March 1 - Kansas
Kansas LGBT narrowly escape from being included as criminal registrants in the "Kansas Crimes Against Children and Sex Offender Registration Act," also known as Senate Bill (SB) 291. This bill represents changes in the current "Kansas Sex Offender Registration Act" (K.S.A. 22-4901 et seq.) in order to bring Kansas in compliance with Megan’s Law, which requires the registration of those convicted of capital murder, murder in the first degree, murder in the second degree, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter. Registration also provides law enforcement officers with a current data base reflecting the criminal history, identification, and present location of known criminals within their communities.
The public could be made aware of offenders living within their communities, and therefore be able to take measures needed to increase their personal safety. Initially, SB 291 would require persons convicted under K.S.A. 21-3535 (the current consensual sodomy law) to be registered as sex criminals, along with molesters and rapists, and be reported to local law enforcement agencies and neighbors. In short, anyone who had been convicted of consensual adult sodomy (for example, those arrested for solicitation in Gage Park, Topeka) would be required to register with the State as a violent sex offender. This version passed through the Senate before a lesbian lawyer from Lawrence noticed the inclusion and made others--including the Attorney General’s office and Kansas-wide queer activists--aware of its existence.
March 19 - National
“Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story”. Breaking the Surface is about the tough times Greg Louganis had on his way to becoming one of the world's top Olympic divers. Some topics discussed were Greg's childhood problems, his homosexuality, and him contracting the HIV virus.
May 9 - National
“Nowhere” Follows a day in the lives of a group of Los Angeles high school students and the strange lives they lead.
June 1 - National
Peter David adds Andy Jones to the Supergirl supporting cast in Supergirl (v.4) 10. An angel composed of both a man and a woman who, in both her female (Andy) and male (Comet) forms, pursues Supergirl.
January 1 - California
“Fountaingrove Lodge” Fountaingrove Lodge is the nation’s first lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered (LGBT), and Friends focused independent senior community with the option of continuing care services.
October 1 - National
After debuting in Action Girl Comics #13, Elizabeth Watasin’s character Magical Witch Girl Bunny stars in her own comic, Charm School, a lesbian take on classic mythic themes. Eight issues of Charm School and a collection have been published.
January 1 - National
“Next Year in Jerusalem” The oldest son in an orthodox Jewish family is living at home (in Brooklyn) with his parents and younger brothers. He's being pressured by his parents to marry the girl they have chosen, (the daughter of a rabbi). But he is coming to the realization that he is gay. When he becomes reacquainted with a school hood friend that has moved into Greenwich Village and come out (at least to himself), our hero begins to come out to himself as well.
August 1 - National
Glenway Wescott and his relationship with longtime companion Monroe Wheeler is the focus of the book “The Oldest Gay Couple in America”. During a time when homosexuality wasn’t addressed or acknowledged their 70-year relationship was a testimony for love and acceptance between gay men.
September 13 - National
Justin Chin a writer released “Bite Hard” and explores his identity as an Asian, a gay man, an artist, and a lover".
December 18 - New Jersey
New Jersey becomes the first state to allow same-sex couples to adopt jointly.
April 1 - National
“Sex Between Men” From the liberating discovery of "buddies" in the World War II trenches to the brutal repression of the '50s, from the heady possibilities that emerged in the wake of the Stonewall uprising to the hedonistic lovefests and ecstatic extremes of the baths and sex clubs of the '70s, and finally from the psychical and emotional carnage of the AIDS-plagued '80s to the '90s sex clubs, Douglas Sadownick provides a full-scale psychosocial analysis of the sexual behavior of gay men. Combining personal testimony, thoughtful commentary and glimpses of social history from archival material, Sex Between Men puts the sex back in homosexual.
June 5 - Ohio
“Aware on the Square” held (Gay & Lesbian Community Center Cincinnati)
September 1 - National
HERO tells teammate Sparx that he is gay in Superboy and the Ravers #13 in a story by Steve Mattson and Karl Kesel.
