January 8 — Harvey Milk Took Office — 1978
The Mayor of Castro Street had been elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing District 5.
January 9 — Cynthia Nicole Murdered – 2009
Cynthia Nicole was a prominent transgender rights activist. In the early hours of this day she is fatally shot four times in Comayaguela. The Human Rights Watch issues a statement saying that “Cynthia Nicole fought tirelessly to secure basic rights protections for trangender sex workers.
January 10 — First Meeting of the Gay Married Men's Association – 1978
The meeting in Bethesda organizes 35 men who are married to women and have attractions to men. The support group continues to meet in Washington, D.C. today.
January 11 — Openly Gay Marco McMillian Announced Candidacy for Mayor – 2013
He is the first openly gay candidate for a political office in Mississippi. His bid for mayor of Clarksdale ends tragically with his murder in the next month.
January 12 — Reinstatement of Statue of Henry VIII of England – 1564
When Henry VIII's daughter, Mary, acceeded to the throne in 1553, Henry's buggery law was repealed, thought it was reinstated by Queen Elizabeth I during her reign. In 1563, a statue of Henry VIII was removed from its place in England and was returned a year later, on January 12. It was believed that the removal of the statue catalyzed "the said most horrible and detestable Vice of Buggery."
January 13 — First U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on a Gay Issue
The United States Supreme Court issues the landmark decision One, Inc. v. Olesen. The Court rules that ONE: The Homosexual Magazine is not an obscene publication.
January 14 — Benvenuto Cellini Sentenced for Sodomy with a Boy – 1523
The famous artist is sentenced to pay twelve staia of flour for relations with Domenico di ser Giuliano da Ripa. This is one of at least four times he is convicted of sodomy with both men and women.
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.
