Timeline of African and diasporic LGBT history

Last updated • 20 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of non-heterosexual conforming people of African ancestry, who may identify as LGBTIQGNC (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, third gender, gender nonconforming), men who have sex with men, or related culturally specific identities. This timeline includes events both in Africa, the Americas and Europe and in the global African diaspora, as the histories are very deeply linked.

Contents

1600s

1672

The Life and Struggles of Our Mother Wälättä P̣eṭros (1672) is the first reference of homosexuality between nuns in Ethiopian literature. [1] [2]

1700s

1791

France repeals its anti-"sodomy" law in all French-held territory, including Saint-Domingue (later Haiti), Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana.

1800s

1830

1880s

1920s

1924

1940s

1948

1960s

1960

1962

1963

1969

1970s

1970

1972

1974

1976

1978

1979

1980s

1980

1983

1984

1985

1987

1988

1989

1990s

1990

1991

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000s

2000

2001

2003

2004

2005

2006

2008

2009

2010s

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020s

2020

2021

2022

2023

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ movements</span> Social movements

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBTQ people in society. Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBTQ people and their interests, numerous LGBT rights organizations are active worldwide. The first organization to promote LGBT rights was the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, founded in 1897 in Berlin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in South Africa</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in South Africa have the same legal rights as non-LGBT people. South Africa has a complex and diverse history regarding the human rights of LGBTQ people. The legal and social status of between 400,000 to over 2 million lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex South Africans has been influenced by a combination of traditional South African morals, colonialism, and the lingering effects of apartheid and the human rights movement that contributed to its abolition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Jamaica</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) people in Jamaica face legal and social issues not experienced by heterosexual and gender-conforming people. Consensual sexual intercourse between same-sex partners is legally punishable by up to 10 years of imprisonment in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Lebanon</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people living in Lebanon face discrimination and legal difficulties not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Various courts have ruled that Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which prohibits having sexual relations that "contradict the laws of nature", should not be used to arrest LGBT people. Nonetheless, the law is still being used to harass and persecute LGBT people through occasional police arrests, in which detainees are sometimes subject to intrusive physical examinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Long</span>

Scott Long is a US-born activist for international human rights, primarily focusing on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. He founded the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, the first-ever program on LGBT rights at a major "mainstream" human rights organization, and served as its executive director from May 2004 - August 2010. He later was a visiting fellow in the Human Rights Program of Harvard Law School from 2011 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Botswana</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Botswana face legal issues not experienced by non-LGBTQ citizens. Both female and male same-sex sexual acts have been legal in Botswana since 11 June 2019 after a unanimous ruling by the High Court of Botswana. Despite an appeal by the government, the ruling was upheld by the Botswana Court of Appeal on 29 November 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Myanmar</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Myanmar face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal and section 377 of Myanmar's Penal Code 1861, enacted in 1886, subjects same-sex sexual acts to a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years in prison. Heterosexual anal intercourse and oral sex are also illegal. Transgender people are subject to police harassment and sexual assault, and their gender identity is not recognised by the state. During the country's long military dictatorship under the authoritarian State Peace and Development Council between 1988 and 2011, it was difficult to obtain accurate information about the legal or social status of LGBT Burmese citizens. Following the 2011–2015 Myanmar political reforms, improvements in media and civil freedoms have allowed LGBTQ people to gain more visibility and support in the country. Despite the 2015 electoral victory of the National League for Democracy, which promised improved human rights and whose leader Aung San Suu Kyi had once called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, there have been no changes to anti-LGBT laws. Nevertheless, LGBT activists have noted a growing climate of societal acceptance and tolerance toward LGBT people, in line with worldwide trends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Eswatini</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Eswatini have limited legal rights. According to Rock of Hope, a Swati LGBT advocacy group, "there is no legislation recognising LGBTIs or protecting the right to a non-heterosexual orientation and gender identity and as a result [LGBT people] cannot be open about their orientation or gender identity for fear of rejection and discrimination." Homosexuality is illegal in Eswatini, though this law is in practice unenforced. According to the 2021 Human Rights Practices Report from the US Department of State, "there has never been an arrest or prosecution for consensual same-sex conduct."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Uganda</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Uganda face severe legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal for both men and women in Uganda. It was originally criminalised by British colonial laws introduced when Uganda became a British protectorate, and these laws have been retained since the country gained its independence.

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Africa</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa are generally poor in comparison to the Americas, Western Europe and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in North Macedonia</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in North Macedonia face discrimination and some legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity have been legal in North Macedonia since 1996, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ history in the United States</span>

LGBTQ history in the United States spans the contributions and struggles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, as well as the LGBTQ social movements they have built.

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of LGBT history in the United States</span>

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of LGBT history, 20th century</span>

The following is a timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of LGBT history, 21st century</span>

The following is a timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history in the 21st century.

