October is LGBTQ+ History Month, observed in the United States since 1994. Many other countries also celebrate and study LGBTQ+ history in October, so we’ve collected some of our most popular stories on a range of topics—from transgender legal battles to cookbooks—that highlight the histories of the LGBTQ+ community. As always, links to free JSTOR scholarship are included with each story.
Gay Radicalism, Made in Kentucky
August 6, 2024
Gay rights activist Lige Clarke embraced non-monogamy, LSD, and unconventional spirituality, tying many of his radical ideas to his upbringing in Kentucky.
Searching for Queer Spaces
September 12, 2023
The dominant heteroview of architectural history means we may lose our queer spaces and their histories before we even know they exist.
From the Black Queer South to the World
September 6, 2023
Across its twelve-year lifespan, Atlanta-based Venus magazine brought southern voices to the larger Black queer print media network.
Harvey Milk’s Gay Freedom Day Speech: Annotated
June 13, 2022
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.
The Long History of Same-Sex Marriage
June 2, 2022
Same-sex marriages, in all possible configurations and with all possible motivations, have taken place throughout the history of the United States.
90 Years On: The Destruction of the Institute of Sexual Science
May 31, 2023
In May 1933, Nazi-led student groups organized public burnings of "un-German" books, including those held in the library of the Institute for Sexual Science.
From Handcuffs to Rainbows: Queer in the Military
June 26, 2023
The US military has done an about face on LGBTQ+ rights in just over a decade.
O Canada: A Refuge for LGBTQ+ People Worldwide?
April 24, 2023
Canada welcomes those facing persecution for sexual orientation or gender identity—but the process to claim asylum may not be straightforward.
How Queer Jews Reclaimed Yiddish
June 5, 2022
Queer Yiddishkeit challenges the notion that Yiddish is inherently heteronormative or conservative.
“Protecting Kids” from Gay Marriage
September 6, 2024
Leading up to a 2004 debate about same-sex marriage, conservatives shifted their focus away from moral issues and toward arguments about children’s welfare.
Transgender Legal Battles: A Timeline
May 12, 2022
New laws regarding transgender youth are based on the assumption that the gender binary is natural.
Olivia: An Oft-Overlooked Lesbian Novel
March 10, 2023
It took some fifteen years to bring Dorothy Strachey Bussy’s remarkable roman à clef to print, thanks to André Gide’s lukewarm reception.
Gender in the History Classroom
March 14, 2023
High school teachers sometimes struggle to teach about ways different societies have conceptualized gender. Here’s a look at a few practical approaches.
The Legal Struggles of the LGBTQIA+ Community in India
April 6, 2024
A recent judgement by the Supreme Court of India put off the question of allowing same-sex marriage, but it still may be seen as a victory for the community.
How LGBTQ Groups Supported Striking Miners vs. Thatcher
January 6, 2022
During a national miners strike, LGBT activists became unexpected allies, united against the Thatcher government.
Queer YA: The Early Decades
December 17, 2021
While queer YA has exploded over the past decade, it began in the middle of the 20th century, with the first kiss in 1969.
How Gay Marielitos Changed Immigration
October 9, 2021
In 1980, the policy of denying entry into the US based on homosexuality ran smack into anticommunism.
Gay Bars and Gay Rights
June 25, 2021
One of the flash points in the LGBTQ+ movement was liquor licenses, which were the subject of important legal cases.
Hollywood Goes to Its First Lesbian Bar and Can’t Stop Staring
June 11, 2021
The Killing of Sister George was the first Hollywood movie to depict a lesbian bar. Director Robert Aldrich was obsessed with its authenticity.
Proposition 6 (The Briggs Initiative): Annotated
October 28, 2022
Proposition 6, better known as the Briggs Initiative, was the first attempt to restrict the rights of lesbian and gay Americans by popular referendum.
Out of the Card Catalog Closet
October 14, 2022
Librarians gathered in 1970 to challenge Library of Congress classifications and catalog subject headings that aligned homosexuality with deviance.
Discovering the “Gay Lifestyle” through 1970s Magazines
June 9, 2021
The gay men's magazines QQ and Ciao! were unabashedly liberated, but they still catered to an exclusive audience.
