9 Drag Queens Who Made HistoryThere is a long history of performers using clothing, makeup and hairstyles to express gender. These were among the first to make waves.Read more
7 Early Pioneers of the Gay Rights MovementBefore the Stonewall Riots, these individuals helped set the stage for advances in the LGBTQ civil rights movement.Read more
How AIDS Activists Fought for Patients’ RightsACT UP pressured the government, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies for more patient‑centered care during the worst years of the AIDS epidemic.Read more
When the Military Expelled LGBTQ Soldiers With ‘Blue Discharges’During WWII and beyond, blue ticket discharges carried powerful stigma—and serious negative consequences.Read more
7 LGBTQ Uprisings Before StonewallThe 1969 Stonewall Riots marked a historic turning point for gay rights, but several smaller uprisings preceded Stonewall as LGBTQ communities pushed back against harassment and inequality.Read more
How 19th‑Century Drag Balls Evolved into House Balls, Birthplace of VoguingHarlem drag balls thrived during the post‑Civil War era, creating a space where trans and queer people of color later broke out to develop House Ballroom.Read more
How Greg Louganis’ Olympic Diving Accident Forced a Conversation About AIDSDuring a time when fear and stigma around AIDS and LGBTQ identity were pervasive, Louganis kept his diagnosis secret until years later.Read more
How AIDS Activists Used ‘Die‑Ins’ to Demand Attention to the Growing EpidemicProtesters feigned mass death to shock and shame government, industry and the media into finally addressing the lethal disease.Read more
The Queer Victorian Doctors Who Paved the Way for Women in MedicineIn an era when women were discouraged from entering the work force, these women forged ahead in a profession normally exclusive to men.Read more
How the AIDS Quilt Allowed Millions to Memorialize the EpidemicThe AIDS Memorial Quilt—with 1,920 individual panels, each inscribed with the names of people lost to AIDS—was displayed for the first time on October 11, 1987. It has grown ever since.Read more
How AIDS Remained an Unspoken—But Deadly—Epidemic for YearsHealth officials first became aware of AIDS in the summer of 1981, but U.S. leaders remained largely silent for four years.Read more
When Hollywood Studios Married Off Gay Stars to Keep Their Sexuality a SecretSome of the Golden Age of Hollywood’s brightest stars were suspected to have been in “lavender” marriages—for the sake of their careers.Read more
