Wikipedia

Timeline of African and diasporic LGBT history

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of non-heterosexual conforming people of African ancestry, who may identify as LGBTIQGNC (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, third gender, gender nonconforming), men who have sex with men, or related culturally specific identities. This timeline includes events both in Africa, the Americas and Europe and in the global African diaspora, as the histories are very deeply linked.

1600s

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1672

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The Life and Struggles of Our Mother Wälättä P̣eṭros (1672) is the first reference of homosexuality between nuns in Ethiopian literature.[1][2]

1700s

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1791

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France repeals its anti-"sodomy" law in all French-held territory, including Saint-Domingue (later Haiti), Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana.

1800s

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1830

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1880s

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  • The Kabaka of Buganda, Mwanga II, assumes the throne of his country at age 16. He sets about to drive out Christianity, Islam and European influence from the kingdom, and executes several of his Christian-converted male pages who refuse his sexual advances.[3]

1920s

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1924

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  • December 24 – The Society for Human Rights, an advocacy organization for gay men, is chartered in Chicago; an African American clergyman named John T. Graves serves as the first and only president of the organization, and the organization publishes Friendship and Freedom, the first gay-interest publication in the United States. The Society collapses by the following summer.

1940s

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1948

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1960s

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1960

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1962

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1963

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  • At the behest of Asa Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin co-organizes the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, despite Senator Strom Thurmond railing against him as a "Communist, draft-dodger, and homosexual" and having his entire Pasadena arrest file entered in the record.[7] Despite his preference for behind-the-scenes work, Rustin becomes famous for his work. On September 6, 1963, a photograph of Rustin and Randolph appeared on the cover of Life magazine, identifying them as "the leaders" of the March.[8]

1969

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  • Black and Latino queer people are among the majority of patrons at the Stonewall Inn who riot against a police raid, resulting in the beginning of the modern LGBT rights movement in the United States.

1970s

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1970

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1972

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  • Johnson and Rivera establish the S.T.A.R. house, the first shelter for gay and trans street kids, and paid the rent for it with money they made themselves as sex workers.[10]
  • July 1 – Ted Brown and the U.K. Gay Liberation Front organized the U.K.'s first Gay Pride Rally.

1974

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1976

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  • Glenn Burke becomes the first (and only) openly gay Major League Baseball (MLB) player, coming out as gay to teammates and team owners during his professional career and later acknowledging it in public.[15][16]

1978

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1979

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1980s

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1980

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1983

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1984

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1985

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  • Once the only gay bar in Brixton, South London and cornerstone of the 1970s Black LGBT community, bisexual Jamaican immigrant Pearl Alcock's shebeen closes.[22]

1987

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  • The Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum was founded in 1987 in Los Angeles, California by Phill Wilson and Ruth Waters.

1988

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1989

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1990s

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1990

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1991

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  • November 7 – NBA player Magic Johnson, who is straight, holds a press conference to reveal that he is HIV-positive and retiring from the NBA. His announcement and subsequent activism helps to dispel public perceptions of HIV/AIDS as a "gay" or "drug addict" disease.
  • The very first annual D.C. Black Pride event was held in Washington, D.C., inspiring other Black Pride celebrations around the country and around the world.
  • Burkina Faso's 1991 constitution bans same-sex marriage, although same-sex relationships are not criminalized.

1993

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1994

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1995

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  • The Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum organizes an historic Black gay contingent in the Million Man March.

1996

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  • Burkina Faso equalizes age of consent.

1997

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  • Sexual orientation-inclusive Anti-discrimination is added to the constitution of South Africa.

1998

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1999

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  • 12 February – In the case of National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality v Minister of Home Affairs, three judges of the Cape Provincial Division of the High Court rule that it is unconstitutional for the government to provide immigration benefits to the foreign spouses of South Africans but not to the foreign same-sex partners of South Africans. The declaration of invalidity is suspended for one year to allow Parliament to correct the law.
  • May – Black AIDS Institute is founded by Phill Wilson.
  • 2 December – The Constitutional Court unanimously confirms the judgment of the High Court in the second National Coalition case, but removes the suspension of the order and instead "reads in" words to the law to immediately extend immigration benefits to same-sex partners.

2000s

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2000

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  • South Africa passes PEPUDA, which prohibits discrimination, hate speech and harassment on numerous bases, including sexual orientation.

