LGBT History

LGBT History with a focus on Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Herstory!

lgbt history

Are Birds Gay?

The world is not kind to queer folks. And in many ways, it isn’t kind to birds either

Gabrielle Grace Hogan

Jan 5, 2026

A collage of bright flowers in front of one black and white image: Among a crowd on the grass outside the Civic Center, two women share a smile together, one woman is black and lays across the lap of a woman who is white.

lgbt pride

54 Portraits of Lesbians in the ‘80s

We’ve always been here.

Carmen Phillips

—

Jun 19, 2022

Four American Girl dolls against a white background

lgbt history

Which Historical Lesbian Bars Would American Girl Dolls Have Visited?

Let’s imagine these adorable queer icons as they’d be turning 18, maybe figuring things out, maybe beginning to search for queer community.

Yashwina

—

Jan 12, 2022

gender

What Mattee Jim, Navajo Trans Elder, Teaches Us About Remembering

This #TransDayOfRemembrance, trans lives are more than a list of names. We are vessels of ancestral memory.

xoai pham

—

Nov 20, 2020

lgbt history

Monica Roberts Remembered Us. Now We Remember Her.

Every time I crossed paths with Monica Roberts, I was always surprised by how tight she held me as we hugged — Now, so many young Black trans people can…

xoai pham

—

Oct 9, 2020

A collage featuring three key figures in Black August: Marsha P Johnson, Angela Davis, and Patrisse Cullors

lgbt history

Black August: A Feminist and Queer Syllabus for Black Liberation

There’s a long and proud Black radical history of fighting back against the prison industrial complex and criminal (in)justice systems. So why is it that most of the voices that…

Carmen Phillips

—

Jun 4, 2020

lgbt history

The Public Universal Friend: A Deep Dive on a Story of Nonbinary Identity, Quakerism and Near-Death Experiences

The Public Universal Friend is just one example of how, even in the binarist West, non-binary people have always existed.

Siobhan

—

Apr 7, 2020

lgbt history

The Quiet Lesbian Biography of Lorraine Hansberry

‪There is sufficient evidence, both from Lorraine Hansberry’s own hand and from those with whom she interacted socially, that she was a lesbian. But the how of it all —…

Natalie

—

Feb 25, 2020

lgbt history

I Just Want to Look Like Greta Garbo: On Icons

Personal icons from Greta Garbo to Jenny Lewis: how we come by them, fall in love with them, and want to be like them. Who’s to say whether we’re really…

Jenn Shapland

—

Feb 20, 2020

Become a Member

Support queer journalism

What You Get:

EXCLUSIVE AF+ CONTENT

AD-FREE READING EXPERIENCE

PRINT MAGAZINE DELIVERED FREE

LEARN MORE

Become a Member

Support queer journalism

EXCLUSIVE AF+ CONTENT

AD-FREE READING EXPERIENCE

PRINT MAGAZINE DELIVERED FREE

LEARN MORE

Don’t want to see ads? Join AF+

Account Account

LGBT History

Become a Member

What You Get:

Become a Member

Account