(TIME-Warp) Honoring the 53rd Anniversary of Loving Day: The Landmark Supreme court decision that started it all!

Long before the fight for Gay marriage was the fight for  interracial Marriage. The similarities are astonishing.

In June of 1958, Richard Loving married Mildred Jeter in Washington D.C. This was no ordinary marriage because he was white and she was black. In that time, laws in their home state of Virginia forbade interracial marriage, thus the couple was forced to travel to another state to wed.

(TIME warp) Progress, Hope Mark the 39th Anniversary of AIDS!

Today marks the 38th anniversary of the first formal report of the disease that came to be known as AIDS. The disease baffled doctors and public health officials when it first appeared; described in some places as a "gay cancer," the HIV virus took three years to be identified and much longer than that for doctors to develop drugs that would effectively tamp down symptoms without debilitating patients. Below is the Music Montages of some of the greatest that have died and were alive and well 34 yrs ago.

(TIME-WARP) 33 Years after Barney Frank made History!

Frank (with Scott) in 2004

Barney Frank, 79, was the U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district was considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States

According to Barney Frank, he "realized it was crazy" to try to have a romance with someone he cared for but was not compatible with due to his homosexuality. "That was the last effort to avoid being gay," Stuart Weisberg (Frank's Biographer) quotes Frank as saying. Frank never again dated a woman.

Frank started coming out as gay to friends before he ran for Congress and came out publicly on May 30, 1987, "prompted in part by increased media interest in his private life" and the death of Stewart McKinney, "a closeted bisexual Republican representative from Connecticut"; Frank told The Washington Post after McKinney's death there was "An unfortunate debate about 'Was he or wasn't he? Didn't he or did he?' I said to myself, I don't want that to happen to me." 

(TIME-warp): Remembering The Gay March on Washington on its 27th Anniversary!

The March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation was a large political rally that took place in Washington, D.C. on April 25, 1993. Organizers estimated 1,000,000 attended the March, but the National Park Service estimated attendance at 300,000, details Wikipedia.

In the days surrounding the March, a wide range of events serving different subsets of the LGBT community were held throughout Washington, DC. These included historical exhibits, religious services, lobbying events, social gatherings, art exhibits, political workshops, public service events and candlelight vigils.

Speakers and performers at the rally following the march included Col. Grethe Cammermeyer, Judith Light, Melissa Etheridge, RuPaul, Martina Navratilova, Sir Ian McKellen, Eartha Kitt, Lani Ka'ahumanu, and Urvashi Vaid.

OVTV: (TIME Warp) 57 Years ago; The Beatles Invaded America and our Hearts!

In late 1963, Sullivan and his entourage happened also to be passing through Heathrow and witnessed how The Beatles' fans greeted the group on their return from Stockholm, where they had performed a television show as warmup band to local star Lill Babs. Sullivan was intrigued, telling his entourage it was the same thing as Elvis all over again. He initially offered Beatles manager Brian Epstein top dollar for a single show but the Beatles manager had a better idea—he wanted exposure for his clients: the Beatles would instead appear three times on the show, at bottom dollar, but receive top billing and two spots (opening and closing) on each show.

(Time-Warp) When Unions Swept the UK, 14 Years ago this Week!

In 2003, the British government announced plans to introduce civil partnerships which would allow same-sex couples the rights and responsibilities resulting from marriage. The Civil Partnership Bill was introduced into the House of Lords on March 30, 2004. After considering amendments made by the House of Commons, it was passed by the House of Lords, its final legislative hurdle, on November 17, 2004, and received Royal Assent on November 18. The Act came into force on 5 December 2005, and same-sex, but not opposite-sex, couples were able to form the civil partnerships from 19 December 2005 in Northern Ireland, 20 December 2005 in Scotland and 21 December 2005 in England and Wales. Separate provisions were included in the first Finance Act 2005 to allow regulations to be made to amend tax laws to give the same tax advantages and disadvantages to couples in civil partnerships as apply to married couples.

(TIME-WARP) Code of Conduct, a TRUE Tale of BULLYING revealed 27 Years Later!

by MK Scott

With the close of October's Gay History month,  21 years after Matthew Shepard, and 9 years after Tyler Clementi. There was another anniversary this month. 

There was a never before told story that I am working on as a potential Novel and Movie Script based on an incident involving a fellow Native Portlander who had a dream to be the first in his family to get a college degree.

According to my Friend, Matt as well as school documents, tells that in the Fall of 1992, Matt finally arrived at Northeastern University in Boston, MA to study communications. Problems fitting in were immediate and after changing dorms 3 times, he settled into a single room at Light Hall. Matt liked Light Hall because it was drug and alcohol free and that meant no distractions or Drama.

