Queering Up History: Sept 11th

"Queer Events On This Day In History...

1779 Alexander Hamilton writes to John Laurens, "Like a jealous lover, when I thought you had slighted my caresses, my affection was alarmed and my vanity piqued."

1932 In a book review of "Sappho of Lesbos" by Arthur Weigell, reviewer Florence Finch Kelly praises the author for focusing on the beauty of her poems and not condemning her by current morality standards. The reviewer explained that since the Greeks "had no sexual morals whatsoever" Sappho was merely a product of her environment.

1961 "The Rejected," the first US television documentary about homosexuality, was aired on KQED, a San Francisco public station. Guests included anthropologist Margaret Mead, Episcopal Bishop of California Rev James Pike, several members of the Mattachine Society, and Dr Evelyn Hooker, the first psychologist to prove that male homosexuals were no more likely to suffer from mental illness than heterosexual males. Producer John Reavis had a budget of less than $100 to work with. The purpose was to challenge stereotypes and common misunderstandings about homosexuals.

1975 New York City council rejects a gay rights ordinance.

1976 The convictions of two California men arrested for lewd conduct for kissing in public are upheld. They were forced to register as sex offenders under California law.

1986 The Gay and Lesbian Archive of New Zealand is damaged by arson just weeks after gay sex is legalized in the country.

1989 US magazine OutWeek publishes its second list of closeted homosexuals, this time with 31 names.

1990 Joseph Wills of Wisconsin is arrested and charged with murder for shooting a gay man to death. He states that if another man made a pass at him he would do the same thing.

1993 The Association of Latin Men for Action, a gay and bisexual men's organization in Chicago, marches in the city's Mexican Independence Day parade. It was the first time a gay organization had participated in the event.

1994 Pete Wilson, governor of California, vetoes a bill which would have allowed limited recognition of relationships between same-sex partners and unmarried heterosexuals. He said it would undermine heterosexual marriage.

1999 The US gay-support group Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays ended its partnership with US bookstore chain Barnes and Noble, apologizing to independent booksellers for supporting a corporation that has forced smaller stores out of business.

2001 More than 3,000 are killed as the twin-tower World Trade Center buildings in New York City are destroyed by a pair of hijacked planes which crash into them, while a third hijacked plane allegedly crashes into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fourth hijacked plane crashes into a Pennsylvania field after gay rugby player Mark Bingham (pictured above) and other passengers fought the hijackers for control of the plane. Also killed in that plane was co-pilot David Charlebois a member of the National Gay Pilot's Association. Berry Berenson, photographer, and the lover of the late of actor Anthony Perkins is among those who die in the WTC crash. While conspiracy theorists blame the attacks on the US government, the US government itself blamed Osama bin Laden for the tragedy which resulted in an American military invasion of Afghanistan."

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