July 9, 1550 — Jacopo Bonfadio Beheaded
Several humanists were tried for sodomy in this time, but Bonfadio is one of few to be executed--most likely because he had earned the ire of several wealthy Genoese families by publishing accounts about them. It appears that he was once accused of sleeping with a male student and his enemies used this incident later to have him executed.
July 10, 2009— Death of Cesar Torres Ruled a Murder
His boyfriend Michael Herrera stands trial for Torres's murder, and is convicted. He receives a twenty-five-year prison sentence.
July 11, 2012 — First Lesbian Super PAC Created
Jane Lynch, Billie Jean King, and other influential lesbians form their own political action group to fundraise and lobby on issues that impact lesbians in the U.S.
July 12, 1972 — First Openly Gay Persons to Address an American Political Convention
Jim Foster and Madeleine Davis had been instrumental in securing signatures for George McGovern in the California Democratic Primary. They are given a prime time TV spot speaking at the Democratic National Convention and call upon the convention to add a gay rights plank to the party platform. The plank is ultimately defeated.
July 13, 2009 — Opening of Lateisha Green Murder Trial
The trial lasts four weeks and Dwight DeLee is found guilty of a hate crime in the murder of the 22-year-old transgender woman. He is the second person in the country to be convicted of a hate crime for killing a transgender person.
July 14, 2011 — FAIR Education Act Signed into Law
The act requires that the political, economic, and social contributions of LGBTQ people be included in educational textbooks and the social studies curricula in California public schools. It also amends an existing law by adding sexual orientation and religion into a list of characteristics (which already includes race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, and disability) that schools are prohibited from sponsoring negative activities about or teaching students about in an adverse way.
July 15, 2003 — Premiere of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
The reality show features the "Fab Five," a quintet of gay men who conduct makeovers for straight men. It plays on stereotypes that gay men know more about fashion, food, personal grooming, interior design and culture. The show becomes immensely popular and is praised by much of the mainstream gay press, but recives some criticism for its generalizations and stereotyping.
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 HYPERLINK "http://www.quistapp.com/"www.Quistapp.com for more information. The app was created by Sarah Prager and launched in July of 2013.