September 19 - National
“In & Out”. A midwestern teacher questions his sexuality after a former student makes a comment about him at the Academy Awards.
November 21 - National
“Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.
December 11 - National
Tim Miller a performance artist publishes “Shirts & Skins” and unleashes his childhood demons and adult trials-by-fire in this bizarre, fascinating account of his life. Through humor, memory, fantasy, gratuitous sex, and unabashed honesty, Shirts & Skin charts one gay man's take on the challenges of the last two decades of the millennium.
January 1 - Maine
“Pride Portland” Pride Portland! is a celebration of Portland, Maine’s LGBTQIA — lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, ally/asexual community. Our goal is to bring people together to celebrate the achievements of the LGBTQA movement, remember our history and raise awareness of the work that still needs to be done.
January 1 - Delaware
“Delaware Pride” Delaware Pride is dedicated to promoting platforms for expressing diversity and creating a more visible and united LGBTA community. Delaware Pride sponsors and promotes cultural, social, educational, and recreational events.
United States LGBT History for 1997
January 1 - Washington State
“GayBC”. In 1997, John McMullen led a team of talented journalists, commentators and entertainment aficionados in launching the world's first global GLBT broadcasting service. The GAYBC Radio Network (originally called GLOradio) commenced with daily and weekly content from its headquarters in Seattle, Washington.
Danny Pintauro
October 1 - National
Ken Shakin publishes “Love Sucks”
July 1 - National
“Sex Changes” The Politics of Transgenderism is Califia's meticulously researched book based on an astute reading of the available literature and in-depth interviews with gender transgressors who "opened their lives, minds, hearts, and bedrooms to the gaze of strangers." Writing about both male-to-female and female-to-male transsexuals, Califia examines the lives of early transgender pioneers like Christine Jorgenson, Jan Morris, Renee Richards and Mark Rees, contemporary transgender activists like Leslie Feinberg and Kate Bornstein, and partners of transgendered people like Minnie Bruce Pratt. Califia scrutinizes feminist resistance to transsexuals occupying women's space, the Christian Right's backlash against transsexuals, and the appropriation of the berdache and other differently-gendered by gay historians to prove the universal existence of homosexuality. Finally, Sex Changes explores the future of gender.
April 18 - National
“Shopping for Fangs” A married woman, who's been getting seductive phone calls from a lesbian, and a man, who believes he might be a werewolf, are about to find out who they deep down really are.
Evelyn Mantilla
Connecticut Senate
January 1 - National
“Pacific Justice institute” This is a hate group. Pacific Justice Institute is a non-profit 501(c)(3) legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights, and other civil liberties. Pacific Justice Institute works diligently, without charge, to provide its clients with all the legal support they need. "Through our dedicated attorneys and supporters, we defend the rights of countless individuals, families and churches...without charge."
December 11 - National
A Rolling Stones article details the failure of John Money’s case from the 1960s; Money was accidentally castrated during a circumcision then raised as a girl.
September 11 - National
“David Searching”. The story of a young gay man's search to find himself.
January 1 - Nevada
“Reno Gay Pride” Reno Gay Pride celebrates years of making positive changes in the inclusive spirit of showcasing diversity and community spirit.
November 4 - National
Scott O'Hara who is an adult film star has “Autopornography: A Memoir of Life in the Lust Lane” published. He actively talked about being HIV positive and how it affected his life. He died one year after the book was published.
May 30 - Georgia
A federal appeals court rules 8-4 that Georgia attorney general Mike Bowers did not violate the constitutional rights of staffer Robin Shahar when he withdrew a job offer after learning she and her partner had been married in a religious ceremony.
