LGBT HISTORY ARCHIVES IG:@lgbt_history

202-456-1111 . Call the White House and express, in no uncertain terms, your thoughts on the current president's vile attack on the rights of your trans siblings: Trans People Are Not A Burden. . Picture: "WE'RE HERE, WE'RE QUEER, WE HATE THE FUCKING PRESIDENT!," AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP), New York City, 1990. Photo by Dona Ann McAdams (@leicalola), c/o Bronx Documentary Center. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist

Allison Hannan, member, United States Navy, 2016. Photo by Cassidy DuHon (@cassidyduhon), @theadvocatemag. . Before the Obama Administration announced its intention to lift the ban on trans people serving openly in the military, there were an estimated 12,800 active-duty trans service members in the United States military. Since the announcement, that number likely has increased dramatically. . Overall, trans people statistically are more likely to have served in the military than the rest of the population, with one study suggesting a rate of trans participation of 21% compared with 11% of the general population. . On July 26, 2017, the current U.S. president announced that the military will "not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity." . The military, according to the statement, "must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail." . Be angry. #FuckTrump

For those in the U.S.: Please call the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak to your state’s senators. Demand they save healthcare. And then call again. . As Ian Millhiser said: “Thousands of lives can be saved if every ‘yes’ vote has the worst night of their life tonight.” . Picture: "HEALTH CARE IS A RIGHT" – “LIVING WITH HIV," ACT UP member, Chicago, Illinois, June 1991. Photo by Genyphyr Novak, c/o Windy City Media. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #ActUp #FightBack #FightTrump (at Chicago, Illinois)

National Gay & Lesbian March, Paris, France, June 18, 1983. Photo © Jearld Moldenhauer. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #BastilleDay (at Paris, France)

"SODOM TODAY, GOMORRAH THE WORLD," Alan Bray (October 13, 1948 - November 25, 2001), Gay Pride Rally, London, United Kingdom, July 1979. Photo © Terry Waller. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #LondonPride #Mood (at London, United Kingdom)

"RARE CANCER SEEN IN 41 HOMOSEXUALS – OUTBREAK OCCURS AMONG MEN IN NEW YORK AND CALIFORNIA—8 DIED INSIDE 2 YEARS," by Lawrence K. Altman, The New York Times (@nytimes), July 3, 1981. . Just a month after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) first published a report announcing that five gay men in Los Angeles had died of a rare form of pneumonia, a second CDC report confirmed that the disease—identified as the typically malignant Kaposi's Sarcoma—was spreading among young gay men beyond California. . On July 3, 1981, thirty-six years ago today, in what is considered to be the first mainstream coverage of what ultimately became known as HIV/AIDS, the New York Times included a piece on this second CDC report. . “It said that all the guys had the same history of having had all these sexual diseases: amoebas, hepatitis A and B, mononucleosis, syphilis, and gonorrhea,” Larry Kramer later told Eric Marcus (@makinggayhistorypodcast). “The late 1970s were the years of the amoebas—we forget that. Just as everybody talks about AIDS now, you couldn’t go to a party in the late 1970s without everybody telling an amoeba story. When I saw that article in the Times I was scared because I had had all of those diseases. . “A few weeks later I had a conversation with Dr. Friedman-Kien from @nyuniversity, who told me in essence, ‘This is what’s happening. You’ve got to stop fucking.’ … As a result of that conversation, Dr. Larry Mass, who had been writing about this new health problem in a local gay paper even before the Times wrote about it, and two other guys—now both dead—and I, invited everyone we knew to come to a meeting here at my apartment.” That meeting resulted in the establishment of @gmhc, the world’s first AIDS service organization. . Significant mainstream media coverage of the AIDS epidemic did not begin for at least five—and, some would argue, ten—years after the July 1981 article. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #NeverForget #NeverAgain