Matt had trouble fitting in, because 1) He came from Middle-class family from Oregon, 2)  He was registered as a Republican (known as Libertarian today) but supported Clinton, 3) He was 22, older than most freshman and 4) He was an Open Bi-Sexual with a boyfriend and a Girlfriend back home in Portland. The Democratic, conservative, Old values, hard drinking way of Boston was clearly the wrong place.

(TIME Warp) The AB101 Veto Riots; 28 years later!

In 2011, the GLBT History Museum in San Francisco held a program called “All the Rage: Stories From the AB101 Veto Riot,” featuring a documentary short about the queer riots in San Francisco in 1991 and a panel with organizers of the event twenty years ago and eyewitness accounts.  Called the AB 101 Veto Riot, it “ended with the police in retreat and a state office building in flames.”

I had never heard of the AB 101 Veto Riot before I got this press release, or the other two that accompany it in a trio, the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot of 1966 and the White Night Riot of 1979. It occurs to me that maybe no one has told you, either. Most of us got through school without even hearing about Stonewall, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to hear about. In honor of the people who put their safety on the line so that our rights had to be recognized, let’s take a moment to remedy that.

(TIME Warp) When a Governor Came OUT; 15 Years after the McGreevey Scandal!

On the afternoon of August 12, 2004, James McGreevey coupled the announcement of his decision to resign with a public declaration of his homosexuality and an admission to having had an extramarital affair with a man, Golan Cipel, an Israeli citizen and veteran of the Israeli Defense Forces, whom McGreevey appointed New Jersey homeland security adviser. Cipel, who had joined the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1994 as Chief Information Officer at the Consulate General of Israel in New York, subsequently left the United States and returned to Israel after their affair was revealed. McGreevey was the first and, to date, the only openly gay state governor in United States history. (ed...MK met McGreevey in 2006 and found him Happy to be an Out Gay man.)

 

Since leaving the governorship, McGreevey has attended the General Theological Seminary in New York City to obtain his Master of Divinity degree, a requirement to becoming an Episcopal priest. Reports in April 2011 indicate that McGreevey's bid to be ordained was rejected.

McGreevey's life after politics, his calling as a priest and his ministry to prison inmates is covered in a 2013 HBO documentary film, Fall to Grace, directed by Alexandra Pelosi.

In July 2013, McGreevey was appointed head of Jersey City's employment training commission

(TIME-WARP) Remembering Marilyn Monroe who died 57 Years ago today!

On August 5, 1962, at 4:25 am, LAPD sergeant Jack Clemmons received a call from Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist, saying that Monroe was found dead at her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California. She was 36 years old. At the subsequent autopsy, eight milligram per cent of chloral hydrate and 4.5 milligram percent of Nembutal were found in her system, and Dr. Thomas Noguchi of the Los Angeles County Coroners office recorded cause of death as "acute barbiturate poisoning", resulting from a "probable suicide".

(TIME-warp) The Trail of the Versace Killer was 22 years ago this week!

One of the most gripping months ended on July 24, 1997 when former gay hustler turned serial killer,
Andrew Cunanan. Cunanan , who murdered at least five people, including fashion designer Gianni Versace and Chicago tycoon Lee Miglin, during a three-month period in mid-1997. On June 12, 1997, Cunanan became the 449th fugitive to be listed by the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

In his final years, Cunanan had lived as a gay hustler, who befriended wealthy older men and spent their money (or used their credit cards) to impress acquaintances in the local gay community, such as talking about socialite events at clubs or often paying the bill at restaurants. One millionaire friend had dumped Cunanan in 1996, the prior year.

(TIME warp): Harvey Milk A True Gay Hero, BORN 88 yrs ago This Week!

Throughout modern history there have been few individuals who could honestly say that they brought about positive change in the world. This number is even fewer in gay history. Harvey Milk is one of these few. Born on May 22 1930, Harvey was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the US and possibly one of the greatest catalysts the gay rights movement has ever known.

(TIME-warp): Remembering Ellen's TV Coming OUT Party 22 years ago TODAY!

Can you believe it has been 20 years since Gays on Television were never the same again? When Ellen Degeneres' LEAD Character came out on 'Ellen' on April 30, 1997 it opened the door to more lead gay characters on television.

Talk about ballsy. Called “The Puppy Episode”, the show garnered 42 million viewers and marked the first gay leading primetime character in television history. Despite speculation that advertisers would try to pull away from the controversy, the only corporate sponsor to cancel was Chrysler, and only for the single episode.

SPECIAL: (TIME-Warp) The Controversal and Eye-Opening CBS Reports "The Homosexuals" aired 52 Yrs ago!