2001

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2003

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2004

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  • Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Cape Verde
  • In an interview on New Dawn with Funmi, LGBT activist Bisi Alimi discloses his homosexuality, becoming the first person to voluntarily out themselves on Nigerian television.
  • Gordon Fox comes out as first openly gay African-American member of a state legislature, as well as the first openly gay member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
  • NBJC is extended an invitation by NAACP Chairman Julian Bond to attend the 2004 NAACP National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  • Sexual Minorities Uganda, an umbrella advocacy organization for LGBT Ugandans, is founded.
  • Cape Verde amends their penal code and became the second African country to legalize same-sex sexual acts. At the time of decriminalization, the legal age of consent was 16 years old, the same age for consensual heterosexual acts.[32]

2005

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  • 11 March – The Chief Justice instructs that the Equality Project case will be heard by the Constitutional Court simultaneously with the Fourie case.
  • October 27 – WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes comes out as lesbian.
  • 1 December – The Constitutional Court delivers its judgment in the Fourie and Equality Project cases (now known as Minister of Home Affairs v Fourie). The court rules that the common-law definition of marriage and the Marriage Act are unconstitutional because they do not allow same-sex couples to marry. The court suspends its order for one year to allow Parliament to rectify the discrimination.

2006

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  • January 1 – Texas transgender activist Monica Roberts launches her blog TransGriot, which focuses on transgender women of color.

2008

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  • California Proposition 8 passes a ban on same-sex marriages. The fallout from the ban includes criticism of African-American voters for voting for the ban.
  • Discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace is banned in Cape Verde by articles 45(2) and 406(3) of the Labour Code.

2009

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2010s

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2010

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  • February 11 – Gordon Fox is elected as the first openly gay African-American man to hold the speakership of a U.S. state legislature.[37]
  • NBJC holds first "Out On The Hill" (OOTH) Conference.
  • 2 November – A lawsuit by four Ugandan activists, including David Kato, Kasha Nabagesera, Nabirye Mariam and Pepe Julian Onziema, against the Ugandan tabloid newspaper Rolling Stone is granted by the High Court to force the paper to cease distribution of an article inciting violence against them and many others.

2011

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  • A resolution submitted by South Africa requesting a study on discrimination and sexual orientation (A/HRC/17/L.9/Rev.1) passed, 23 to 19 with 3 abstentions, in the UN Human Rights Council on 17 June 2011.[38] This is the first time that any United Nations body approved a resolution affirming the rights of LGBT people.[39]
  • Rashad Taylor comes out as the first openly gay male to serve in the Georgia General Assembly and the second openly gay African American male state legislator in the United States.
  • Marcus Brandon becomes first gay African-American male state legislator to be elected to office (North Carolina General Assembly).[40]
  • The Bahamas decriminalizes homosexuality.
  • June 5 – Minneapolis woman CeCe McDonald is arrested for the stabbing death of a man in purported self-defense after McDonald and her friends were assaulted outside a bar. Her case becomes a cause celebre for LGBT and African American civil rights activists.
  • September 20 – President Barack Obama signs repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”.

2012

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2013

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2014

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2015

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2016

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  • 7 June - Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Seychelles
  • 10 August - Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Belize
  • March – the Gaborone City Council unanimously approves a motion calling for the repeal of Botswana's criminalisation of same-sex sexual acts.[63]
  • November – Barbados Pride is held for the first time in Bridgetown[64][65]

2017

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  • Moonlight, a drama film directed by Barry Jenkins, becomes the first film with an all-black cast and first LGBT-centered film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
  • In August 2017, the first West Africa LGBT-Inclusive religious gathering occurred. Over 30 participants indigenous to ten West African countries, including Benin, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, The Gambia, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Togo participated in an interfaith diversity event hosted by Interfaith Diversity Network of West Africa with the theme of "Building Bridges, Sharing Stories, Creating Hope"[66]
  • September – the Botswana High Court rules that the refusal of the Registrar of National Registration to change a transgender man's gender marker was "unreasonable and violated his constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of expression, equal protection of the law, freedom from discrimination and freedom from inhumane and degrading treatment".[67][68]
  • December – Tshepo Ricki Kgositau, 30, wins Botswana court case to legally recognise her gender change as a trans woman and receive a new identity card marking her as female before 2018.[69]

2018

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2019

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2020s

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2020

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  • Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Gabon
  • Sudan abolished the death penalty and flogging for homosexuality.
  • In Angola a new criminal code has gone into effect after the parliament passed it in January 2019 and president signed it into law in November 2020. The new penal code no longer criminalizes Homosexuality and it contains full anti-discrimination protections on the basis of sexuality and gender identity.[73][74]
  • Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres become the first LGBT people of African descent elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • Martin Jenkins was sworn in as the first openly gay Justice of the California Supreme Court.
  • Stormie Forte became the first African American woman and openly LGBTQ woman to serve on the Raleigh City Council.
  • Mauree Turner became the first non-binary state legislator elected in the United States.

