Gay Rights Archives ‑ History.com

How AIDS Activists Fought for Patients’ Rights

ACT UP pressured the government, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies for more patient‑centered care during the worst years of the AIDS epidemic.

8 Landmark Supreme Court Cases That Were Overturned

1. Hammer v. Dagenhart (1918) WATCH VIDEO: Child Labor Schultz says that some of the first major reversals on the Supreme Court happened during the New Deal period, when Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress passed sweeping economic and social reforms. One of those laws was the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938), which outlawed child labor […]

7 LGBTQ Uprisings Before Stonewall

The Stonewall Riots of 1969 are arguably the most famous and impactful uprisings for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) rights. But they are not the first LGBTQ+ uprising by far. Various smaller uprisings preceded Stonewall—some by over a decade—to push back against harassment, often from police, and inequality. 1. 1958: Los Angeles – […]

5 Historic Supreme Court Rulings Based on the 14th Amendment

The 14th Amendment’s guarantee to “due process” provided a basis for these five Supreme Court rulings that have impacted Americans’ lives.

Why the First Gay Olympics Was a Watershed Moment in Sports

Singer Tina Turner was the main draw at the opening ceremony in San Francisco for the first Gay Games in 1982, but city supervisor Doris Ward may have received the biggest reaction from the crowd. “She said, ‘I’d like to invite you all to the first‑ever Gay Olympics,’” remembers Jim Hahn, one of roughly 1.300 […]

How 19th‑Century Drag Balls Evolved into House Balls, Birthplace of Voguing

In the early 1970s, Black and Latinx gay, trans and queer people developed a thriving subculture in house balls, where they could express themselves freely and find acceptance within a marginalized community. It was here where the world of drag pageantry, which often favored white contestants, evolved into competitions that spanned a variety of categories, […]

The Queer Victorian Doctors Who Paved the Way for Women in Medicine

In the mid‑19th century, Sophia Jex‑Blake struggled against constant roadblocks as a woman trying to earn a medical degree—so she decided to establish a school of her own. Founded in 1874, the London School of Medicine for Women was the first and only place a woman could earn a medical degree in the UK for […]

How the AIDS Quilt Allowed Millions to Memorialize the Epidemic

The AIDS Memorial Quilt—with 1,920 individual panels, each inscribed with the names of people lost to AIDS—was displayed for the first time on October 11, 1987. It has grown ever since.

How AIDS Remained an Unspoken—But Deadly—Epidemic for Years

By the end of 1984, AIDS had already ravaged the United States for a few years, affecting at least 7,700 people and killing more than 3,500. Scientists had identified the cause of AIDS—HIV—and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified all of its major transmission routes. Yet, U.S. leaders had remained largely […]

When Hollywood Studios Married Off Gay Stars to Keep Their Sexuality a Secret

During the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1920s, actors and actresses shot to fame—but only if they tailored their images to the demands of the big studios. For LGBT actors, that often meant marrying a person of the opposite sex. The early 20th century represented a unique time for LGBT people in the country. […]

7 Facts About the Stonewall Riots and the Fight for LGBTQ Rights

The movement for LGBTQ rights in the United States dates at least as far back as the 1920s, when the first documented gay rights organization was founded. Since then, various groups have advocated for LGBTQ rights and the movement accelerated in the wake of the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Below is a list of surprising […]

How Dressing in Drag Was Labeled a Crime in the 20th Century

In the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, police arrested LGBTQ people based on an informal “three‑article” rule. The Stonewall Riots helped turn the tide against these arrests.