LGBTQ Historical Figures & Facts

Conducted groundbreaking work towards legal protection for LGBT individuals in San Francisco

First state to decriminalize homosexuality in 1962

President in the 80s, refused to address the AIDS crisis until intense pressure from activists

One of the first publicly known people to have sex reassignment surgery

Act supported by the Clinton administration in 1996 that defined marriage as between man/woman

American writer and poet, famous for writing honest/candid portrayals of lesbian relationships

Year the American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from their list of disorders

First national gay rights organization, founded in Los Angeles in 1950

First openly trans public official to win election on a state level

Notorious purging of thousands LGBT public employees and military personnel in 1950

The original "Renaissance Man," painter, poet, sculptor, engineer, architect, inventor

First advocacy and counseling organization for gender non-conforming individuals, founded 1966

Author of Ms. Dalloway, considered to be one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th century

4th century BCE military leader, conquered much of the known world, responsible for Hellenism

Policy that allowed gays to serve in the military only if they did not discuss their sexuality

16th President of the United States

Mexican artist known for her self-portraits, feminist, and indigenous art

The murder of Rita Hester, a transwoman of color, led to the creation of this holiday

Supreme Court case that ruled anti-homosexuality laws illegal

Discrimination against employees based on gender identity was declared illegal in

Researcher in the 1940s who revealed the prevalence of non-conforming sexual orientations

First lesbian rights organization in the US

In 1952, the American Psychological Association classified homosexuality as a:

Ancient Greek poet, born on the island of Lesbos

First political party to denounce discrimination against homosexuals in 1980

First openly trans person to be nominated for an Emmy and appear on the cover of Time

Transwoman, lead participant in Stonewall, founder of mulitple gay and trans rights groups

They participated in one of the first cases of LGBT community fighting back against oppression

Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage in 2015

First openly LGBT public official, elected to a seat on the city council of Ann Arbor, Michigan

Year of the first pride parade in New York City

First state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004

First country to allow gender reassignment surgery in 1972

Number who participated in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1979

Year that the World Health Organization organized the first World AIDS Day