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Harvey Milk

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Harvey Milk, sitting at his desk, December 4, 1977.

Why Is Harvey Milk Still Dangerous, 46 Years After He Was Assassinated?

The Temecula Valley school board in Southern California wants to erase gay rights leader Harvey Milk from history, defaming him as a “pedophile” in the process.
Photograph of San Francisco Supervisor Dan White standing behind the counter of his fast-food restaurant, the Hot Potato, in October 1978.

How San Francisco (?!) Helped Give Birth to Modern American Fascism

Remember Dan White? He was the Kyle Rittenhouse of his day. No wonder Tucker Carlson loves him.
A naked David Opal signaling a peace sign with his hands on a TV screen in front of a background of a 1970s themed living room.

What Became of the Oscar Streaker?

After Robert Opel dashed naked across the stage in 1974, he ran for President and settled into the gay leather scene.

The Briggs Initiative: Remembering a Crucial Moment in Gay History

The lessons from a critical California election in which voters rejected a virulently homophobic ballot measure.
Man waving a rainbow flag.

The Complicated, Disputed History of the Rainbow Flag

Who created it? What was it meant for? And how did it come to be what it is today?
Anita Bryant with pie on face
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Proposition 6 (The Briggs Initiative): Annotated

Proposition 6, better known as the Briggs Initiative, was the first attempt to restrict the rights of lesbian and gay Americans by popular referendum.
Stewart Butler at his desk, speaking and gesturing.

The Fiery Life of Stewart Butler, New Orleans’ Great Gay “Political Animal”

How the city’s pioneering, pot-smoking queer activist rose from the ashes of anti-gay violence.
Jim Jones and family

In the Image of Jonestown

In our flattened historical imagination, pictures of atrocity and those of progress can coincide in unsettling ways.
People pose in front of the Stonewall Inn on the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall riots in New York, on June 28, 2019.

The Republican Plot to Ban LGBTQ History in Public Schools

In a growing number of states, the GOP is pushing “Don’t Say Gay” laws to prevent students from learning about the triumphs and struggles of LGBTQ Americans.
Marchers carry a banner that reads "Lesbian & Gay Rights - Human Rights"

The History of 'Coming Out,' from Secret Gay Code to Popular Political Protest

In the 1950s, 'coming out' meant quietly acknowledging one's sexual orientation. Today, the term is used by a broad array of social movements.
A group of people celebrating Pride outside of Stonewall.

Stonewall: The Making of a Monument

Ever since the 1969 Stonewall Riots, L.G.B.T.Q. communities have gathered there to express their joy, their anger, their pain and their power.
David Mullins and Charlie Craig in front of the Supreme Court.
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We're Looking at the Masterpiece Cakeshop Case All Wrong. And So Did The Supreme Court.

Why the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision was a major loss for gay rights.

Freedom, Joy, and Power: The History of the Rainbow Flag

In 1978, an artist/activist hand-dyed and stitched the first rainbow flags for San Francisco’s Gay Freedom Day Parade. The rest is LGBT history.