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| 580's BC: |
Sappho's famed girls' school flourishes on the Isle of Lesbos. |
| 60 AD: |
Boudicca (or, Boadiciea,) Chieftess of the Iceni of the East
Anglia, leads Celtic rebellion against Roman invaders, destroying
cities of Colchester, St. Albans and capturing London. She
was finally defeated after the Romans brought in reinforcements,
and rather than be humiliated by them, she poisoned herself. Many
feel her name (pronounced BOO-DEE-KA) is the origin of "bulldyke." |
| 380: |
Gregory of Nazianzus orders first burning of Sappho's poetry. |
| 900's: |
Judith, Queen of Falasha, captures capital of Ethiopia. She
rules for 40 years until her death in 977. |
| 1073: |
Ecclesiastical authorities of Constantinople and Rome order all
remaining copies of Sappho's poetry destroyed |
| 1260: |
The Orleans Legal School orders women found guilty of lesbian
acts have their clitoris removed for their first offense. Second
offenders further mutilated and third offenders burned at the stake |
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| 1600's: |
Nzingh(a), southwestern African Queen of
Matamba negotiates a treaty with Portugese to thwart colonial threats
during her brother's reign. Rising to the throne, she
negates the treaty, allies with Dutch and fights invading Portugal.
Although eventually defeated, she retreats to the jungles and continues
an 18 year guerilla war. Not until her death does Angola
fall to colonial rule |
| 1649: |
Mary Hammon and Goodwife Norman charged
with "lude behavior upon a bed" in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Charges
against 16 yr old Hammon are dropped and Norman is forced to make
a public confession. Norman is believed to be the first
woman in America convicted of lesbianism |
| 1655: |
New Haven expands its definition of sodomy,
a capital offense, to include sexual relations between women |
| 1682: |
Venus in the Clositer, a novel about
lesbian nuns causes a scandal in France |
| 1654: |
Christina, Swedish Queen, abdicates instead
of marrying. Raised as a boy, Christina loved Ebba Saprre,
who left her after the abdication of the throne. Christina
was also in love with Opera diva Angelica Georgini |
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| 1782: |
Deborah Sampson, decendent of Governor William Bradford,
excommunicated from First Baptist Church, Middleborough, Massachussetts
for dressing in men's clothes and very loose and unchristian-like
behavior |
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| early 1800's: |
James Miranda Berry earns England's first medical degree given
to a woman (while still in her teens.) She lives as a man the duration
of her life, had a relationship, (and child), with an important
miltary officer. She was under suspision of being a gay man at the
time!! She was however a bit of a flirt with the ladies...and liked
to dance with them.
Provided by Ama Menec, Professor of Lesbian History, UK ... visit
her site: http://website.lineone.net/~amamenec/
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| 1810: |
Schoolgirl's mother accuses Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie, mistresses
of a boarding school for girls, of "improper and criminal conduct."
Lillian Hellman uses this as the plot for her "The Children's Hour"
120 years later |
| 1810: |
France decriminalizes homosexual acts between consenting adults |
| 1811: |
Gabriel Frechere reports of a Ketenai Female Berdache, Qunqon,
who assumed the dress of a man, took three wives and was a courier,
guide, prophet, warrior and peace mediator. |
| 1820: |
Florence Nightingale is born. Called Lady of the
Lamp, Nightingale, served in Turkey during the Crimean war,
and upon returning to her native England, reformed military hospital
conditions and founded the trained nursing prfession.
Unfortunately, even though Nightingale wrote: I have lived and
slept in the same bed with English countesses and Prussian farm
women ... no woman has excited passions among women more than I
have, she lived by Victorian mores. So, even if she
were Lesbian, more than likely she was extremely homophobic and
closeted. |
| 1836: |
Last British execution for homosexuality, although the law remained
on the books until 1861 |
| 1848: |
Elizabeth Cady Stanton organizes the first Women's Rights Convention
and publishes a "Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions," the
forerunner of the modern feminist movement |
| 1855: |
Lucy Ann Lobdell wrote her biography, Lucy Ann
Lobdell: Female Hunter of Delaware County, in 1855 in which
she explains why she is leaving home dressed as a man - to earn
more money was her initial reason. Lucy wrote a short tirade on
equal pay for women. Lucy, as Joseph, and Marie Perry married themselves
in 1868 and lived a persecuted life untill Lucy's false death in
1879. She was declared insane for her male behavior and institutionalized
for the last 40 years of her life. Marie asked to be referred to
as Joseph's widow.
