Feb. 19, 2007 — N.J. Civil Union Act Goes into Effect

The New Jersey Legislature had passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to enter into civil unions on December 14, 2006 which was signed into law by the governor on December 21, 2006. The act comes into effect on this day allowing the couples to register for the partnerships.

Feb. 20, 2004 — Sandoval County Issues Marriage Licenses to Gay Couples

The licenses are later nullified since they were illegally issued. This jurisdiction is one of several to follow the lead of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who began issuing licenses on February 12, 2004.

Feb. 21, 1903 — First Recorded Police Raid on Gay Bathhouse

New York police raid the Ariston Hotel Baths and arrest twenty-six men. Twelve are brought to trial on sodomy charges; seven received sentences ranging from four to twenty years in prison.

Feb. 22, 2007 — Openly Lesbian Elected in Netherlands

Gerda Verburg becomes the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality in the Netherlands.

Feb. 23, 1990 — First Lesbian Org. for Chinese-Speaking Women in Asia

A group of women form Women Chih Chian (Women Among Us) in Taiwan.

Feb. 24, 1995 — Greg Louganis Announces He is HIV-Positive

The Olympic medal-winning diver's announcement is televised.

Feb. 25, 1982 — First State Law Prohibiting Gay Discrimination

Wisconsin becomes the first U.S. state to pass a law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. No other state will take such measures for nine years.

Feb. 26, 2013 — First Openly Gay Candidate in Mississippi Murdered

Marco McMillian had been a promising politician, running for mayor of Clarksdale, MS. He was 34 when he died. Lawrence Reed allegedly killed him, possibly in a panic after McMillian showed romantic interest in him.

 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.