July 1 - National
Two Spirit People is the first-ever look at social science research exploration into the lives of American Indian lesbian women and gay men. Editor Lester B. Brown posits six gender styles in traditional American Indian culture: men and women, not-men and not-women (persons of one biological sex assuming the identity of the opposite sex in some form), and gays and lesbians. He brings together chapters that emphasize American Indian spirituality, present new perspectives, and provide readers with a beginning understanding of the place of lesbian, gay, and bisexual Indians within American Indian culture and within American society. This beginning will help you understand these unique people and the special challenges and multiple prejudices they face.
Traditionally, American Indian cultures showed great respect and honor for alternative gender styles, since these were believed to be part of the sacred web of life. If the Great Spirit chose to create alternative sexualities or gender roles, who was bold enough to oppose such power? If one’s spiritual quest revealed one’s identity to be that of not-woman, not-man, gay, or lesbian, who should defy their calling? The interpretation of contemporary American Indian religions that gay American Indians retain sacred rights within Indian cultures, and that they can share this gift with others, have implications for therapy, identity formation, social movements, and general human relations. Social workers and other human service professionals, American Indian studies students, sociologists, anthropologists, and lesbian and gay scholars will find Two Spirit People enlightening and a significant contribution to the development of professional interventions for oppressed groups that is ethnically and culturally sensitive. Only by understanding the belief systems from which these oppressed groups come will you begin to really help them achieve positive change.
James Robert Baker
LGBT Writer
April 1 - National
BAGAL COMIC CONNECTION, which calls itself “a lesbian, gay and bisexual comic arts news magazine, publishes one issue
October 10 - National
Tom Lenk starred as Uncle Floyd's Boy #2 in Boogie Nights
July 1 - National
“Two Spirit People” This landmark book combines the voices of Native Americans and non- Indians, anthropologists and others, in an exploration of gender and sexuality issues as they relate to lesbian, gay, trans-gendered, and other "marked" Native Americans. Focusing on the concept of two-spirit people - individuals not necessarily gay or lesbian, transvestite or bisexual, but whose behaviors or beliefs may sometimes be interpreted by others as uncharacteristic of their sex - this book is the first to provide an intimate look at how many two-spirit people feel about themselves, how other Native Americans treat them, and how anthropologists and other scholars interpret them and their cultures.
June 1 - National
The Unitarian Universalist Association stages a Sodomy Law Protest in the form of an educational panel in Phoenix, Arizona.
November 1 - National
“The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender” A film scrapbook, images, phrases from our past, hiding their meanings behind veils. Let's lift those veils, one by one, to find how images, at one time seeming innocent, have revealed, after decades, to have homosexual overtones.
November 1 - National
Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin introduce lesbianism into the Star Trek Universe to the Star Trek universe in the storyline that begins in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #10.
November 1 - National
Over a decade worth of Maurice Vellekoop’s comic stories and illustrations is collected under the title Vellevision: A Cocktail of Comics and Pictures.
January 1 - Texas
“Austin Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce” Welcome to the AGLCC, Central Texas’ home for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) supportive businesses and organizations. The Chamber is the best resource for places to shop, things to do, arts and entertainment, organizations to support, and all manner of gay-friendly businesses.
July 15 - National
David Groff a poet and writer publishes “Out facts: just about everything you need to know about gay and lesbian life”
September 1 - Georgia
Labor Day Weekend marks the first official Black Gay Pride event.
February 21 - Georgia
The Otherside Lounge, a lesbian nightclub in Atlanta, was bombed by Eric Robert Rudolph, the "Olympic Park Bomber;" five bar patrons were injured. In a statement released after he was sentenced to five consecutive life terms for his several bombings, Rudolph called homosexuality an "aberrant lifestyle".
January 1 - Florida
“Equality Florida Action” Together, Equality Florida Institute, Inc. and Equality Florida Action, Inc. form the largest civil rights organization dedicated to securing full equality for Florida’s LGBT community.
January 1 - New York
“Long Island Film Festival”. Our MISSION is to discover, promote and give venue to independent filmmakers, not just from the greater New York area, but from other regions of America and abroad. For 34 years, the Long Island Film Festival has presented high quality film programs and has made a major contribution to the Long Island community by promoting films that are entertaining, educational and enhance the general public's understanding of cinema culture and the humanities.
