Jan. 15, 1926 — Greenwich Village Ball Held
Extravagant LGBTQ balls at Webster Hall at 119 East 11th Street are common during the 1920's. This affair is billed as the 15th annual ball and the advertisement reads “Come [...] with whom you like -- wear what you like -- Unconventional? Oh, to be sure -- Only do be discreet!”
Jan. 16, 1967 — Louisiana Supreme Court Rules Lesbian Sex is Also Illegal
The court rules that the state's statutory ban on "unnatural carnal copulation" applies to women engaged in oral sex with other women.
Jan. 17, 1999 — Death of Robert Eads from Ovarian Cancer
More than two dozen doctors had refused to treat Eads, a transman, on the grounds that taking him on as a patient might harm their practice. His story was documented in Southern Comforts.
Jan. 18, 1977 — Anti-Discrimination Law Passed by Dade County
The ordinance that would make it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation passes by a vote of 5-3. Anita Bryant leads the effort to repeal.
Jan. 19, 1901 — New York Times Reports Murray Hall's Story
Murray Hall had lived as a male politician for decades, and was discovered to be female-bodied after Hall died of breast cancer. The headline reads: "Murray Hall Fooled Many Shrewd Men - How for Years She Masqueraded in Male Attire - Had Married Two Women."
Jan. 20, 1993 — Melissa Etheridge Came Out as Lesbian
She does so during the Triangle Ball, an LGBTQ-focused celebration of President Clinton's inauguration.
Jan. 21, 2013 — First Presidential Mention of Gay Rights in an Inaugural Address
The text of President Obama's Inauguration speech reads: "It is now our generation’s task to carry on what those pioneers began. [. . .] Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law –- (applause) -- for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well."
The unsigned two-page article includes statements such as ʺHomosexuality is a pathetic little second-rate substitute for reality, a pitiable flight from life. [. . .] it deserves no encouragement [. . .] no pretense that it is anything but a pernicious sickness.ʺ
Jan. 22, 1957 — Death of Cabaret Singer Claire Waldoff
Waldorff had lived openly as a lesbian in Germany her entire life. She lived with her partner, Olga von Roeder, enjoying their time in 1920s Berlin together. Shortly after Claire's death, Olga says "life for me has no content anymore. [. . .] We were joined by forty years of our being together just so intimately with each other than ever that this gap could be filled in for me. Actually we just lived one for the other. [. . .] I would be happy if my ashes already could rest with Claire's ashes in peace." They share their final resting place in Stuttgart.
All of the information above has been reprinted with permission from Quist, an LGBT mobile history app that can be found on iOS and Android devices. Visit www.Quistapp.com for more information. The app was created by Sarah Prager and launched in July of 2013.
