We are well into the 20th Century and things are looking up for the GLBT Community. As you will see the road is still rocky. The "Homosexual Samba" continues one step forward and two steps back. In my opinion, we are making headway and visibility is our main goal and with visibility comes acceptance.
October 15, 1973
Dr. Howard Brown announces the founding of the National Gay (later: and lesbian) Task Force, considered the first gay or lesbian rights organization with a truly national scope. Dr. Bruce Voeller is named the first executive director.
December 15, 1973
After years of controversy and often stormy debate, the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association declares that "by itself, homosexuality does not meet the criteria for being a psychiatric disorder."
Minnesota State Senator Allan Spear becomes the first gay male state officeholder to come out.May 12, 1975
California becomes the 11th state to decriminalize same-sex acts.June 1, 1975
The national debut of Drummer magazine spotlights the rise of open s/m and leather sub-subcultures within the gay male subculture.Campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, former Vice President Hubert Humphrey becomes one of the first nationally known politicians to endorse gay and lesbian rights.
May 21, 1976
Jimmy Carter, campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, expresses support for a federal gay and lesbian civil rights billJanuary 10, 1977
The Episcopal Church ordains Ellen Marie Barrett. She is the first openly lesbian cleric of any major religious organization in the USJanuary 18, 1977
Miami, Florida: Anita Bryant, a former beauty queen, launches a nationwide crusade against gay and lesbian rights in response to Dade County's new municipal rights ordinance forbidding housing and employment discrimination against lesbians and gay men. Accusing lesbians and gay men of corrupting the nation's youth, Bryant dubs her crusade the "Save Our Children" campaign.June 7, 1977
Dade County, Florida, residents vote two to one in favor of repealing the county's gay and lesbian municipal rights ordinance, and Anita gets a pie in the face on National Television.San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker debuts the first Rainbow Flag design. Thirty volunteers have dyed and sewn two gigantic banners featuring his design for the city's annual Gay Freedom Day Parade, which this year draws a record 350,000 participants.
November 27, 1978
San Francisco: Dan White shoots and kills Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey MilkChicago: David Kloss wins the first Mr. International Leather Contest
May 30, 1980
Rhode Island: After winning a suit against his high school, Aaron Fricke takes Paul Guilbert to his senior prom.July 2. 1981
"Rare Cancer Seen in Homosexuals" is the first story in The New York Times about the mysterious disease that will later be named AIDS.January 12, 1982
New York City: Gay men gather at Larry Kramer's apartment and agree to form Gay Men's Health Crisis in response to the escalating epidemic of fatal illnesses in their community.
August 28-September 5, 1982
San Francisco: Almost 50,000 people attend the first Gay GamesJune 27, 1983
Parades and rallies in cities across the US are dedicated to people suffering from AIDS. In Chicago, former mayor Jane S. Byrne leads the city's 14th annual Gay and Lesbian Parade, attended by about 30,000 people. The Centers for Disease Control reports 1,641 AIDS cases and 644 deaths. An estimated 70 percent of AIDS sufferers are gay.
La Cage aux Folles opens on Broadway to rave reviews and $4 million in advance ticket sales. With a book written by Harvey Fierstein, La Cage is a romantic musical comedy based on a popular French film about two male lovers, the manager and the leading star of a nightclub featuring female impersonators.July 13, 1984
Brothers, the first American television show with an openly gay lead character (brother Donald), premiers on the Showtime cable network.November 27, 1985
Activist Cleve Jones conceives The Names. It's at an AIDS candlelight vigil in project in San Francisco.March 20, 1986
After 14 years of debate and controversy, the New York City Council passes a municipal rights ordinance for the city's gay men and lesbiansAugust 9-17, 1986
San Francisco: The second Gay Games attracts twice as many participants as the first: 3,482 athletes from 16 countries participate in 17 different events.March 14, 1987
New York City: The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (Act Up) is formed as a direct action group by Larry Kramer and some 300 other activists.
Look for the last of the series next issue
