Whether you identify as one of the letters or not, LGBTQ history is crucial for everyone. We will ask you about important events and dates from Pride history. There will also be some questions about the current (at the time of writing this text) affairs of the rainbow community, so hopefully, you’ve been paying attention! Show off what you know in this LGBTQ quiz.
Dates from LGBTQ history
We present some of the most fascinating dates in LGBTQ history.
Antiquity
Around 2400 BCE – this is when Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum, potentially the first gay couple in recorded history, lived. They were the ancient Egyptian royal servants buried together after their deaths. Their shared tomb remains the topic of fierce debates, but many people believe Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum to have been lovers.
630 and 612 BCE – Sappho, a Greek poet famous for her lesbian themes, was born sometime between these dates.
Around 540 – 530 BCE – the construction of the Etruscan Tomb of the Bulls with paintings on the wall depicting homosexual acts.
27 BCE – the beginning of the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. While he was in power, the first recorded same-sex marriage occurred, and homosexual sex workers were required to pay taxes.
218-222 – the reign of Roman emperor Elagabalus, whom some believe to be transgender and one of the first recorded cases of seeking sex reassignment surgery.
576 – the death of Anastasia the Patrician, the lady-in-waiting to Byzantine empress Theodora. After leaving court, she spent the remainder of her life in a monastery, dressed as a male monk. She has been acknowledged as a transgender saint by the modern LGBT community.
Middle ages until 18th century
1395 – John Rykener (also known as Eleanor or Johannes Richer), a transvestite prostitute from London, was arrested on a charge of cross-dressing and interrogated.
1436 – Noble Royal Consort Sun was ousted from the court after the reveal that she’s been having sexual relations with her maid.
1688-1704 – the opening of Kagemachaya, a Japanese gay bar.
1785 – English jurist and philosopher Jeremy Bentham was one of the earliest to advocate for the decriminalization of homosexual activity in England.
1791 – France adopted the French Penal Code of 1791, becoming the first country in West Europe to decriminalize same-sex relations between adults.
19th century
1807 – Vermont locals Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, one of the earliest known same-sex couples in American history, begin their relationship.
August 29, 1867 – Karl Heinrich Ulrichs publicly speaks out in defense of homosexuality, being the first homosexual person to do so.
1880 – The Japanese Empire made homosexual acts decriminalized.
1886 – We’wha, a Zuni Native American, is greeted as a “Zuni Princess” by US President Grover Cleveland. They are a skilled weaver, potter, and the most well-known Ihamana. It was a traditional Zuni gender role, now referred to as mixed-gender or Two-Spirit.
1890 – legalization of homosexuality in Italy and the Vatican.
20th century
1901 – two Spanish women, Marcela Gracia Ibeas and Elisa Sanchez Loriga, attempted to marry each other. Elisa had to adopt a male identity to do so and was listed on the marriage certificate as Mario Sánchez.
1917 – The October Revolution overturned the prior criminal code. It included Article 955, which made “men lying with men” punishable by exile.
1919 – Magnus Hirschfeld founded the Institute for Sex Research, a pioneering sexology research institute. In May 1933, the Nazis destroyed its library with thousands of books.
1927 – Karol Szymanowski, a Polish gay composer, has been named director of the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy.
1931 – Mädchen in Uniform came out. It was the first pro-lesbian movie.
1955 – the formation of The Daughters of Bilitis, thought to be the first organization advocating for the rights of lesbians.
1962 – Illinois is the first state in the US to revoke its sodomy law.
1969 – The Stonewall protests in New York. That same year, decriminalization of homosexuality occurred in Poland (homosexual sex work only) and Canada.
1970 – The first LGBT Pride Parade took place in New York.
1972 – Sweden becomes the first nation in the world to legalize transgender gender reassignment.
These are just a few of the significant dates in LGBTQ history. We haven’t even reached the twenty-first century! Our little timeline also didn’t cover most legislation regarding gay and trans rights throughout the ages. Feel free to do some research on your own if you want. The history of the LGBTQ community is vast and complicated, and there are many things to learn.
Are you ready to get quizzed on your knowledge about the LGBTQ community? Take the LGBTQ quiz now and get your rainbow score!
