Queerstory

• 40% of the homeless youth served by agencies identify as LGBT
• 43% of clients served by drop-in centers identified as LGBT
• 30% of street outreach clients identified as LGBT
• 30% of clients utilizing housing programs identified as LGBT

 

• They are often the victims of violence
• Most cases involve extreme violence
• 85% of victims are African American or Latino
• 92% of victims are biological males presenting female traits
• 40% of murders happen in California and Texas

 

• Before the June 15, 2020 Supreme Court decision that illegalized firings based on sexual orientation and/or gender, the following were reported:
  • 1 in 10 homosexuals and bisexuals have been fired due to their sexual orientation.
  • 1 in 4 transgendered people have been fired due to their gender identity.
• People have been evicted from their homes and denied services due to their identities, which is legal in many states.

LGBTQIA+ people are currently not fully protected from discrimination in 29 states. For more information, please visit Freedoms for All Americans.

• LGBTQIA+ people face social stigma, discrimination, and often rejection by their families.
  • Adds to the physical and mental strains/challenges that all homeless people must struggle with.
• Frequently, homeless LGBTQIA+ people have great difficulty finding shelters that accept and respect them.
• LGBTQIA+ individuals experiencing homelessness are often at a heightened risk of violence, abuse, and exploitation compared with their heterosexual peers.
• Transgender people are particularly at physical risk due to a lack of acceptance and are often turned away from shelters.
  • In some cases, signs have been posted barring their entrance.

 

• LGBTQ individuals are almost three times more likely to experience a mental health condition.
• This fear of coming out and being discriminated against for sexual orientation and gender identities can lead to:
  • Depression
  • Generalized anxiety disorder
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Thoughts of suicide
  • Substance abuse

• Often termed “minority stress,” disparities in the LGBTQIA+ community stem from a variety of factors including:
  • Social stigma
  • Discrimination
  • Prejudice
  • Denial of civil and human rights
  • Abuse
  • Harassment
  • Victimization
  • Social exclusion
  • Family rejection

• Though not all people will face mental health challenges, discrimination or violence, many people report less mental well-being and satisfaction.

 

• For LGBTQ people aged 10–24, suicide is one of the leading causes of death.
• LGBTQ youth are four times more likely and questioning youth are three times more likely to attempt suicide, experience suicidal thoughts or engage in self-harm than straight people.
• Between 38-65% of transgender individuals experience suicidal thoughts.

 

• An estimated 20-30% of LGBTQIA+ people abuse substances, compared to about 9% of the general population.
• 25% of LGBTQIA+ people abuse alcohol, compared to 5-10% of the general population.

 

Alan Turing (1912-1954) Computer scientist, mathematician, father of theoretical computer science and artificial Intelligence. He aided in the war effort of WWII, working alongside other mathematicians in developing systems and making great strides in electrical technology. This eventually got him in trouble with Great Britain that should have been more than grateful for his work in WWII, which saved them. Despite his contribution and influence, he was still criminally charged for his identity.

List of LGBTQIA+ Scientists: See how many names you know! Then, click on some for their backstories.

14 LGBTQ+ Innovators, Inventors and Scientists who Changed the World!  

Let’s celebrate 12 people who paved the way for more inclusivity within the field of engineering and beyond!

Not everything is history. This site features dynamic, current LGBTQIA+ scientists. They can be followed on Instagram and Twitter.

Here is an advocacy platform for LGBTQ STEM people.

Sappho (Circa 630-570 BCE) was an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos (where the term “lesbian” derives from); her work is highly scrutinized for the nature of her relationships with other women.

Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) was an English 20th-century writer notorious for her use of “stream of consciousness” as a literary device. Her work is central, or rather, the foundation of feminist analysis of literature.

Audre Lorde (1934-1992) was a Black, lesbian poet who focused her work on racism, feminism, homophobia, and classism. She proclaimed her work came from an intersectional reality of the world she lived in and in the navigation of understanding the Black female identity.

Below is a spoken word selection celebrating gender fluidity, lesbianism, and the beautiful bravery of coming out:

 

Read “Easy Like Sunday Morning,” a nonfiction essay by Alex Espinoza on the queer Chicano experience. The pain of a familial rejection is very real in this essay and can be triggering.