September 14 - National
Rembert S. Truluck publishes “Steps to Recovery from Bible Abuse”
July 25 - National
Danny Pintauro is outed by the National Enquirer tabloid.
July 10 - National
Charles Kaiser publishes “The Gay Metropolis 1940-1996”
April 13 - National
Anthony Meindl is a screenwriter that is exclusive to the gay genre and themes. His first production is “David Searching”
April 18 - National
“Chasing Amy”. Holden and Banky are comic book artists. Everything's going good for them until they meet Alyssa, also a comic book artist. Holden falls for her, but his hopes are crushed when he finds out she's a lesbian.
July 8 - National
Robert Patrick is included in “The Mammoth Book of Gay Short Stories”
January 1 - Tennessee
“OutFlix Memphis”. The annual Outflix Film Festival is a program of OUTMemphis: The LGBTQ Center for the Mid-South. OUTMemphis believes that it is vital for us to see images of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people that are not often visible in commercial movie theaters. Outflix seeks to correct that by highlighting our history, our loves, our losses, and our triumphs –stories ABOUT us told BY us.
June 30 - National
“Transgender Warriors” In this fascinating, personal journey through history, Leslie Feinberg uncovers persuasive evidence that there have always been people who crossed the cultural boundaries of gender. Transgender Warriors is an eye-opening jaunt through the history of gender expression and a powerful testament to the rebellious spirit.
October 1 - National
“Straight Boys” The beauty of the Californian summer and a play on the idea of virility are the themes of the erotic photos of Steven Underhill. Whether in the barn, out in the sun in the fields or in the shade of the veranda, Underhill's men always arouse our desire to see more. Young, lively and erotically provocative!
January 1 - National
“The Gay Metropolis” Combining history with cultural analysis, this is a social, cultural and political history of gay life in the major cities of the world since the 1940s. Focusing on New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin, the book chronicles the importance of urban centres in the evolution of gay culture.
April 1 - National
Gabriel Rotello a writer and filmmaker publishes “Sexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny of Gay Men”
January 1 - Washington State
“Rainbow Center Tacoma” Through education, advocacy, and celebration, the Rainbow Center expands resources and safe space for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied (LGBTQA) community.
President Bill Clinton
May 16 - National
“Love! Valour! Compassion!” Gregory invites seven friends to spend the summer at his large, secluded 19th-century home in upstate New York. The seven are: Bobby, Gregory's "significant other," who is blind but who loves to explore the home's garden using his sense of touch; Art and Perry, two "yuppies" who drive a Volvo and who celebrate their 14th anniversary together that summer; John, a dour expatriate Briton who loathes his twin brother James; Ramon, John's "companion," who is physically attracted to Bobby and immediately tries to seduce the blind man; James, a cheerful soul who is in the advanced stages of AIDS; and Buzz, a fan of traditional Broadway musicals who is dealing with his own HIV-positive status.
April 1 - Hawaii
Both houses of the Hawaii legislature approve a Constitutional amendment that would expand the power of state lawmakers to restrict marriages to opposite-sex couples. The amendment must be placed on a statewide ballot in a Constitutional Convention and voted on to adopt the amendment. But Hawaii residents vote to NOT hold a Constitutional Convention.
October 10 - National
The movie “Happy together” is released.
June 1 - National
William J. Mann publishes “The Men from the Boys”
November 1 - California
USC becomes a founding member of the National Consortium of GLBT Resource Centers in Higher Education.
