A lesson in GLBT history
I’ve decided to take you all to school … well, I’ve decided to let the Advocate take you all to school actually. It’s time to brush up on your GLBT history.
And the Advocate has taken the liberty of outlining the past 40 years for us. I’ve already gone through some of the key time periods … and even I’m a little wet behind the ears. I’m beginning to think that GLBT history should be a course taught in schools. I think it’s available as a college course, but some of this stuff is not only noteworthy, but essential in the teaching of tolerance.
I’ve taken the liberty of posting time periods below, linking you to the Advocate’s website on 40 years of gay history. Each time period discusses key events covered by the magazine with articles, video clips and more. Please take a moment to read, watch, and more importantly, learn.
During the last four decades, there have been significant battles for collective and individual freedom, and The Advocate has led the way.
When Dick Michaels bought a local newsletter in 1967 and rechristened it the Los Angeles Advocate, he was launching a publication that would track 40 years of gay history. Here’s where it all began.
1967-1969
Though gay groups had been mobilizing for some time, the 1970s ushered in a new decade of activism and reform. The country may not have known what to do with us yet, but we knew what we wanted to do with this country.
1970-1974
Gays and lesbians were becoming ever more powerful, rising to public office and remaking art and community.
1975-1979
The public specter of AIDS took a terrible toll on gay lives as the 1980s began, and at the same time, mobilized gays and lesbians for action in ways that were unprecedented.
1980-1984
Gay rights issues found themselves a new place in pop culture, lifting LGBT life into the national spotlight.
1985-1989
A brand-new era for gay rights, with hopes riding on a Democratic president and famous figures unafraid to come out of the closet.
1990-1994
Ellen came out but political setbacks and violent tragedies ensured that there was much more work to be done.
1995-1999
As the country entered a new epoch, LGBT topics became wedge issues like never before.
2000-2004
As the first decade of our new millennium ends, LGBT people look ahead to the future. Forty years of progress have wrought significant change—what will the next 40 years bring?
2005-2007
Sometimes I forget about all of the people who struggled before me. Those people paved the way for me. Those people are why it’s easier for me to live my life as an out lesbian than it was even a decade ago. Those people are why legislation is changing. Those people are why homosexual can marry in Massachusetts. Those people are why tolerance is more of a tidal wave than it is a ripple. Those people are why I have the freedom to be who I am today - out of the closet and proud of who I am.
Read how GLBT culture has affected the mainstream.
or the gayest moments in music.
gayest moments in music, glbt history, the advocate, 40 years in glbt history, glbt culture
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