Venn Diagram of LGBTQ+ and Gaming Communities Goes Here
June 2, 2021
Video games offer many LGBTQ+ people avenues for meaning, community, and escape, but in-game cultures of harassment still pose serious problems.
How LGBTQ+ Activists Got “Homosexuality” out of the DSM
May 26, 2021
The first DSM, created in 1952, established a hierarchy of sexual deviancies, vaulting heterosexual behavior to an idealized place in American culture.
“There Was Grit and Talent Galore”
June 18, 2020
Lindsy Van Gelder—author of that famous New York Post article about bra-burning feminists—reflects on the alternative LGBTQ+ press of the 1970s.
Teaching LGBTQ+ History: Queer Women’s Experiences in Prison
October 24, 2022
This instructional guide is the first in a series of curricular content related to the Reveal Digital American Prison Newspaper collection on JSTOR.
The Long Shadow of the Jolly Bachelors
June 20, 2024
More than a century ago, Charlotte Cushman presided over a group of queer female artists who supported one another’s creativity and left a pioneering, if overlooked, legacy.
The Origins of LGBTQ-Affirming Churches
March 23, 2021
As far back as the 1940s, religious LGBTQ people organized groups and congregations that welcomed them.
Parents’ Rights, Sex, and Race in 1970s Florida
October 13, 2023
Save Our Children is remembered as an effort to keep gay people out of public life. But it was also rooted in the movement against school integration.
In The Gay Cookbook, Domestic Bliss Was Queer
January 10, 2021
Chef Lou Rand Hogan whipped up well-seasoned wit and served a gay take on home life during the early-1960s craze for camp.
Julie Enszer: “We Couldn’t Get Them Printed,” So We Learned to Print Them Ourselves
June 19, 2020
The editor of the lesbian feminist magazine Sinister Wisdom talked to us about lesbian print culture, feminist collectives, and revolution.
Defining and Redefining Intersex
August 18, 2024
The transatlantic circulation of ideas between Baltimore and Zurich consolidated and standardized treatments of intersex infants in the 1950s.
Daughters of Bilitis
October 1, 2022
The first lesbian rights organization in the United States originated as “a social club for gay girls.”
In Han Dynasty China, Bisexuality Was the Norm
June 10, 2020
So tender was Emperor Ai’s love for his "male companion" that, when he had to get up, instead of waking his lover, he cut off the sleeve of his robe.
Four Flowering Plants That Have Been Decidedly Queered
January 29, 2020
The queer history of the pansy and other flowers.
Community Care in the AIDS Crisis
January 20, 2021
The Shanti Project’s work in caring for people with AIDS provides valuable lessons in the efficacy of mutual aid in fighting disease.
The Complicated Gender of Sumatran Tombois
January 26, 2024
Indonesian tombois are understood as men in many public contexts, but their families of origin often treat them as female in some respects and male in others.
Filmmaker Marlon Riggs: “Notice Is Served”
June 11, 2020
The award-winning Black gay filmmaker, author, and activist Marlon Riggs left a legacy of protest against racism and homophobia.
Gay Mass Consumption Before Stonewall
June 29, 2023
In the 1960s, the Mattachine Society had only a few thousand members. But tens of thousands of men subscribed to physique magazines published by gay entrepreneurs.
One Name, Two Writers: The Story of Michael Field
July 9, 2022
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
July 8, 2022
Motown’s foray into gay liberation music may have been short-lived, but it made an outsized impact on queer culture.
What’s Behind the Very Real Butch Quarantine Hair Crisis?
April 25, 2020
What's a masculine lesbian to do when her hair starts getting too long? Look at history for inspiration.
Notes on Queer Conception and the Redefinition of Family
January 27, 2021
Feminist scholars refer to the “intensely communal, queer, and playful nature” of DIY LGBTQ conception, but Fertility, Inc. is another story.
Ismat Chughtai’s Quilt and Queer Desire
September 2, 2023
Long before India decriminalized homosexuality—in September 2018—the short story "Lihaaf" sparked outrage and a lawsuit for its depiction of same-sex, intergenerational intimacy.
Editor’s Note: This list is periodically updated. The most recent update was September 30, 2024.