January 1 - National
"Gay Widowers" A recent gay widower may find that once the shock and initial confusion of losing his partner is overcome, there are still many hard, lonely, and overwhelming stages of grief to be worked through. Often, the bereaved feels isolated, and looking around for comfort, realizes that he doesn't have many resources to turn to, but Gay Widowers: Life After the Death of a Partner is a start. By offering first-person accounts of becoming a widower, this book, the first of its kind, allows others who are about to lose or already have lost a partner to find support, validation, recognition, and fellowship. Its editor and contributors hope that by sharing their stories of loss, pain, and bewilderment, they will help others in mourning as well as make one more step forward in their own healing. Men of different ages and ethnic, religious, geographic, and economic backgrounds join together in Gay Widowers to remind other gay widowers that they are not alone and that their feelings of pain, anger, and emptiness are normal and legitimate. Not solely a book about life after the loss of a partner to AIDS, this book is about rebuilding life as a bereaved gay man, regardless of the cause of your partner's death.
January 1 – National
Brian Bond becomes Executive Director of Victory Fund and serves until 2003. Victory Fund supports Cathy Woolard, who becomes the first openly LGBTQ elected official in Georgia, winning her race for Atlanta City Council, as well as Annise Parker, who is elected to an at-large seat on the Houston City Council.
July 16 - National
“All Over Me”. Claude and Ellen are best friends who live in a not-so-nice area of New York. They're involved in the subculture of 90s youth, complete with drugs, live music, and homophobia. All is changed one night when a violent and meaningless death rocks their lives.
April 14 - National
Ellen Degeneres’ character Ellen Morgan comes out as a lesbian on the popular sit-com Ellen, drawing 36 million viewers.
August 15 - National
Ira Sachs releases his first film “The Delta”
January 1 - Oregon
Eugene extends health benefits to city employee domestic partners.
First Annual Shepherd's Award Dinner, which became "A Class Act" fundraiser for Bill and Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund of the Equity Foundation.
January 1 – Michigan
Rachel Crandall starts Transgender Michigan, an equality and education organization dedicated to transgender equality.
January 1 - California
“San Francisco Pride” The Mission of the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Celebration Committee is to educate the world, commemorate our heritage, celebrate our culture, and liberate our people.
April 20 - National
“In the Gloaming”. Danny, dying of Aids, returns home for his last months. Always close to his mother, they share moments of openness that tend to shut out Danny's father and his sister.
January 1 - California
“San Francisco Transgender Film Festival”. The San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) screens films that promote the visibility of transgender and gender variant people and challenge the mainstream media’s negative stereotypes of our communities. We provide opportunities for transgender and gender variant media artists, build community through our film and performance events, and engage our audiences in cross-community dialogue.
April 15 - National
Brian McNaught releases his bibliography “Now That I'm Out, What Do I Do?”
May 19 - National
“Broadway Damage”. A quirky, romantic comedy about the complexity and frustration of finding a true love in the gay community. Marc is a struggling actor who finds an apartment in NYC by searching the obituaries. He lives with his out-of-work, eccentric fag-hag Cynthia. His best friend, Robert, is secretly in love with Marc, while Marc falls head over heels for flighty studio musician David. Things heat up as Marc's desire for David keeps him waiting by the phone, while Cynthia gets financially cut off from her rich parents and Robert struggles to express his feelings for Marc.
November 6 - National
Tommy Tune a dancer and director published his memoir “Footnotes”. He writes about what drives him as a performer, choreographer, and director; offers stories about being openly gay in the world of theatre; his partners David Wolfe and Michel Stuart; his days with Twiggy in My One and Only; and meeting and working with his many idols.
September 5 - National
“Latin Boys Go to Hell”. A cute, openly gay latin boy's hormones go into overdrive when his hunky cousin (Angel) arrives for an extended stay. The two explore the young and sometimes dangerous gay scene in the city's Latin neighborhood, with surprising outcomes.
May 2 - National
Donald Wildmon and televangelist Jerry Falwell call for a boycott of ABC and its “anti-family” parent company, Disney. The boycott fails.
January 1 - Virginia
“Hampton Roads Pride” Hampton Roads Pride unites the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) and allied communities in support of diversity, dignity and equality of all people.
