surrounded by family,” his daughter Julia Earl texted The Associated Press. Earl had been hospitalized …

CNN International reports: The German parliament for the first time on Friday focused its annual Holocaust memorial commemorations on people persecuted and killed over their sexual or gender identity during World War II. Campaigners in Germany have worked for decades to establish an official ceremony to commemorate the LGBTQ victims persecuted under the Nazi regime. “Today’s hour of remembrances focuses …

The Hill reports: The Biden administration lit up the south portico of the White House in rainbow colors on Tuesday evening after the president signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law earlier in the day. President Biden signed the legislation, which provides federal protections for same-sex marriage, during a celebratory event on the South Lawn with more than 2,000 …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to designate Julius’ Bar in the Village as an individual landmark. In the 1960s, the state liquor authority did not allow people to be served alcohol if they were openly gay. “In 1966, we had something called the sip-in,” Julius’ Bar manager Nick Gabriellini said. …

ABOVE: At the 1985 Xmas party described below: Me, Michael, and Barney. Originally posted May 2004. Reposted for World AIDS Day. Membership Michael didn’t look good. We were at his annual Christmas luau party. Tons and tons of people in the house and the backyard. Standing in his kitchen, wearing a grass skirt and a ridiculous Santa hat covered in …

Changing America reports: The number of same-sex households in the U.S. surpassed 1 million for the first time, according to new census data. There were about 1.2 million same-sex households in 2021, the U.S. Census Bureau reported. About 710,000 of those households were married, while 500,000 were unmarried. The percent of same-sex households included in the American household population as …

The New York Daily News reports: Fans lining Sixth Ave. on Thursday for a glimpse of Santa and the new Stuart the Minion balloon will also get treated to some Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade history. Performing alongside appearances by Ziggy Marley, Joss Stone, Kirk Franklin and Dionne Warwick will be the Queer Big Apple Corps Marching Band, the first queer …

Gentle readers, today is Madonna’s 64th birthday. Below is a short story that first appeared on JMG on this day in 2006, a date which, as you’ll see, plays a role in the story. Ricky Loved Madonna Twenty years ago today, August 16th 1986, I was a few months into a new job with AMC Theatres, a position that I …

From the Democratic National Committee: DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, DNC Secretary Jason Rae, and LGBTQ Caucus Chair Earl Fowlkes issued the following joint statement marking the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall uprising: Fifty-three years ago, queer and trans people, led by trans and lesbian women of color, took to the streets to protest years of oppression and injustice against the …

Gentle readers, I’m rerunning my annual Pride rant for the eighteenth year. I wrote this post in 2005 a couple of days after attending Pride in NYC. In the following years I’ve reposted it in advance of the NYC Pride March, which will return tomorrow after two years of absence due to the pandemic. If you’re in town, I encourage …

Via longtime JMG pal Carl Siciliano: It was 20 years ago today that the Ali Forney Center opened its doors. I’ll never forget that evening. It was a hot, humid June night. My husband, Raymond, had joined us to cook the first meal for our young people, which only upped the heat within our space in the lower floor of …