Lucy's own book cpntains her statements on equal pay and why she
is leaving home dressed as a man. She was written up in the New
York Times for her hunting abilities and her life with her wife,
Marie, several times, Extrodinary Narrative of Two Women
- August 25, 1871; A Mountain Romance - April 8, 1877.
Her obituary was published in the New York Times on October 7, 1879:
"Death of a Modern Day Diana" and in the Honesdale Herald on July
2, 1885: Lucy Ann Lobdell - the Wayne County Female Hunter Dead.
In fact, she died at the Binghamton Psychiatric Hospital in 1912.
Marie Perry's letter to an editor ended up getting published in
the Honesdale Herald, May ? 1886, where she asks to be referred
to as a widow and speaks of the avenues of employment being restricted
for her sex and declares that her sex is NOT inferior to the male
gender. |
| 1883: |
Article about cross-dressing Lucy Ann Lobdell in Alienist
and Neurologist medical journal is first time Lesbian is used
to denote woman- loving-woman as opposed to inhabitant of Isle of
Lesbos |
| 1885: |
The Labouchere Amendment, criminalising all same-sex activity,
was introduced in 1885. Althought widely believed, Queen
Victoria's refusal to believe lesbianism existed resulting in
lesbianism's omission from the Act is probably false. It
is believed those presenting the amendment removed it (as the House
of Lords did nearly 40 years later) fearing criminalizing lesbianism
would alert women to its possibility. The story was useful, however,
when her statue was made the focus of a demonstration in 1977 promoting
lesbian visibility on International Women's Day. thanks
to Lesbian/Gay
Historical Walk of Wellington |
| 1886: |
Ma Rainey, openly lesbian Mother of the Blues and writer
of Prove It on Me Blues is born |
| June 6, 1886: |
Annie Hindle and Annie Ryan marry in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The
event took place on the evening of Sunday, June 6, 1886, in Room
19 of the Barnard House, a hotel in Grand Rapids. It
was widely reported that Rev. E. H. Brooks of the 2nd Baptist officiated
but the marriage record, available from the Kent County Clerk's
Office, states Rev. K. B. Tupper (of the 1st Baptist) performed
the ceremony. The witnesses were Gilbert Sarony, who
was a female impersonator but who did not appear to have worn a
dress on this occasion, and Loran D. Osborn, a clerk at the Grand
Rapids National Bank. On this occasion, Annie Hindle
wore men's clothing and gave her name as Charles E. Hindle. She
gave her age as 31 (she was probably more like 39 or 40) and Annie
Ryan was 22.
Annie Hindle was not a resident of Grand Rapids even though she
got married there. She was an extremely well known male
impersonator in American variety, most probably the first woman
to pe>
nbsp; She had arrived in the US in 1868 and almost immediately
married the ballad and comic singer Charles Vivian. The
marriage did not last long (proably less than a month if my records
are right). She was reported as having married W. W.
Long, a minstrel performer, in 1878 but as yet I have found no official
record of this marriage. She divorced neither of her
husbands as far as I can tell.
Annie Ryan had acted as Hindle's theatrical dresser for a number
of years prior to the marriage. There is evidence that
Hindle had been very close and probably romantically involved with
a number of her prior dressers. No more is known about Ryan at this
moment.
This detailed account has been provided by Gillian
Rodger who has made the study of Male Impersonators a passion!