October 1 - National
“Beasts” An affectionate and stunning pageant of men with animals and men as animals. Captivating, bizarre--even erotic, Beasts is for the connoisseur and collector of distinguished male art and fine photographic publishing. Fifty-two international photographers contribute to the theme, including: Clifford Baker, Tom Bianchi, Ed Freeman, Geoff Manasse, Reed Massengill, David Sprigle, Arthur Tress and more.
July 18 - National
“Kiss Me Guido”. Warren has an extra room in his apartment (and is five months behind on the rent) after his lover moves out, so a friend places an ad on his behalf for a GWM roommate. Frankie, a pizza baker (and aspiring actor), decides to move out of his family's flat in The Bronx when he comes home one evening and walks in on his brother making love to Frankie's girlfriend. Frankie checks ads for roommates in "the city" (i.e., Manhattan), notices Warren's ad and decides to answer it, reasoning that GWM stands for "Guy With Money."
July 15 - Connecticut
At an LGBT PrideFest in Connecticut in 1997, Evelyn Mantilla came out as America's first openly bisexual state official.
May 1 - Hawaii
Hawaii's legislators bow to pressure from conservative religious groups and pass a bill putting a constitutional amendment to the voters on Nov. 3, 1998: shall the legislature have the power to reserve marriage to opposite sex couples? At the same time, the Hawaii Legislature passes a law that allows same-sex couples to enter into a reciprocal beneficiary relationship. Couples secure the following benefits from a reciprocal beneficiary relationship: inheritance without a will, ability to sue for the wrongful death of their reciprocal beneficiary, hospital visitation and health care decisions, consent to postmortem exams, loan eligibility, property rights (including joint tenancy), tort liability and protection under Hawaii domestic violence laws. This law remains in effect (with some changes) today.
January 1 - National
“Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals” The Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals is a member-based organization working towards the liberation of LGBTQ people in higher education. We support individuals who work on campuses to educate and support people of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities, as well as advocate for more inclusive policies and practices through an intersectional and racial justice framework.
April 10 - National
“I Think I Do”. A screwball comedy about a gay couple at a straight couple's wedding.
Mayor Vincent Cianci Jr.
October 8 - National
“Floating”. Floating is the story of a young man's struggle to come of age during a violent period of emotional and financial bankruptcy. The film stars Norman Reedus as Van, a son shouldering the responsibility of his embittered father, with no one to nurture him through his own pain. Van's father is so engrossed in his own troubles that he fails to emotionally support his son. As Doug, Chad Lowe provides Van with friendship, but more importantly, with the knowledge that a "perfect life" isn't always what it seems. After Van and Doug engage in a crime spree that ends in tragedy, father and son finally come together for the first time to transcend mourning.
January 1 – National
Jim Grimsley publishes “My Drowning”
Brian Bond
August 1 - National
“Little Boy Blue” Living in the rural Texas panhandle is a dysfunctional family: an abusive dad, a Vietnam vet with a war wound that's left him impotent; a compliant wife and a son of about 20, who have an incestuous relationship at the insistence of the dad; and, two small sons who look a lot like their brother. The dad harbors a secret, and he goes to murderous lengths to keep it hidden. The young man, Jimmy, who sleeps out in the shed, has suspicions, but little comes out until a Yankee woman of middle age comes to town looking for a dead private eye. And why does dad keep calling Jimmy, "little boy blue"?
January 30 - National
“It’s in the Water”. Residents of the fictional town of Azalea Springs, Texas go into a panic after a gay local says the town's water supply is what made him gay.
October 10 - Ohio
January 1 – National
Feeling unwelcome on AOL’s DC message board, a handful of comics fans start an email discussion group and a weekly online chat room as the GAYOLEAGUE. By the time the group launches its website the next year, it calls itself the Gay League of America (GLA).
November 5 - California
James Robert Baker, a writer in California commits suicide after consistent rejection by publishers and critics that ridiculed him for bring light to LGBT subject matters.