"We The Animals" by Justin Torres is a novella exploring male gender and sexuality. 

A stone tablet from Sumer (2000-1001 BCE) tells a creation story about one of their goddesses, Ninmah, making a person with “no male organ and no female organ.”

“Identity Matters,” a project featuring Professor Akello Stone with ECC Sociology students:

 

Notable Court Cases: mini-lecture by Joshua Casper, ECC Political Science Instructor:

October 15, 2017 - Gender Recognition Act & Preferred Name (SB 179 CA) “makes it significantly easier for all transgender people who are living in or were born in California to obtain identity documents that reflect their genders” (Transgender Law Center).

September 29, 2016 - AB 1732 states all single-use restrooms must be identified as “all gender” restrooms in California.

LGBTQIA+ in Politics

• All 50 states have been served by openly LGBT elected politicians in some capacity.
• 46 states have elected openly LGBTQIA+ politicians to one or both houses of their state legislature.

LGBTQIA+ Politician Firsts

• First directly elected openly gay mayor in the U.S.: Gene Ulrich, Bunceton, Missouri (1980).
• First transgender mayor: Stu Rasmussen, Silverton, Oregon (2008).
• First openly gay person elected to public office (city council): Kathy Kozachenko, Ann Arbor, Michigan (1974).
• First openly gay man elected to a U.S. city council: Jim Yeadon, Madison, Wisconsin (1977).
• First openly gay or lesbian official elected to a major public office: Harvey Milk, member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (1976).
• First openly gay Black person elected to public office in the United States: Keith St. John, elected to Albany, New York common council (1989).
• First openly gay Hispanic person elected to public office in the United States: Ricardo Gonzalez, Madison, Wisconsin (1989).
• First openly transgender member of a city council: Joanne Conte (Arvada, Colorado).
• First openly bisexual member of a city council: Marlene Pray, joined Doylestown, Pennsylvania, council in 2012, resigned 2013 (also first openly bisexual office holder in Pennsylvania).
• First openly gay married couple to serve elected public office together for the same municipality (Borough Council): Thos Shipley and Joe DeIorio, Roselle Park, New Jersey (2018).
• Kyrsten Sinema is the representative for the 9th district of Arizona, as well as the first openly bisexual U.S. senator (2019). She is an advocate for anti-discrimination laws (and the inclusion of gender identity protection under these laws) and same-sex marriage.
• Sarah McBride becomes the first transgender United States senator (2021). Representing Delaware, she tweeted after her win, “I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too.”

In his first address to Congress (2021), President Biden stated, "To all transgender Americans watching at home, especially the young people. You’re so brave. I want you to know your president has your back." This statement was said while there were over 200 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills under consideration in at least 30 states, more than half targeting transgender people.

 

Transgender Movement

• Many in the transgender movement feel that the mainstream LGBT movement is under-representing them.
• Some feel that for the sake of assimilation of gays and lesbians, transgender issues are swept under the rug.

Homosexuality and Transgender are not Disorders

• 1973 – The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
• 1992 – The World Health Organization removes homosexuality from its list of disorders
• 1994 – American Medical Association denounces the ex-gay movement and supposed cures for homosexuality, saying it is not a disease
• 2019 – The World Health Organization no longer classifies transgender as a mental disorder

In the middle of the night on June 28, 1969 a brick was thrown that sparked a movement. Learn about what led up to that moment and the legacy of The Stonewall Riots.

Pride Parades

• 1970 – First Gay Liberation Day March held in New York City, first Gay Freedom Day March held in Los Angeles, first “Gay-In” held in San Francisco…all to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots
• 1979 – First national gay rights march on Washington, D.C.

Marriage Equality Fight

• 2000 – Vermont becomes the first U.S. state to allow civil unions
• 2003 – Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize same-sex marriage while 11 other states passed bans on such marriages that same year
• 2008 – Gay marriage in California
  • 2008 – Proposition 8 makes gay marriage illegal in California again on the same day Barak Obama is elected
  • 2013 – Prop 8 repealed by California’s Superior Court, allowing same-sex couples to marry
• 2015 – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment does not allow states to ban same-sex marriage, that it is legal for all Americans, no matter their gender or sexual orientation, to marry the people they love

 

Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992) was a gay rights activist and self-identified drag queen. She was one of the most prominent people who participated in the Stonewall Riots and the ACT UP direct action group. She and her friend Sylvia Rivera created Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a gay and transgender sex worker advocacy organization.

