Daughters of Bilitis
The first lesbian rights organization in the United States originated as “a social club for gay girls.”
One Name, Two Writers: The Story of Michael Field
Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper worked within the constraints of Victorian society, building a writing career and a relationship under an assumed name.
Liberation on the Dance Floor
Motown’s foray into gay liberation music may have been short-lived, but it made an outsized impact on queer culture.
Palmyre’s Belle Époque Lesbian Bar
By providing sexualized entertainment to tourists, the bar owners of Montmartre made visible and even celebrated the quarter’s queer culture.
The Battle over Drag in 1960s San Francisco
The organized struggle for rights has been shaped by debates over the relationship between gender presentation and sexuality.
Can Fan Hashtag Campaigns Stop the “Bury Your Gays” Trope?
Organized fan hashtag campaigns put pressure on the entertainment industry to improve their writing for and treatment of LGBTQ+ characters.
The Lesbian As Villain or Victim
In Oregon in the 1960s, the debate over capital punishment hinged on shifting interpretations of the gendered female body.
Harvey Milk’s Gay Freedom Day Speech: Annotated
Five months before his assassination in 1978, Harvey Milk called on the president of the United States to defend the rights of gay and lesbian Americans.
How Queer Jews Reclaimed Yiddish
Queer Yiddishkeit challenges the notion that Yiddish is inherently heteronormative or conservative.
The Long History of Same-Sex Marriage
Same-sex marriages, in all possible configurations and with all possible motivations, have taken place throughout the history of the United States.