BCE to The Suffragettes
1685, Germany – George Frederick Handel (23 February,1685 – 14 April, 1759)is born in Halle, Lower Saxony. He was a baroque composer who spent the bulk of his career in London, becoming well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, and organ concertos. Handel received important training in Halle and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before settling in London in 1712. After he moved to England, a contemporary wrote “His social affectations were not strong; and to this may be imputed that he spent his whole life in a state of celibacy; that he had no female attachments of another kind may be ascribed to a better reason.” We never learned who that “better reason” was. Handel never married, and kept his personal life private.
1778 – Prussian military genius Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (September 17, 1730 – November 28, 1794)arrives at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Fearing prosecution for alleged indiscretions with young men back in Prussia, Steuben signed on to train George Washington’s ragtag Continental Army. Most historians consider his success at this task a major factor in the American victory. He was a Prussian and later an American military officer. He served as inspector general and a major general of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He is credited with being one of the fathers of the Continental Army in teaching them the essentials of military drills, tactics, and disciplines. He wrote Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, the book that served as standard United States drill manual until the American Civil War. He served as General George Washington‘s chief of staff in the final years of the war. Von Steuben was most likely gay. His exits from the court of Hohenzollern-Hechingen and from Paris were under clouds of accusation of homosexual activity. Von Steuben arrived in the United States with his 17-year-old secretary, Peter Stephen Du Ponceau, who is rumored to have been his lover. At Valley Forge, he began close relationships with Benjamin Walker and William North, then both military officers in their 20s, which are assumed by many to have been romantic. Because homosexuality was criminalized at the time, records of his relationships are limited to references in correspondences. Von Steuben formally adopted Walker and North and made them his heirs. A third young man, John W. Mulligan Jr. (1774–1862), also considered himself one of Steuben’s “sons,” inherited Von Steuben’s vast library, collection of maps and $2,500 in cash.
1892 – Alice Mitchel (November 26, 1872- March 31, 1898), 19, kills Freda Ward (1875-1892), 17, at the docks in Memphis as a result of jealousy. The story made national headlines for months. The two girls had planned to marry but Alice was furious that Freda had admitted to romantic feelings for two men. Mitchell was subsequently found insane by means of a jury inquisition and placed in a psychiatric hospital until her death in 1898. The case, exploited by sensationalist press, focused attention of the sexual attachments of women and drew out into the public discourse discussions of lesbianism. The case was headlined as “A Very Unnatural Crime” across the country, and influenced the popular literature of the era which began to depict lesbians as “murderous” and “masculine”. One identity was the “mannish lesbian” creating dialogue of gender expression.
02-28-1903 – 07-25-1986 Vincente Minnelli – Born in Chicago, Illinois.
He was an American stage and film director. Minnelli directed two musical movie classics, Meet Me In St. Louis and An American In Paris. Married to Judy Garland from 1945 to 1951; father of Liza Minnelli and Christiane (her mother was Georgette Magnani married to Minnelli from 1962 to 1971) . He was openly gay while living in New York. Upon arriving in Hollywood he was known to be “bisexual.”
1933, Germany – Adolf Hitler’s government launches the Nazi persecution of homosexuals with directives to close gay and lesbian clubs, ban pornography and homophile publications, and dissolve homosexual rights groups.
02-29-1920 – 01-22-2010 James Mitchell – Born in Sacramento, California. He was an American actor and dancer. He is best known for his role as
Palmer Cortlandt on the tv soap opera All My Children from 1979 to 2010. Mitchell was also one of Agnes de Mille’s leading dancers. His last film appearance was in The Turning Point (1977) with Anne Bancroft. Mitchell’s partner of thirty-nine years was the Oscar-award-winning costume designer, Albert Wolsky. Mitchell died in 2010, after suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complicated by pneumonia.