January 1 - National
“Tales” With his pictures Howard Roffman relates his encounters with his models. In each of these photo series, the viewer senses the affection between Roffman and his models. Romantically and in a world of dreams, he allows us a glimpse of this world, putting us all under its spell.
June 7 - Washington D.C.
President Clinton devotes his weekly radio address to hate crimes, specifically citing bias crimes against LGBTQ people. He asks Attorney General Janet Reno to review the laws concerning hate crimes and help the federal government develop a plan of action.
January 1 - Massachusetts
Dr. Fritz Klein founded the Journal of Bisexuality, the first academic, quarterly journal on bisexuality
August 11 - National
“Any Mother's Son”. A navy officer is murdered by two fellow seamen, and the officer's mother discovers that her son was killed because he was gay. Fighting her own homophobia and grief, she tries to find a way to get justice for him.
March 7 - National
“Boys Life 2”. Compilation of four short films about homoerotic situations involving young men. Tom DeCerchio directed "Nunzio's Second Cousin", telling the story of a gay cop who forces a gay-basher to come to his house and have dinner with his family. In "Alkali, Iowa", by Mark Christopher, a young gay man finds out some of his father's past secrets. And "Must Be the Music", by Nickolas Perry, follows four teenagers looking for love in nightclubs.
May 1 - National
Martin Duberman publishes “Queer Representations: Reading Lives, Reading Cultures”
June 20 - National
“A River Made to Drown In” Allen, a struggling young artist who once survived by working in the streets, is now involved with Eva, a wealthy Los Angeles gallery owner. Quite by surprise Allen receives a visit from an old john, Thaddeus, who is dying from aids and has come to spend his last days somewhere humble. Allen reluctantly takes him in, straining his relationship with Eva, who slowly discovers the truth about their past. When Thaddeus implores Allen to find Jamie, a young hustler he had once tried to rescue, Allen returns to the streets where he must choose between what he left behind and the uncertainty that lies ahead.
January 1 – Rhode Island
Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. appoints the city’s first liaison to the gay community.
January 1 - Colorado
“Inside Out Youth Services” Inside we have a safe and accepting space for our youth to freely express themselves, build their self-reliance, and connect to trusted adults for support and advocacy. Out in the community we advance understanding and equality by providing training to teachers, counselors and even bus drivers on how to make all students safe.
January 1 - National
Dan Woog publishes the book, Jocks, chronicling dozens of out athlete’s stories.
June 15 - National
“Becoming Gay” The importance of living authentically—accepting one’s homosexuality and embracing a positive gay identity—is at the heart of Dr. Richard Isay’s powerful work on the psychological development of gay men. In the candid language of personal case histories, including his own, Isay shows how disguising one’s sexual identity can induce anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. He looks at the dilemma of gay men who are closeting in heterosexual marriages as well as at the specific concerns of adolescents, older men, and those confronted with HIV or AIDS. Isay exposes the tenacity with which psychoanalysis has clung to outdated views of homosexuality. Becoming Gay offers great insight for students of psychology, gender studies, and sociology.
June 1 - National
Southern Baptist Convention a resolution is passed opposing domestic partner benefits by any company, stating that “the category called ‘domestic partner’ is a strategy to promote acceptance of the idea that homosexual relationships are morally equivalent to heterosexual relationships involving a man and a woman bound together by the institution of marriage.” The resolution also asserts that the offering of domestic partner benefits “trivializes the meaning and sanctity of marriage” and “prayerfully affirm[s]” those that “work to reverse policies that erase fundamental and moral critical distinctions between homosexual relationships and heterosexual marriages.”
February 1 - National
In the text page of Tempest #4, in explaining his motivation for writing the series, writer-artist Phil Jimenez outs himself, becoming the first comics creator to do so in the pages of a mass- market comic.