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| 1890's: |
Jiu Jin, Chinese revolutionary, also calling herself Qinxiong
(which means "compete with men") wears men's clothes, writes feminist
poetry and fights restraints against women. She is tried
for treason and beheaded in 1907 by the Manchu government |
| 1896: |
Two actresses kiss on the American stage. Ushers stand
ready with ice water for those patrons feeling faint |
| 1897: |
Archeological discovery unearths remnants of Sappho's poetry.
The find represents an estimated 1/20 of her total output |
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| 1901: |
The death of Murray Hall reveals the well liked and greatly respected
New York politician of over thrity years, who had married two women,
was in fact, one Mary Anderson, a woman who "passed" as a man." |
| 1904: |
Renee Vivien (born 1878 as Pauline Tarn in Philadephia) publishes
in Paris "A Woman Appeared to Me" a biographical account of her
tormented relationship with Natalie Clifford Barney. Vivien is best
known for her poetry, written in French, which was widely acclaimed
by critics as the epitome of the French romantic style. Her poetry
and prose were all openly lesbian |
| 1908: |
Edward Carpenter publishes THE INTERMEDIATE SEX in England idealizing
friendship, comraderie and homosexuality |
| 1911: |
Holland passes law prohibiting sexual contact between members
of the same sex who were under 21 |
| 1912: |
Heterodoxy, a feminist luncheon club "for unorthodox women" begins
meeting bimonthly. Prominent lesbian members include
Helen Hull, Katharine Anthony, Dr. Sara Josephine Baker, and Elisabeth
Irwin |
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| 1920: |
Natalie Barney's Pensees d'une amazone published |
| 1922: |
The God of Vengence, a play featuring a lesbian
relationship produced in Provincetown |
| 1923: |
Emma Goldman labeled the "most dangerous woman in
America" by the FBI because of her open support of gay rights and
equality |
| 1926: |
The Captive a Lesbian themed play opens on
Broadway sparking such controversy that the "Padlock" law is enacted
prohibiting Broadway plays from depicting "sex perversion." |
| 1928: |
Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Lonliness published |
| 1920's-30's: |
The German magazine Die Freudin (Girlfriend)
openly discusses lesbian topics |
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| 1932: |
Swiss woman Mammina founds Swiss Friendship Bond and publishes
monthly magazine of stories, art and photography |
| 1933: |
The Hitler regime bans gay press in Germany and raids the Institute
for Sexology burning 12,000 books, periodicals and documents |
| 1934: |
On June 28, the anti-gay holocaust begins with the rounding up
and execution of 200 "homosexual pigs who besmirch the honor of
the party" (Hitler.)
Throughout the year, Nazis rounded up gays and lesbians from Germany
and German occupied countries and incarcerated them in concentration
camps |
| 1936: |
Mona's, one of the first Lesbian bars in the U.S. opens in San
Francisco |
| 1937: |
Bessie Smith, the (imho) greatest blues diva, who combined songs
of the rural south with a natural theatrical talent, and, who had
many women lovers, dies |
| 1937: |
Nazis begin using Pink Triangles to identify gay men and Black
Triangles to identify women of "socially unacceptable" stance believed
now to have included Lesbians |
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| 1941: |
The U.S. enters WWII and the U.S. Surgeon General declares that
homosexual and lesbian relationships in the armed forces should
be tolerated as long as they are kept private |
| 1944: |
Sweden repeals anti-gay laws |
| 1947: |
Lisa Ben (Edythe Eyde's pseudonym for "lesbian") begins publishing
Vice Versa, the first U.S. lesbian magazine |
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| 1952: |
U.S. Congress enacts law banning Lesbians and Gays from entering
the country. (This law repealed in 1990.) |
| 1953: |
ONE publishes USA's first openly gay magazine and US Postal
Service tries to prevent delivery. Supreme Court rules
in ONE's favor |
| 1953: |
Kinsey releases his report on women, the follow-up study to the