"The Homosexuals" is a 1967 episode of the documentary television series CBS Reports. The hour-long broadcast featured a discussion of a number of topics related to homosexuality and homosexuals. Mike Wallace anchored the episode, which aired on March 7, 1967. Although this was the first network documentary dealing with the topic of homosexuality, it was not the first televised in the United States. That was The Rejected, produced and aired in 1961 on KQED, a public television station out of San Francisco.Three years in the making, "The Homosexuals" went through two producers and multiple revisions. The episode included interviews with several gay men, psychiatrists, legal experts and cultural critics, interspersed with footage of a gay bar and a police sex sting. "The Homosexuals" garnered mixed critical response. The network received praise from some quarters and criticism from others for even airing the program. Just imagine, 2 years later, Stonewall happened and the Gay Liberation Movement began!

(Time Warp) 1989: Gays Demand Marriage Licenses in Manhattan !

In 1989, 20 gay couples backed by ACT UP marched into the marriage bureau in Manhattan demanding marriage licenses in what WCBS-TV New York called a "violent protest".

Says Thomas Stoddard of Lambda Legal Defense in the report: "Within 20 years at least half the states will permit two men or two women to get married."

(TIME-Warp) a WEEK of LOSS and RETROSPECTIVE!

This week we pay homage to 2 anniversaries; the 28th anniversary (July 25) of the Death of Studio 54 owner, Steve Rubell and the 27th anniversary (July 28) of the infamous 175-photo retrospective of the work of the late-Robert Mapplethorpe at the Whitney Museum in New York City.

Mapplethorpe worked primarily in the studio, particularly towards the end of his career. Common subjects include flowers, especially orchids and calla lilies, and celebrities, including Andy Warhol, Deborah Harry, Richard Gere, Peter Gabriel, Grace Jones, and Patti Smith. Smith was a longtime roommate of Mapplethorpe and a frequent subject in his photography, including a stark, iconic photograph that appears on the cover of Smith's first album, Horses.

Other work includes homoerotic and BDSM acts (including coprophagia), and classical nudes. Mapplethorpe's X Portfolio series sparked national attention in the early 1990s when it was included in The Perfect Moment, a traveling exhibition funded by National Endowment for the Arts.

(Time-WARP) Tribute to The Guiding Light moved to Television 65 yrs ago!

Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light before 1975, or simply GL) is an American television soap opera that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television history, running from 1952 until 2009, preceded by a 15-year broadcast on the radio. When combining its total run of 72 years on radio and television, Guiding Light is the second-longest running program of any kind in history, exceeded only by Music and the Spoken Word. With over 18 000 episodes produced, Guiding Light has more episodes than any program in the history of radio and television, and four times more episodes than Music and the Spoken Word.

(TIME-warp): Remembering when Gay Marriage became Legal in New England, 13 years ago this week!

Same-sex marriage is legal or has been legalized in six of the six New England states: Massachusetts became Legal on May 17, 2004, according to Wikipedia. The New England region has been noted for being the nucleus of the same-sex marriage movement in the United States with the region having among the most widespread and earliest legal support of any region. It was followed by three more states between October 2008 and June 2009. This followed Vermont being the first-in-the-nation with civil unions in 2000.

Currently, 36 states and the District of Columbia are the U.S. jurisdictions performing same-sex marriages, and California performed them for five months in mid 2008. DOMA was struck down in 2013.

(TIME-warp) Remembering Keith Haring!

Today marks what would have been artist Keith Haring’s 58th birthday. (He died at a young age due to an AIDS-related illness in 1991).Haring’s, distinct style led him to become one of the most notable artists of his generation. Happy Birthday, Keith!

As a celebration of his life, Madonna declared the first New York date of her 1991 Blond Ambition World Tour a benefit concert for Haring's memory, and donated all proceeds from her ticket sales to AIDS charities including AIDS Project Los Angeles and amfAR; the act was documented in her film Truth or Dare. Additionally, Haring's work was featured in several of Red Hot Organization's efforts to raise money for AIDS and AIDS awareness, specifically its first two albums, Red Hot + Blue and Red Hot + Dance, the latter of which used Haring's work on its cover.

By expressing concepts of birth, death, sex and war, Haring's imagery has become a widely recognized visual language of the 20th century.

(TIME Warp) The Untold Gay Story of 'Titanic' revealed 105 Yrs later!

The R.M.S. Titanic continues to remain a heartbreaking emblem of maritime history 105 years after her ill-fated maiden voyage. Now one historian is shedding new light on a considerably less-heralded segment of the tragedy: the ship's gay, or at least presumably gay, passengers.

In an OutHistory.org essay, historian James Gifford offers a scholarly survey on the private life of Archibald Willingham Butt, who served as an influential military aide to U.S. presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft prior to his death on the Titanic. Traveling with Butt was his friend Frank D. Millet, an artist who also went down with the ship (the pair, Gifford notes, was berthed separately on the ship).