"PARADES ARE NOT ENOUGH – QUEER PRIDE—FLAUNT IT EVERY DAY – ACT-UP Madison – QUEER LIBERATION FRONT – PROGRESSIVE STUDENT NETWORK," Madison, Wisconsin, c. June 1990. Photo c/o @uwmadlibraries. . As June ends and our community falls off the corporate and media radar, we all should remember the words of Marsha P. Johnson, who increasingly is recognized as the matron saint of the queer liberation movement: “I think that as long as people with AIDS and as long as gay people don’t have their rights…there’s no reason for celebration. That’s how come I walk every year. That’s how come I’ve been walking for gay rights all these years, instead of riding in cars and celebrating everything. Cause you never completely have your rights for one person until you all have your rights.” . Marsha P. Johnson was a trans woman of color afflicted by untreated mental health issues who often could be found in Sheridan Square asking strangers for money or a date. And Marsha, like too many trans women of color before and after her, was killed without any attention from police. . We cannot celebrate Marsha in June unless we spend the rest of the year fighting for all those who are not free. . Parades are not enough. . In the U.S., forty percent of homeless youth identify as queer. That will be true tomorrow. Black queer men are facing a staggering increase in HIV/AIDS cases. That will be true tomorrow. Trans and gender nonconforming students have been left to fend for themselves. We face employment discrimination, rampant misogyny, police brutality, anti-Semitism, patent racism from within and outside our community, and a government without regard for the law or those who need its protection most. All of this will be true tomorrow. Queer people in Uganda, Nigeria, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Chechnya will have to exist under brutal regimes tomorrow. The list goes on. . It is our obligation to carry our Pride, and the fight, forward. . “Cause,” like Marsha said, “you never completely have your rights…until you all have your rights.” #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist (at Madison, Wisconsin)

“Lawmakers in Germany,” the New York Times reports, “voted on Friday to allow same-sex marriage after a brisk but emotional debate in Parliament, setting the stage for the country to join more than a dozen European nations—including Ireland, France and Spain—in legalizing such unions. . “The measure now goes to the upper house of Parliament for formal approval and then requires the signature of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, meaning Germany’s first-same sex marriages are on track to be celebrated in the early fall.” . Photo: "SCHLUß MIT DER UNTERDRÜCKUNG DER 3 mio. HOMOSEXUELLEN! (Eng. transl.: STOP THE OPPRESSION OF 3 MILLION HOMOSEXUALS!)," Gay Parade, Hamburg, Germany, 1983. Photo © James Mitchell. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist (at Berlin, Germany)

“THOMAS GERARD DELDEO, FEBRUARY 4, 1963 – APRIL 18, 1994,” Barbara and Sal Deldeo carry a picture of their son during one of the Stonewall 25 parades, New York City, June 26, 1994. Photo © Constantine Manos. . On June 26, 1994, twenty-three years ago today, an estimated 1.1 million people participated in the massive Stonewall 25 celebration in New York City, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. . As the New York Times explained, “they marched in not one but two parades – an officially sanctioned one on the East Side of Manhattan demanding that the United Nations protect the rights of homosexuals worldwide, and a smaller, unofficial one up Fifth Avenue from Greenwich Village, organized by several dissenting groups that broke ranks with the others to make the point that the most urgent problem facing gay people is AIDS.” . Among those marching in the official parade were Barbara and Sal Deldeo of Wilmington, Delaware (pictured), who marched for their son, Thomas Gerald, who died months earlier at age thirty-one after a 10-month battle with AIDS. “Neither had ever marched before,” the Times said of the Deldeos, “not against the Vietnam War, nor in marches against nuclear weapons, not even on Memorial Day. They carried [the] picture of [Thomas Gerald] – a San Francisco actor and yoga instructor – on a placard, like so many others carrying photographs of the dead. . “‘You just feel like you are sharing him with so many, like his death wasn’t in vain,’ Mrs. Deldeo said as they turned with the march onto 57th Street and deafening cheers rose from the predominantly gay crowd of onlookers. ‘You don’t get this kind of support in Wilmington.’ . “She grew teary telling of how her son came home to die, how he finally reached an understanding with his father, how he went peacefully one day, his clothes no longer fitting his gaunt frame. ‘He was my only one,’ she said. ‘Explain that karma.’” #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #NeverAgain #NeverForget #Pride2017 (at New York, New York)