Janet Reno
Attorney General
May 1 - National
Gregory Earl Sanchez writes the first novel in his on-going series featuring gay superheroes, "Rainbow Arc of Fire"
Catalogued archive material by subject:
Ali Forney
State equality and discrimination bills
January 11 - National
ABC airs a ground-breaking episode of Relativity, which features a scene in which a supporting character, out-lesbian Rhonda, played by Lisa Edelstein, shares a passionate kiss with another woman.
July 9 - National
“Defying Gravity”. Griff wants to maintain just a superficial relationship with his all-gay boyfriend, who gets seriously wounded in a gay bashing.
January 1 - National
Psychologist Pat Ashbrook pioneers national model for LGBT support groups within the Veteran’s Administration Hospital system.
American Psychological Association (APA) Division 44 adds “bisexual” to mission, changes name to Society for Psychological Study of LGB Issues due to efforts of Pat Ashbrook, Marge Charmoli, Sari Dworkin and Ron Fox.
January 1 - National
“World Congress of Families” This is a hate group. The World Congress of Families, which is a project of the former Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society (now the International Organization for the Family), serves as an umbrella for a massive network of interconnected organizations, all pushing for restrictions to LGBT rights under the guise of the defense of the “natural family” — defined as heterosexual married couples with their biological children.
November 14 - National
“Slaves to the Underground” Seattle: The grunge girl band "No Exits" is just about to get a record deal. At this time Jimmy is appearing again, the former boy-friend of the band guitarist Shelly. She had left him because his friend had raped her. But he doesn't know that - up to now. Shelly has fallen in love with the band singer Suzy in the meantime. But she still loves Jimmy, too. So she moves to him again, what Suzy doesn't like that all. Especially because she is becoming a feminist. The conflict is about to threaten the band...
October 1 - National
The National Conference of Catholic Bishops issues a pastoral letter, which says that sexual orientation is not “freely chosen” and that parents of gay children “must not reject” their children “in a society full of rejection and discrimination.” The statement, entitled, “Always Our Children,” also states that “‘Sexual identity helps to define the unique person we are. God does not love someone any less simply because he or she is homosexual.’”
January 1 - National
“Equality Federation” We believe that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people should have a fair and equal opportunity to thrive and provide for themselves and their families in every community.
Equality Federation is the movement builder and strategic partner to state-based organizations advocating for LGBTQ people. From Equality Florida to Freedom Oklahoma to Basic Rights Oregon, we amplify the power of the state-based LGBTQ movement.
We work collaboratively on critical issues—from advancing workplace fairness and family recognition to defeating anti-transgender bathroom bans and HIV criminalization laws—that affect how LGBTQ people experience the world from cradle to grave. Together with our partners we work on cross-cutting issues impacting our community such as racial equity, reproductive justice, and immigration.
In our advocacy program we partner with leaders on the ground to fend off attacks on our community and advance protections for LGBTQ people in state legislatures, where hundreds of bills affecting our community are introduced every year.
In our leadership program we ensure that state equality groups build power by training strong, resilient, and adaptive leaders in sustainable organizations. We won’t stop until all LGBT people are fully empowered and represented in their communities and experience full equality in their lives.
January 1 - Washington State
“The Rainbow Center”. Through education, advocacy, and celebration, the Rainbow Center expands resources and safe space for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied (LGBTQA) community.
January 1 – Delaware
The Episcopal Diocese of Delaware for the first time includes same-gender domestic partners in its employee health and dental coverage. It is considered a very progressive breakthrough for a religious entity in Delaware at the time.
December 5 - New York
Ali Forney was found by the police shot on the sidewalk in front of a housing project on East 131st Street.
April 15 - Delaware
S.B. 53, which would add sexual orientation to Delaware’s hate crime law, is introduced. It is passed very quickly by Delaware standards, due to a legislator who had a gay sibling and supported the bill.
August 21 - National
Michael Scarce published “Male on Male Rape: The Hidden Toll of Stigma and Shame.”
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