The National LGBTQ Wall of Honor is a memorial wall in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, dedicated to LGBTQ "pioneers, trailblazers, and heroes". Located inside the Stonewall Inn, the wall is part of the Stonewall National Monument, the first U.S. National Monument dedicated to the country's LGBTQ rights and history. The first fifty inductees were unveiled June 27, 2019, as a part of events marking the 50th anniversary of Stonewall. Five honorees are added annually.

References

  1. "UNPO: Ethiopia: Sexual Minorities Under Threat". unpo.org. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  2. Belcher, Wendy Laura (2016). "Same-Sex Intimacies in the Early African Text Gädlä Wälättä P̣eṭros (1672): Queer Reading an Ethiopian Woman Saint". Research in African Literatures. 47 (2): 20–45. doi:10.2979/reseafrilite.47.2.03. ISSN   0034-5210. JSTOR   10.2979/reseafrilite.47.2.03. S2CID   148427759.
  3. "Long-Distance Trade and Foreign Contact". Uganda. Library of Congress Country Studies. December 1990. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  4. "Who was the 'gay father of the Windrush generation'?". The Independent. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  5. Lewis 1978, p. 131.
  6. fultonk (2013-01-20). "Bayard Rustin, the Gay Civil Rights Leader Who Organized the March on Washington | African American History Blog". The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  7. Hendrix, Steve (August 21, 2011). "Bayard Rustin, organizer of the March on Washington, was crucial to the movement". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  8. Life Magazine Archived November 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine , 6 September 1963.
  9. Giffney, Noreen (December 28, 2012). Queering the Non/Human. p. 252. ISBN   9781409491408 . Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  10. "Rapping With a Street Transvestite Revolutionary" in Out of the closets : voices of gay liberation. Douglas, c1972
  11. "Salsa Soul Sisters". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  12. The full text of the Combahee River Collective Statement is available here.
  13. Hawkesworth, M. E.; Maurice Kogan. Encyclopedia of Government and Politics, 2nd edn Routledge, 2004, ISBN   0-415-27623-3, p. 577.
  14. Sigerman, Harriet. The Columbia Documentary History of American Women Since 1941, Columbia University Press, 2003, ISBN   0-231-11698-5, p. 316.
  15. "Glenn Burke, 42, A Major League Baseball Player". New York Times. June 2, 1995. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  16. Barra, Allen (May 12, 2013). "Actually, Jason Collins Isn't the First Openly Gay Man in a Major Pro Sport". The Atlantic.
  17. Cooke, Janet (1980-04-24). "Gays Coming Out on Campus, First Black Group at Howard". The Washington Post . ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  18. "Meet Chi Hughes: The Activist Who Co-Founded The First Openly LGBTQ+ Student Organization at an HBCU". Black Women Radicals. February 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  19. Kyper, John. "Black Lesbians Meet in October." Coming Up: A Calendar of Events 1 (Oct. 1980): 1. Web.
  20. "9ES.7 March on Washington, 1983. Article title: Gay presence scattered at King march". Teaching California. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  21. Dynes, Wayne R. (22 March 2016). Encyclopedia of Homosexuality. Routledge. ISBN   9781317368151 via Google Books.
  22. "Remembering Pearl Alcock, the Black bisexual shebeen queen of Brixton – gal-dem". gal-dem.com. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  23. Crenshaw, Kimberle (2013). "Toward a Field of Intersectionality Studies: Theory, Applications, and Praxis". University of Chicago Press. 38: 784–810 via JSTOR.
  24. de Waal, Shaun; Manion, Anthony, eds. (2006). Pride: Protest and Celebration. Jacana Media. ISBN   9781770092617 . Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  25. Bonnie Zimmerman. Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1.
  26. Smith, Nadine (23 May 2012). "NAACP's Long History on LGBT Equality". HuffPost .
  27. Eaklor, Vicki L. (2008). Queer America: A GLBT History of the 20th Century. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 212. ISBN   978-0-313-33749-9 . Retrieved 2010-10-20. The nineties also saw the first openly transgender person in a state office, Althea Garrison, elected in 1992 but serving only one term in Massachusetts' House.
  28. Haider-Markel, Donald P. (2010). Out and Running: Gay and Lesbian Candidates, Elections, and Policy Representation. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. p. 86. ISBN   978-1-58901-699-6 . Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  29. Reilly, Adam (2005-09-23). "The compulsive candidate: What makes Althea Garrison run?". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  30. Schweitzer, Sarah (2001-09-21). "Garrison Undeterred by Long Odds". The Boston Globe. p. B1. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  31. "Previous conferences" . Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  32. Epprecht, Marc (April 2012). "Sexual minorities, human rights and public health strategies in Africa". African Affairs. 111 (443): 223–243. doi:10.1093/afraf/ads019. PMID   22826897.
  33. "Amy Andre to head San Francisco Pride". 2009-10-06.
  34. "SF Pride at 40 - Oakland Local". 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013.
  35. Adrienne Williams, 19 October 2009. Interview with Amy Andre: New Bisexual Executive Director of SF Pride, BiSocial Network.