male sexuality study of 1948. His research showed 2%
of women exclusively lesbian and 13% had had lesbian activity |
| 1953: |
One of Eisenhower's first acts as president of the U.S. is an
executive order prohibiting employment of gays and lesbians in federal
jobs. This filtered down to state and local levels and by the mid
50's over 20% of the workforce faced loyalty-security investigations |
| 1955: |
American Law Institute publishes Model Penal Code recommending
decriminalization of private sexual acts between consenting adults |
| 1955: |
Daughters of Bilitis, first lesbian membership organization,
forms in San Francisco |
| 1956: |
Daughters of Bilitis begins publishing The Ladder |
| 1957: |
U.S. Department of Defense sponsors The Crittenden Report which
concludes that security concerns about homosexuals in the military
are exaggerated. The report is ignored by the Pentagon |
| 1958: |
Daughters of Bilitis forms New York chapter; Barbara Gittings
elected president |
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| 1960: |
Daughters of Bilitis hold first national Lesbian conference
in San Francisco |
| 1961: |
Illinois is first state in U.S. to decriminalize homosexual
acts |
| 1961: |
Czechoslovakia repeals anti-gay laws |
| 1964: |
Jane Rule publishes her first lesbian
novel Desert of the Heart which becomes an instant classic
and is made into Desert Hearts in 1985 |
| 1967: |
Except for Military and Law Enforcement members, Britain
legalizes homoerotic acts between consenting adults |
| 1967: |
Mary Young and Dawn DeBlanc are charged and convicted
for "unnatural carnal copulation" in Orleans Parish, Louisiana. They
both served thirty months |
| 1968: |
Metropolitan Community Church begins in LA |
| 1969: |
The famed Stonewall
Rebellion occurs in June in NYC. Plainclothes
police attempt to "raid" this Greenwich Villiage pub and are met
with violent resistance from Gay patrons and Gays and Lesbians on
the street. The riots continued throughout the weekend
and are considered the start of modern Gay and Lesbian Liberation
Movement |
| July 9, 1969: |
First Gay Power meeting held in Greenwich VIllage |
| August,17, 1969: |
Atlanta police, under the pretense of it being a illicit
and predominately homosexual, raid local art theater's showing of
Warhol's Lonesome Cowboys, taking flash-photographs of members
of the audience. One member of the audience, a minister,
files a $500,000 suit against the police! |
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On to 1970 to Present
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| Bibliography: |
|
- Lavender Lists, Fletcher/Saks, Alyson Publications,
(1990) ISBN 1-55583-182-6
- Gay American History, Katz, Meridian / Penguin Books,
(1976) ISBN 0-45-01092-6
- The Gay Book of Lists, Rutledge, Alyson Publications,
(1987) ISBN 1-55583-120-6
- Hidden From History, Duberman / Vicinus / Chauncey,
Meridian / Penguin Books, (1989) ISBN 0-452-01067-5
- Alyson Almanac, Alyson Publications (1989) ISBN 1-55583-019-6
- The Gay Decades, Rutledge, Plume Books, (1992) ISBN
0-452-26810-9
- The Lesbian Almanac, National Museum and Archive of
Lesbian and Gay History, Berkley Books, (1996) ISBN 0-425-15301-0
- Lesbian Lists, Richards, Alyson Publications, (1990)
ISBN 1-55583-163-X
- The Women's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, Walker,
Harper and Row, (1983) ISBN 0-06-250926-8
- Wild Women: Crusaders, Curmudgeons and Completely
Corsetless Ladies in the Otherwise Virtuous Victorian Era,
Stephens, Autumn, Berkeley, CA: Conari Press, p.
193.
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If you have
a substantiated Lesbian History fact you would like
to see added, Click
here and tell me about it!
Related Links:
ONE Institute
International Gay & Lesbian Archives
Gerber/Hart Library
The Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Library/Archives of Philadelphia
Women's
History: A Todd Library Research Guide
Diotima:
Women & Gender in the Ancient World
Richard's
Gay History, Culture, Writings
Gays,
Lesbians and Bisexuals in History
History/Herstory
GLAAD's
Lesbian & Gay History Month Test
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