From a one-man show turned short film, The Trevor Project (formed in 1998) is a nonprofit organization centered on suicide prevention for LGBTQIA+ youth. They offer guidance and resources within a close, inclusive environment for LGBTQIA+ youth in and out of school. It also operates as a 24-hour national crisis and suicide hotline.

The total buying power of the adult U.S. LGBTQIA+ population is around $917 billion (Huffington Post, 2015).

Justin Nelson and Chance Mitchell realized the impact economics could have on the gender and sexuality equality movement. In 2002, they founded the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce to actively serve “the LGBT business community.” 

Start Out is a national nonprofit to help support LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs. 

 

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was a bisexual, Mexican painter, active during the early 20^th century. She is known for her self portraits and art pieces styled around identity, postcolonialism, race, etc.

"Wings" (1927) is an American silent film, set during WWI. Lauded during its time for its realism and technical skill, it won the first Oscar for Best Picture when the award debuted in 1929. It features one of, if not the first, instance of two men kissing on screen.

Keith Haring (1958-1990) was an openly gay American artist whose distinctive style sprung from the New York City street culture of the '80s. Starting out as a graffiti artist in the subways, after he rose to fame his works focused on political and social themes. He is featured in the AIDS memorial quilt and is remembered through the Keith Haring Foundation.

Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) was the lead singer for the British rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers to ever grace a stage, he is known for his captivating, flamboyant persona and four-octave vocal range. Offstage he was quite shy, and very fond of his numerous cats. While his sexuality is still debated today, it is documented that he had relationships with both men and women.

Michelangelo (1475-1564) was an Italian Renaissance artist. In his time and even now, he is praised as being almost divine-like in his ability to capture emotion in his work. Suggestion of his romantic feelings toward men is reflected in his poetry, which under analysis and translation, is said to have focused on the incomparability of male beauty.

Josephine Baker (1906-1975) was an American-born French entertainer and dancer; besides being the first African American woman in film, she was an active figure in the Civil Rights Movement. She is known for her family called “The Rainbow Tribe,” which consisted of adopted children of various ethnicities. She is also remembered by many for her relationship with blues singer Clara Smith during the Harlem Renaissance era.

Billie Holiday (1915-1959) was a well-known jazz singer of the '20s and '30s. In her youth, she recorded music with some of the greatest swing artists of her time and famously had relationships with both men and women, most notably, starlet Tallulah Bankhead.

Pepper LaBeija (1948-2003) was an American drag queen and fashion designer from the Bronx. In the '70s, she was the head of House of LaBeija in ball culture.

 

Billie Jean King (1943-Now) was an American tennis player widely known for her match against Bobby Riggs (commonly referred to as “Battle of the Sexes”). She’s an advocate for gender equality in and out of the sports world, and one of the first female professionals to come out during her career.

Founded by Magnus Hirschfeld, the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft (1919-1933) offered many transgender services, and was the first institute to practice modern sex reassignment surgeries.

Jaiyah Saelua is an American Samoan soccer player, and the first nonbinary player to compete in a FIFA qualifier. They identify as “Fa’afafine,” a third gender integral to Samoan culture.

Michael Dillon (1915-1962) was an English doctor who, between 1946-1949, underwent 13 surgeries to become the first trans man to receive a phalloplasty.

In the year 2000, A. Fausto-Sterling and M. Blackless found that up to one in 60 people may have anatomical variations that can be considered intersex.

Giovanni Versace (1946-1997) was an iconic, Italian fashion designer who dressed an array of celebrities, including Elton John, Tupac, Cher, Princess Diana, Naomi Campbell, Sting, etc. He is credited with being one of the first designers to collaborate with the music industry.