  36. Bagby, Dyana (March 17, 2010). "Georgia lesbian lawmaker brings power to the people from within the Gold Dome". The Georgia Voice . Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  37. "Gordon Fox elected first openly gay RI House speaker". Boston Herald. Associated Press. February 11, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  38. "UN Human Rights Council". 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  39. Jordans, Frank (2011-05-17). "UN group backs gay rights for the 1st time ever". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  40. "Marcus Brandon elected to House District 60, becomes second openly gay member in N.C. General Assembly history". The American Independent. November 3, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  41. Wallsten, Peter; Wilson, Scott (9 May 2012). "Obama endorses gay marriage, says same-sex couples should have right to wed" via www.washingtonpost.com.
  42. Castellanos, Dalina (19 May 2012). "NAACP endorses same-sex marriage, says it's a civil right" via LA Times.
  43. Jarchow, Boo (29 June 2012). "Jamaican Singer Diana King Comes Out". SheWired . Here Media . Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  44. "'Yes, I am a lesbian' - Diana King". The Gleaner. 2012-06-28. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  45. Hunt, Loretta (7 March 2013). "How Fallon Fox became the first known transgender athlete in MMA". SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. Time Inc. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  46. "WWE superstar Darren Young comes out as gay - News | FOX Sports on MSN". Msn.foxsports.com. 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  47. Matthew, Jacobs (26 June 2013). "DGA Elects First Black, Openly Gay President". Huffington Post.
  48. "National Intervention Strategy for LGBTI Sector 2014" (PDF). Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  49. "Radebe launches LGBTI violence programme". IOL. SAPA. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  50. Diale, Lerato (30 April 2014). "Plan to combat gender violence". The New Age. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  51. Smith, David (26 May 2014). "South Africa appoints first lesbian to cabinet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  52. Thelwell, Emma (6 June 2014). "SA's first gay minister: why it matters". News24. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  53. Thom Senzee (2014-05-31). "South Africa Gets Its First Openly Gay Parliamentarian". Advocate.com. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  54. 429magazine (2014-05-29). "Violinist Tona Brown to make history as first black transgender woman to perform at Carnegie Hall | Articles". dot429. Retrieved 2015-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  55. Weaver, Jay (June 17, 2014). "Miami's Gayles confirmed as first openly gay black male judge on federal bench". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  56. "Uganda anti-gay law challenged in court". The Guardian. AFP. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  57. "Uganda court annuls anti-gay law". BBC News. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  58. "Uganda constitutional court annuls new anti-gay law". Times LIVE. AFP. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  59. Bruce Wright (2 June 2015). "Mozambique To Decriminalize Homosexuality June 29: Southeast African Nation Is Latest Country In Africa To Legalize Being Gay". International Business Times.
  60. "Tracey Africa and Geena Rocero Cover Harper's Bazaar". Nymag.com. 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
  61. "STATEMENT ON DECISION OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS TO GRANT OBSERVER STATUS TO THE COALITION OF AFRICAN LESBIANS [CAL]". Coalition of African Lesbians. April 26, 2015.
  62. "Jamaica's first LGBT Pride celebrations signal turning tides". Antillean.org. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
  63. "City of Gaborone calls for an end to gay ban in Botswana". MambaOnline. 1 April 2016.
  64. LGBTIs: Treat us as equals, John Sealy, NationNews
  65. Barbados Pride combats nation's anti-LGBT hatred, Alexa D. V. Hoffmann, 76crimes.com
  66. "First West Africa LGBT-inclusive religious gathering takes place". 6 September 2017.
  67. "Botswana: Activists Celebrate Botswana's Transgender Court Victory". AllAfrica. October 4, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  68. "Press Release: Botswana High Court Rules in Landmark Gender Identity Case" . Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  69. Darin, Graham (18 December 2017). "Botswana to recognise a transgender woman's identity for first time after historic High Court ruling" . The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  70. "Angola Decriminalizes Same-Sex Conduct | Human Rights Watch". Hrw.org. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  71. Powys Maurice, Emma (11 June 2019). "Botswana LGBT activists present arguments to decriminalise gay sex". Pink News. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  72. "Nigeria's first lesbian documentary film is finally here – Rights Africa – Equal Rights, One Voice!". Rightsafrica.com. 2019-07-03. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  73. "Angola Decriminalizes Same-Sex Conduct" . Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  74. "PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF THE PENAL CODE" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  75. "Court dismisses challenge of Jamaica's buggery law". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  76. "Namibia's top court recognises same-sex marriages formed elsewhere". Reuters. 2023-05-16.