02-28-1939 Tommy Tune – Born in Wichita Falls, Texas. He is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and
choreographer. He has won ten Tony Awards and the National Medal of Arts. Tune is the only person to win Tony Awards in the same categories (Best Choreography and Best Direction of a Musical) in consecutive years (1990 and 1991), and the first to win in four categories. He also won a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015. In his 1997 memoir Footnotes, he wrote about what drives him as a performer, choreographer, and director; tells stories about being openly gay in the world of theatre; and talks about his partners, David Wolfe (March 1, 1915 – September 23, 1994), and Michel Stuart. (Photo taken in 1977)
The Friends of Dorothy Era and The Hayes Code
1943 – Carl Wittman (February 23, 1943 – January 22, 1986) is born. He was a member of the national council of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and later an activist for LGBT rights. He co-authored “An Interracial Movement of the Poor?” (1963) with Tom Hayden and wrote “A Gay Manifesto” (1970). In 1971, Wittman moved to Wolf Creek, OR, with his then-partner, Stevens McClave. Two years later, he began a long-term relationship with a fellow war resister Allan Troxler. In the early 1980s, Wittman created the North Carolina Lesbian and Gay Health Project (LGHP) with David Jolly, Timmer McBride, and Aida Wakil to address the health needs of sexual minorities in that state.Wittman declined hospital treatment for AIDS and committed suicide by drug overdose at home in North Carolina.
1950s The Decade the public learned heterosexual women wanted sex
02-28-1952 Pete Williams – Born in Casper, Wyoming. He is an NBC
News television correspondent based in Washington D.C. He was outed as gay in August 1991 by Michelangelo Signorile.
Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Roman Catholic archbishop of Chicago, publicly condemned rock ’n’ roll. “Some new manners of dancing and a throwback to tribalism in recreation cannot be tolerated for Catholic youths,” he declared. “When our schools and centers stoop to such things as ‘rock and roll’ tribal rhythms, they are failing seriously in their duty. God grant that this word will have the effect of banning such things in Catholic recreation.” While not mentioned, there was an upcoming Elvis Presley concert on March 28.
The Civil Rights 60s: When the Boomers were under 30
02-28-1963 Rosie Mendez – Member of the New York City Council from
Manhattan, representing the 2nd District. She is the child of Puerto Rican parents. Mendez graduated from New York University and Rutgers School of Law – Newark. She is openly lesbian.
Feminist, Gay Liberation and Lesbian Separatists: Civil Rights
02-29-1972 – 11-11-1994 Pedro Zamora – Born in Diezmero, Cuba. He was a Cuban-American AIDS educator and television personality. As one of
the first openly gay men with AIDS to be portrayed in popular media, he brought international attention to HIV/AIDS, LGBT issues, and prejudices through his appearance on MTV’s reality television series, The Real World: San Francisco. President Bill Clinton credited Zamora with personalizing and humanizing those living with HIV with his activism, including testifying before Congress.
1977 – After a television producer cancels plans to develop a weekly series around her, Anita Bryant complains to the press that she is being “blacklisted” in Hollywood because of her crusade against homosexuals.
02-28-1977 Kehinde Wiley – Born in Los Angeles, California. His father is from Nigeria
and his mother is African-American. He is a New York City-based portrait painter known for his naturalistic painting of African-Americans. In October 2017, Wiley was commissioned to produce a portrait of U.S. President Barack Obama for the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. He and Amy Sherald, who was chosen to paint the portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama, are the first black artists to paint official portraits of the president and the first lady. Wiley identifies as gay.
1978
The Village People play their first concert, performing at 2001 Odyssey in New York City, the setting for Saturday Night Fever.
The Genderfuck Apathetics vs Yuppies : Aids the new STD on the list
1981
Dolly Parton enjoyed a #1 Adult Contemporary hit with “9 to 5” while Dropping to #2 on the pop chart which had ABBA at #10 “The Winner Takes It All”.