"When homosexual conduct is made criminal by the law of the State, that declaration...is an invitation to subject homosexual persons to discrimination both in the public and in the private spheres." – Justice Anthony Kennedy, Lawrence v. Texas, June 26, 2003. . Picture: “LEGALLY GAY: 6-3,” Tyron Garner (foreground) and John Lawrence, Gay Pride Parade, Houston, Texas, June 2004. Photo c/o Houston LGBT History. . On September 17, 1998, John Lawrence hosted Tyron Garner and Robert Eubanks at his home in Houston, Texas; Lawrence and Garner were friends, and Garner and Eubanks had a longtime, but tempestuous, romantic relationship. Eubanks, drunk and furious at what he thought was Lawrence and Garner's flirting, left and called the police, reporting "a black male going crazy with a gun" at Lawrence's apartment; within minutes, four Harris County sheriff's deputies arrived, entering the apartment with guns drawn. . Given the men’s friendship, most believe that Lawrence and Garner were not engaged in any sexual activity. Nonetheless, they were charged under Texas' anti-sodomy law, prompting lawyers from Lambda Legal (@lambdalegal) to urge them to help mount a test case to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), which upheld the constitutionality of anti-sodomy laws. . On June 26, 2003, fourteen years ago today, the Supreme Court, with Justice Anthony Kennedy writing for the five-justice majority, struck down the Texas anti-sodomy law, invalidating similar laws in thirteen other states, and guaranteeing a right to privacy for same-sex sexual activity. Of the relatively-recent Bowers decision, Kennedy wrote, “Bowers was not correct when it was decided, and it is not correct today...[it] should be and now is overruled." Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote a separate concurring opinion. . John Lawrence died of heart disease in 2011; he was sixty-eight. Tyron Garner died of meningitis in 2006 at age thirty-nine, and Robert Eubanks was beaten to death in 2000. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #Pride2017 (at Houston, Texas)

"QUARTER MILLION HOMOSEXUAL FEDERAL EMPLOYEES PROTEST CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION POLICY," members of the East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO) (including Craig Rodwell, far right, and Lilli Vincenz, left) picket the Civil Service Commission, Washington, D.C., June 26, 1965. Photo by Kay Tobin, c/o @nyplpicturecollection. . On June 26, 1965, fifty-two years ago today, members of the East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO) continued with their controversial new direct-action approach, holding a protest at the Civil Service Commission (CSC), the federal agency charged with implementing the government's "merit-based hiring" scheme. . While the group previously had picketed the White House (twice, in fact, once on April 17, 1965, and again on May 29), the CSC protest was of particular importance to Frank Kameny, the president of Mattachine Society Washington (MSW), who lost his government job in 1957 pursuant to CSC regulations requiring the termination of known homosexuals. . The protest garnered enough press that CSC officials soon requested a meeting with MSW members; while it took another decade before the CSC officially changed its policy regarding homosexual employees, the meeting between gay activists and federal officials was a historic first. . In 2009, John Berry, the openly-gay Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the CSC's successor agency, formally apologized to Frank Kameny on behalf of the federal government, saying "Please accept our apology for the consequences of the previous policy of the United States government, and please accept the gratitude and appreciation of the United States Office of Personnel Management for the work you have done to fight discrimination and protect the merit-based civil service system." . "Apology accepted," Kameny responded. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #Pride2017 (at Washington, District of Columbia)

“FIRST NEW YORK ANNUAL DYKE PRIDE MARCH,” New York City, June 26, 1993. Photo © Saskia Scheffer (@saskiany), via @lesbianherstoryarchives. . In the leadup to the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation, the New York City-based Lesbian Avengers grew increasingly frustrated with the virtual absence of lesbian representation from the March’s official program. In response, the Avengers announced plans for a Dyke March, to be held the evening before the National March. From there, grassroots lesbians activists from around the country got involved in what turned out to be an enormous show of Dyke force—with over 20,000 lesbians marching through D.C.—on April 24, 1993. . Based on the success of the D.C. March, the New York Lesbian Avengers organized a local march to coincide with the city’s Pride celebrations. On June 26, 1993, twenty-four years ago today, the first annual New York City Dyke March stepped off from Bryant Park and made its way to Union Square Park, where Heritage of Pride, the official organizers of New York City’s Pride events, was holding a rally. . The first New York City Dyke March, “like the [D.C.] March before it and all NYC Dyke Marches to follow, did not have a permit. It is our First Amendment right to protest, and until we are truly liberated, the New York City Dyke March is a protest march.” . According to organizers of the 2017 Dyke March (@nycdykemarchofficial), the march “is a protest march, not a parade…a demonstration of [] our right to protest [] without permits or sponsors. We recognize that we must organize among ourselves to fight for our rights, safety, and visibility. Thousands of Dykes take the streets each year in celebration of our beautiful and diverse Dyke lives, to highlight the presence of Dykes within our community, and in protest of the discrimination, harassment, and violence we face in schools, on the job, and in our communities. All self-identified Dykes are welcome to march regardless of group or political affiliation.” . There are Dyke Marches in cities all over the world. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #DykeMarch #Pride2017 (at New York, New York)

