LGBT History

Gentle readers, today is Madonna’s 64th birthday. Below is a short story that first appeared on JMG on this day in 2006, a date which, as you’ll see, plays a role in the story. Ricky Loved Madonna Twenty years ago today, August 16th 1986, I was a few months into a new job with AMC Theatres, a position that I …

From the Democratic National Committee: DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, DNC Secretary Jason Rae, and LGBTQ Caucus Chair Earl Fowlkes issued the following joint statement marking the 53rd anniversary of the Stonewall uprising: Fifty-three years ago, queer and trans people, led by trans and lesbian women of color, took to the streets to protest years of oppression and injustice against the …

Gentle readers, I’m rerunning my annual Pride rant for the eighteenth year. I wrote this post in 2005 a couple of days after attending Pride in NYC. In the following years I’ve reposted it in advance of the NYC Pride March, which will return tomorrow after two years of absence due to the pandemic. If you’re in town, I encourage …

Via longtime JMG pal Carl Siciliano: It was 20 years ago today that the Ali Forney Center opened its doors. I’ll never forget that evening. It was a hot, humid June night. My husband, Raymond, had joined us to cook the first meal for our young people, which only upped the heat within our space in the lower floor of …

Gentle readers, on today’s sixth anniversary of the Pulse massacre, I’m rerunning my account of that day. The story below originally ran on Pride Life’s website on July 12th 2016 and makes its third appearance on JMG today. Their Phones Kept Ringing One month ago today, Sunday June 12th, around 8AM, I began my day, as usual, by examining my …

From the Democratic National Committee: DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, DNC Secretary Jason Rae, and LGBTQ Caucus Chair Earl Fowlkes issued the following joint statement on Pulse Remembrance Day: Today marks the sixth anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, a horrific tragedy that cut short the lives of 49 people — the vast majority of whom …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: The Castro Theatre, a San Francisco jewel that has hosted countless film festivals and premieres, is set to get a major makeover. The 100-year-old theater, known throughout the world as one of the symbols of San Francisco’s historic LGBTQ Castro neighborhood, will be renewed as a live events venue with music, comedy, film and more …

The Guardian reports: Any conviction that was imposed on someone purely due to consensual homosexual activity under now-abolished laws will be included in a scheme aimed at “righting the wrongs of the past”, the UK home secretary is set to announce. Priti Patel [photo] said more people would have convictions for same-sex sexual activity wiped from their records, as she …

The BBC reports: Steve Bronski, co-founder and keyboard player in 1980s pop group Bronski Beat, has died at the age of 61. Bronski, from Glasgow, was born Steve Forrest and formed the group in 1983 with singer Jimmy Somerville and fellow-musician Larry Steinbachek. They enjoyed UK top 10 hits with the gay anthem Smalltown Boy, Why? and a cover of …

ABOVE: At the 1985 Xmas party described below: Me, Michael, and Barney. Originally posted May 2004. Reposted for World AIDS Day. Membership Michael didn’t look good. We were at his annual Christmas luau party. Tons and tons of people in the house and the backyard. Standing in his kitchen, wearing a grass skirt and a ridiculous Santa hat covered in …

CNN reports: The US Mint has announced the full list of five pioneering American women who will appear on the first run of the “American Women Quarters Program.” Images of the women, who represent a wide array of professions from which women were previously shut out, will appear on the backs of select quarters beginning in 2022. (George Washington’s facade …

Via press release from the White House: Ten years ago today, a great injustice was remedied and a tremendous weight was finally lifted off the shoulders of tens of thousands of dedicated American service members. The repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, which formally barred gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members from openly serving, helped move our nation closer to …

Gentle readers, today is Madonna’s 63rd birthday. Below is a short story that first appeared on JMG on this day in 2006, a date which, as you’ll see, plays a role in the story. Ricky Loved Madonna Twenty years ago today, August 16th 1986, I was a few months into a new job with AMC Theatres, a position that I …

The San Francisco Chronicle reports: James Hormel, a San Franciscan who became the nation’s first gay ambassador and later a prolific philanthropist, died Friday. Hormel, who was 88, was appointed as the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg in 1997 by then-President Bill Clinton. He was the first openly gay person to be nominated to an ambassadorship, and faced down a nationwide …

Gothamist reports: The American LGBTQ+ Museum will have a permanent home in the expansion of the New-York Historical Society’s headquarters on Central Park West, with a $35 million infusion in capital funds from the city. The capital funds represents a quarter of the historical society’s $140 million expansion to add more than 60,000 square feet onto the lot directly behind …

It was 52 years ago this weekend that the queer community of New York City finally said “Enough!” As I’ve done for the last few years on this day, I’m reposting the story that the New York Daily News ran one week after the Stonewall Riots. Note how the story drips with condescension and ridicule. We’ve come a long, long …

USA Today reports: President Joe Biden has signed a law designating the Pulse nightclub in Orlando as a national memorial. Survivors of the 2016 shooting and the victims’ family members attended the signing ceremony at the White House. “May no president ever have to sign another monument like this,” Biden said as he signed the law as survivors stood around …

Gentle readers, I’m rerunning my annual Pride rant for the seventeenth year. I wrote this post in 2005 a couple of days after attending Pride in NYC. In the following years I’ve reposted it in advance of NYC Pride in the hope of encouraging you to attend your local events. While the pandemic has canceled this year’s festivities in many …

Gentle readers, on today’s fifth anniversary of the Pulse massacre, I’m rerunning my account of that day. The story below originally ran on Pride Life’s website on July 12th 2016 and makes its second appearance on JMG today. Their Phones Kept Ringing One month ago today, Sunday June 12th, around 8AM I began my day, as usual, by examining my …

From Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer: In the years since the tragedy, we have worked to increase the visibility of Orlando’s LGBTQ+ community and celebrate our city’s diversity during annual events like Come Out With Pride and on murals throughout the city. We proudly fly the Pride flag at City Hall and at soccer games. Businesses now display stickers provided by …