1987
the Bangles were still in the Top 10 LP USA Charts after 57 weeks with Different Light and Fore!,
90s: Listserves and Email distribution replaces telephone trees for activism
1990, Taiwan – The first Lesbian organization for Chinese-speaking women in Asia is formed. The group is called Women zhi jizn (Between Us).
02-28-1990 Steve Grand – Born in Lemont, Illinois. He is an American singer, songwriter, and model. In July 2013, his You Tube video, All American Boy, went viral in less than a week. By the age of 13, Grand
realized that he was gay. He struggled to gain acceptance of his sexuality by his Catholic family. Grand underwent 5 years of counseling. In an interview Grand said, “I want to make it clear that it’s been misrepresented that I went through what most people know as conversion therapy. I saw a Christina therapist who, among many other beliefs, believed I’d be happier in a straight life. He didn’t shame me for being gay. In no way, shape, or form…do I condone ex-gay therapy. I think it’s a horrible practice. A person’s sexuality is a part of who they are. And I certainly suffered for not having my sexuality affirmed.” Grand has become active in the LGBT equality movement. In 2013, he appeared on Out magazine’s “Out 100” list of prominent LGBT people. In 2014, he was one of the performers at the opening ceremonies of WorldPride in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Post 9/11 – The Shock Decade From “gay and lesbian” to “lesbigay” to “Lgbt/Lgbtq/Lgbtq2”
2008
Former Culture Club front man Boy George (O’Dowd) pleaded not guilty to charges of false imprisonment at a hearing in London, England. Prosecutors alleged that George tied a male escort to a bed after accusing him of obtaining private photos from his laptop. The 46 year old singer would be found guilty in January, 2009 and sentenced to 15 months in prison.
Human Rights in global conflict: Trans/Pans vs LGB/ vs Heterosexual women
2011 – Hawaii’s Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a civil union law in 2010 but her successor, Gov. Neil Abercrombie, makes it the first law he signs on this day.
2011 –Attorney General Eric Holder releases a statement regarding lawsuits challenging The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)Section 3. He wrote:“After careful consideration, including a review of my recommendation, the President has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny. The President has also concluded that Section 3 of DOMA, as applied to legally married same-sex couples, fails to meet that standard and is therefore unconstitutional. Given that conclusion, the President has instructed the Department not to defend the statute in such cases.”In United States v. Windsor (2013), the U.S. Supreme Court declared Section 3 of DOMA unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) struck down the act’s provisions disallowing same-sex marriages to be performed under federal jurisdiction.
02-28-2013 The Obama administration urged the Supreme Court to strike down California’s ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. In an amicus brief in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the administration particularly said those states which allow civil unions but not same-sex marriages (Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Rhode Island) were violating the 14th Amendment’s right to equal protection.
cited sources
Today in LGBT History by Ronni Sanlo
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https://lgbtdailyspotlight.com/
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LGBTQ2 Blogger Nina Notes:
Most of the above is copied from one of the sites cited as sources in the daily post and as linked at the end of every post.
the history of nonheterosexuals and different historical eras views are such that there is a there is a danger to apply current decadish of time, in 2021 to past decades and centuries; particularly without application of complete history.
There is a difference between adopting male attire in the era when clothing was spelled out in law, and lesbians who passed in public, differ from those who only change clothing for personal sexual gratification, in private “cross dressors” in the language of this same era.
Laws regarding clothing exist in many nations, including capitol punishment, this is why sexual orientation is a demographic, That heterosexual women continue to be denied reproductive rights, education and professions, even where won at court; that women are a demographic. That male and female persons who are ethnically different from the majority population and with differing experiences being merged into colour blind visible minorities are differing demographics.
the farther back in time the given individual is, and why on this blog, there is a under theme of Elvis Presley, as the most prominent modern era person of the 1900s Current Era; who was photographed almost every day of his adult life., and who’s number of days on this planet have resulted in his being one of the most recognizable individuals across all cultures on the planet, which in 1950s was 1 billion people, and by his death almost 4 billion, to the 8 billion currently existing on earth.
Nineties Dyke 