“As the gay movement expands and becomes more assimilated, people who are not so easily assimilated will feel marginalized. Their marginalization creates another round of resistance. It’s an inefficient and somewhat embarrassing process, but it’s also extremely invigorating and democratic.” – Jeffrey Escoffier, July 1994 . Picture: Sylvia Rivera leads the alternative Stonewall 25 march, New York City, June 26, 1994. Photo © AP. . For many in the gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities, the massive celebrations surrounding the 25th anniversary of Stonewall—culminating in the Stonewall 25 Parade on June 26, 1994, twenty-three years ago today—were a hard-earned opportunity to reflect on how far the gay community had come since 1969. For many others, however, Stonewall 25 was yet another example of the mainstream queer community’s myopic vision of “gay liberation.” . A number of militant groups—including ACT UP, the Lesbian Avengers, Spirit of Stonewall (SOS), and Transgender Menace—voiced their frustrations with the official march, and a coalition formed. . “Queers have been getting thrown out of things for years by straight people," SOS member Bill Dobbs said, “and now gay people are getting on their high horses and throwing some gay people out of the movement.” . Most clearly excluded from the main events was the transgender community; Stonewall 25, for example, was officially a “Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Event” despite calls for inclusion of “Transgender” in the title. In response, and in recognition of her decades of tireless activism, Sylvia Rivera was asked to lead the alternative march. . Most sources today incorrectly provide that Rivera was honored at Stonewall 25, implying that the official organization recognized her contributions to the movement. While participants in the alternative march gave Rivera the respect she earned, it is not the case that she was honored by Stonewall 25 itself. #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #Pride2017 (at Flatiron Building)

“A SECRET WORLD GROWS OPEN AND BOLDER. SOCIETY IS FORCED TO LOOK AT IT—AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT…HOMOSEXUALITY IN AMERICA," by Paul Welch, @life, June 26, 1964. . On June 26, 1964, fifty-three years ago today, @life offered a fourteen-page "report on homosexuality" that more accurately can be described as a report on America's ignorance of, and distaste for, homosexuals. The subjects, according to the author, "are part of what they call the 'gay world,' which is actually a sad and often sordid world...This social disorder, which society tries to suppress...does present a problem--and parents are especially concerned." . While the article was groundbreaking in that it featured now-familiar names (e.g., pioneer José Sarria), places (e.g., legendary leather bar The Toolbox (pictured)), and organizations (e.g., Mattachine Society and ONE), it also perpetuated stereotypes (listing, for example, "those professions favored by homosexuals" as "interior decorating, fashion design, hairstyling, dance and theater"), emphasized self-loathing among gay men (quoting a bar owner as saying, "This is a place for men, a place without all those screaming faggots, fuzzy sweaters, and sneakers"), and explored the tension between the equally harmful views of law enforcement (describing the "unrelenting crackdown on homosexuals" in Los Angeles) and certain religious organizations, which "[did] not condone homosexuality but [did] regard it as a psychological problem." . Interestingly, the article noted a recent legal challenge to the Civil Service Commission's regulations prohibiting homosexuals from working in the federal government; while not named in the article, Bruce C. Scott, a member of the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C., was behind that challenge. On June 26, 1965, a year after the LIFE article, Mattachine Washington and other groups made history by picketing the Civil Service Commission in support of Scott’s case. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist (at San Francisco, California)

“GRANDMA FOR GAYS,” Heritage of Pride Parade passes Stonewall, New York City, June 25, 1989. Photo © AP. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #NYCPride2017 #Pride2017 #FridayVibezzz (at Stonewall Inn)

"WE ARE YOUR CHILDREN," Gay & Lesbian Freedom Day, San Francisco, June 25, 1978. Photo by William S. Tom, @onearchives. . In 1977 and 1978, as Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign worked to repeal equal rights ordinances on the premise that children needed protection from LGBTQs, activists across the country answered: "We are your children." #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #SFPride2017 #Pride2017 #FridayVibezzz (at San Francisco, California)

“‘I HAVE BEEN BEATEN. I HAVE HAD MY NOSE BROKEN. I HAVE BEEN THROWN IN JAIL…FOR GAY LIBERATION, AND YOU ALL TREAT ME THIS WAY? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU ALL??’ – Sylvia Rivera, 1973 . TRANS* WOMEN OF COLOR: THANK YOU FOR LEADING THE CHARGE! . CIS-LGBs: WE CAN DO BETTER,” The Equality March for Unity & Pride, Washington, D.C., June 11, 2017. Photo by L. Brown, © @lgbt_history. #lgbthistory #HavePrideInHistory #Resist #TDOA2017 (at Washington, District of Columbia)