LGBTQ+ History

In 1985, amid the AIDS crisis and the assassination of Harvey Milk, activist Cleve Jones envisioned the AIDS Memorial Quilt, an act of grief that grew into a 54-ton, football-field-sized memorial.

The DSM once labeled homosexuality a mental disorder. In the 1960s, LGBTQ+ activists Barbara Gittings and Frank Kameny pushed to change that, helping spur its removal from the DSM in 1973.

From the underground activism of the 1920s to a landmark Supreme Court victory in 2015, explore five defining moments in LGBTQ+ history.

As Halloween became increasingly popular in America, it also became a holiday where LGBTQ+ Americans could safely express themselves.

Don't Ask Don't Tell. This controversial policy was repealed to allow LGBTQ people to openly serve in the US military. But well before this historic moment, one soldier fought for his right to serve.

Shortly after the historic Stonewall protest in 1969, two transgender activists, Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P Johnson, embarked on a mission to protect one of New York City's most vulnerable communities.

You might not expect a Donut Shop to spark a revolution, but in 1959, Cooper’s Do-nuts sets the stage for the trans rights movement.

Before The Stonewall Inn Riots, one triumph in a West Village bar fought sexual orientation discrimination with a "Sip In".

The 1969 Stonewall Inn Riots sparked the beginning of the gay rights movement in America. Learn how.

Learn about what the ACLU stands for, its history and founders, and some of the biggest cases it has represented. Dive into the Scopes Monkey Trial, Brown v. Board of Education and Obergefell v. Hodges, which led to legalizing same sex marriage.