November 30, 1993 - President Bill Clinton signs a military policy directive that prohibits openly gay and lesbian Americans from serving in the military, but also prohibits the harassment of "closeted" homosexuals. The policy is known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed on September 20, 2011, ending a ban on gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

Roy and Silo (and Tango) (1987-Now) are two male chinstrap penguins who formed a same-sex pair bond in 1998. Together they raised a chick named Tango, who later went on to form a same-sex bond herself. The two eventually separated in 2005, with Silo forming another bond with a female and Roy joining a group of bachelors.

Christine Jorgensen, a GI during World War II, was the first widely known transgender woman in America to undergo sex reassignment surgery.

Deborah Sampson dressed as a man in order to fight the British during the Revolutionary War. It was also documented that she was attracted to women. While still passing as a man, she married a colonial woman in order to spare her from being killed as a capture of a Native American tribe. Through the help of Paul Revere, Sampson won her decadeslong battle to receive a pension as a soldier of the Continental Army.

July 26, 2017 - President Donald Trump announces via Twitter that "After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the US Military..."

December 11, 2017 - A second federal judge rules against Trump's prohibition on transgender individuals serving in the military. The Pentagon announces it will begin processing transgender applicants to the military on January 1, while the Department of Justice continues to appeal the ruling.

February 26, 2018 - The Pentagon confirms that the first transgender person has signed a contract to join the U.S. military.

March 23, 2018 - Trump rescinds his previous policy to allow a new policy to take effect that will likely disqualify most transgender people from serving in the U.S. military. The White House announces that the policy will say "transgender persons with a history or diagnosis of gender dysphoria -- individuals who the policies state may require substantial medical treatment, including medications and surgery -- are disqualified from military service except under certain limited circumstances."

January 22, 2019 - The Supreme Court allows Trump's transgender military ban to go into effect. The policy blocks individuals who have been diagnosed with a condition known as gender dysphoria from serving with limited exceptions and specifies that they can serve only according to the sex they were assigned at birth.

January 25, 2021 – Within his first week in office, President Biden uses executive action to overturn Trump’s transgender military ban.

 

	1934-1992 Audre Lorde was a Black, lesbian poet who focused her work on racism, feminism, homophobia, and classism. She proclaimed her work came from an intersectional reality of the world she lived in and in the navigation of understanding the Black female identity. Download this Image
	1912-1954 Alan Turing was a computer scientist/mathematician, father of theoretical computer science and AI. He aided in the war effort of WWII, working alongside other mathematicians in developing systems and making great strides in electrical technology. Despite his contribution and influence, he was still criminally charged for his identity. Download this Image
	2004-2011 Jaiyah Saelua is an American Samoan soccer player, and the first nonbinary player to compete in a FIFA qualifier. They identify as “Fa’afafine,” a third gender integral to Samoan culture. Download this Image
	1915-1962 Michael Dillon was an English doctor who, between 1946-1949, underwent 13 surgeries to become the first trans man to receive a phalloplasty. Download this Image
	1945-1992 Marsha P. Johnson was a gay rights activist and self identified drag queen. She was one of the most prominent people who participated in the Stonewall Riots and the ACT UP direct action group. She and her friend Sylvia Rivera created Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a gay and transgender sex worker advocacy organization. Download this Image
	1927 Wings is an American silent film, set during WWI. Lauded during its time for its realism and technical skill, it won the first Oscar for Best Picture when the award debuted in 1929. It features one of, if not the first, instance of two men kissing on screen. Download this Image
	1987-Now Roy and Silo are two male chinstrap penguins who formed a same-sex pair bond in 1998. Together they raised a chick named Tango, who later went on to form a same-sex bond herself. The two eventually separated in 2005, with Silo forming another bond with a female and Roy joining a group of bachelors. Download this Image
	Circa 630-570 BCE Sappho was an ancient Greek poet from the island of Lesbos (where the term “lesbian” derives from); her work is highly scrutinized for the nature of her relationships with other women. Download this Image
	1882-1941 Virginia Woolf was an English 20th-century writer notorious for her use of “stream of consciousness” as a literary device. Her work is central, or rather, the foundation of feminist analysis of literature. Download this Image
	1915-1959 Billie Holiday was a well-known jazz singer of the '20s and '30s. In her youth, she recorded music with some of the greatest swing artists of her time and famously had relationships with both men and women, most notably, starlet Tallulah Bankhead. Download this Image