gay history

This Interactive Map Visualizes the Queer Geography of 20th-Century America

by Meilan Solly

A new public history initiative spearheaded by historians Eric Gonzaba and Amanda Regan is poised to bring a series of guidebooks for gay travelers into the digital age, drawing on more than 30,000 listings compiled between 1965 and 1980 to visualize queer spaces’ evolution over time.

The Historic LGBTQ Trump Appointment that got Overshadowed

by James Kirchick

While Trump’s appointment of Grenell can be criticized on other grounds, the appointment of an openly gay man to head an institution once closed to gays and lesbians is a milestone.

The Seen and the Unseen: Queer Lives 1914-1945

by T. Frohock

Records generally show us the experiences of either the most privileged members of a society, who often escaped prosecution unharmed, or the most underprivileged, who suffered from laws designed to criminalize their behavior.

The history of ‘coming out,’ from secret gay code to popular political protest

by Abigail C. Saguy

In my new book, “Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are,” I explore the history of this term, from the earliest days of the gay rights movement, to today, when it has been adopted by other movements.

“Keepers of the Light”: A Musical History of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus

by Bridget Keown

Music forms a critical part of every documented human culture, providing a functional and emotional form of communication.

Queer Like Pete

by Jim Downs

Buttigieg is getting slammed for being a type of gay man America doesn’t understand.

Eric Gonzaba Uses T-shirts, address books to explore LGBTQ history

by Susan Gill Vardon

Dr. Gonzaba is excited about finding ways to involve his students in a project he has been working on since 2014 — Wearing Gay History, an award-winning digital mapping project that explores the global history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through T-shirts.

Stonewall and Queens

by Marc Stein

The overlooked importance of Queens, New York in LGBT history. 

James Polchin's "Indecent Advances" Reviewed: The Theory That Justified Anti-Gay Crime

by Caleb Crain

Fifty years after Stonewall, the gay-panic defense seems absurd. But, for decades, it had the power of law.

Would Buttigieg be the first gay president? Maybe not.

“I would imagine we’ve probably had excellent presidents who were gay, we just didn’t know which ones,” Pete Buttigieg told Axios. Historians weigh in.

ABCs of LGBTQ History Mandated for More U.S. Public Schools

On Thursday, Colorado lawmakers voted to mandate LGBTQ curriculum for K-12 public school students. 

The Dark History of Anti-Gay Innuendo

by James Kirchick

The accusation that Lindsay Graham is susceptible to blackmail is historically groundless, predicated upon the same flawed assumption most people held about gays at the height of the Cold War: that they would commit treason in order to avoid being outed.  

The Gay History of America’s Classic Children’s Books

From “Frog and Toad” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” many of the most enduring 20th-century titles share a secret language of queer compassion.

Video of the Week: Richard Nixon discusses homosexuality

In a clip from the 1970s, Richard Nixon is heard complaining that the sitcom "All in the Family" glorifies homosexuality.

Illinois Senate plan would include LGBT history in schools

Illinois senators advanced a plan requiring public schools to teach a unit on the role and societal contributions of gays, lesbians and other LGBT individuals.

News Flash: History Is Not Just for Straight People

by Hugh Ryan

"Without queer history, we cannot truly understand history, full stop."

Should History Textbooks ‘Out’ LGBT Figures?

California’s inclusive curriculum raises questions on the ethics of teaching about sexual orientation.

How LGBT history is being taught in California schools

Fox News says it's controversial to speculate about the sexual preference of famous Americans from the past.

Victims of Canada’s ‘Gay Purge’ to Get Apology from Trudeau

The apology, which will take place next Tuesday in the House of Commons, is another step in a review the prime minister began last year into how to acknowledge the harm bought by what is sometimes called the “gay purge.”

Yes, Gay Soldiers Were Stigmatized in Britain during the World Wars, but that’s Not the Whole Story

by Stephen Bourne

A writer explains what he discovered when he dove into the research of gay men in the two World Wars.