2021

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2022

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2023

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  • The Parliament of Uganda passes a more stringent law against homosexuality, which includes making "aggravated homosexuality" a capital offense. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni sends the bill back to parliament demanding inclusion of mandated conversion therapy into the bill.
  • The Judiciary of Jamaica rules against a constitutional challenge to Jamaica's 1861 buggery law, stating that a "savings clause" in the constitution prevents legal challenges to colonial laws in force at the time of Jamaica's independence in 1962 and makes its repeal a question solely for Parliament.[75]
  • The Supreme Court of Namibia rules that the same-sex marriages made in countries where it is legal must be recognized as equal to heterosexual marriages by the government, although same-sex marriage remain illegal in Namibia.[76]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "UNPO: Ethiopia: Sexual Minorities Under Threat". unpo.org. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
  2. ^ Belcher, Wendy Laura (2016). "Same-Sex Intimacies in the Early African Text Gädlä Wälättä P̣eṭros (1672): Queer Reading an Ethiopian Woman Saint". Research in African Literatures. 47 (2): 20–45. doi:10.2979/reseafrilite.47.2.03. ISSN 0034-5210. JSTOR 10.2979/reseafrilite.47.2.03. S2CID 148427759.
  3. ^ "Long-Distance Trade and Foreign Contact". Uganda. Library of Congress Country Studies. December 1990. Retrieved 6 June 2009.
  4. ^ "Who was the 'gay father of the Windrush generation'?". The Independent. 2019-06-25. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  5. ^ Lewis 1978, p. 131.
  6. ^ fultonk (2013-01-20). "Bayard Rustin, the Gay Civil Rights Leader Who Organized the March on Washington | African American History Blog". The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  7. ^ Hendrix, Steve (August 21, 2011). "Bayard Rustin, organizer of the March on Washington, was crucial to the movement". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  8. ^ Life Magazine Archived November 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, 6 September 1963.
  9. ^ Giffney, Noreen (December 28, 2012). Queering the Non/Human. p. 252. ISBN 9781409491408. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  10. ^ "Rapping With a Street Transvestite Revolutionary" in Out of the closets : voices of gay liberation. Douglas, c1972
  11. ^ "Salsa Soul Sisters". National Museum of African American History and Culture. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  12. ^ The full text of the Combahee River Collective Statement is available here.
  13. ^ Hawkesworth, M. E.; Maurice Kogan. Encyclopedia of Government and Politics, 2nd edn Routledge, 2004, ISBN 0-415-27623-3, p. 577.
  14. ^ Sigerman, Harriet. The Columbia Documentary History of American Women Since 1941, Columbia University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-231-11698-5, p. 316.
  15. ^ "Glenn Burke, 42, A Major League Baseball Player". New York Times. June 2, 1995. Retrieved August 22, 2013.
  16. ^ Barra, Allen (May 12, 2013). "Actually, Jason Collins Isn't the First Openly Gay Man in a Major Pro Sport". The Atlantic.
  17. ^ Cooke, Janet (1980-04-24). "Gays Coming Out on Campus, First Black Group at Howard". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  18. ^ "Meet Chi Hughes: The Activist Who Co-Founded The First Openly LGBTQ+ Student Organization at an HBCU". Black Women Radicals. February 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
  19. ^ Kyper, John. "Black Lesbians Meet in October." Coming Up: A Calendar of Events 1 (Oct. 1980): 1. Web.
  20. ^ "9ES.7 March on Washington, 1983. Article title: Gay presence scattered at King march". Teaching California. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  21. ^ Dynes, Wayne R. (22 March 2016). Encyclopedia of Homosexuality. Routledge. ISBN 9781317368151 – via Google Books.
  22. ^ "Remembering Pearl Alcock, the Black bisexual shebeen queen of Brixton – gal-dem". gal-dem.com. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
  23. ^ Crenshaw, Kimberle (2013). "Toward a Field of Intersectionality Studies: Theory, Applications, and Praxis". University of Chicago Press. 38: 784–810 – via JSTOR.
  24. ^ de Waal, Shaun; Manion, Anthony, eds. (2006). Pride: Protest and Celebration. Jacana Media. ISBN 9781770092617. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
  25. ^ Bonnie Zimmerman. Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1.
  26. ^ Smith, Nadine (23 May 2012). "NAACP's Long History on LGBT Equality". HuffPost.
  27. ^ Eaklor, Vicki L. (2008). Queer America: A GLBT History of the 20th Century. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-0-313-33749-9. Retrieved 2010-10-20. The nineties also saw the first openly transgender person in a state office, Althea Garrison, elected in 1992 but serving only one term in Massachusetts' House.
  28. ^ Haider-Markel, Donald P. (2010). Out and Running: Gay and Lesbian Candidates, Elections, and Policy Representation. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-1-58901-699-6. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
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  30. ^ Schweitzer, Sarah (2001-09-21). "Garrison Undeterred by Long Odds". The Boston Globe. p. B1. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
  31. ^ "Previous conferences". Retrieved 22 February 2016.
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  33. ^ "Amy Andre to head San Francisco Pride". 2009-10-06.
  34. ^ "SF Pride at 40 - Oakland Local". 6 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013.
  35. ^ Adrienne Williams, 19 October 2009. Interview with Amy Andre: New Bisexual Executive Director of SF Pride, BiSocial Network.
  36. ^ Bagby, Dyana (March 17, 2010). "Georgia lesbian lawmaker brings power to the people from within the Gold Dome". The Georgia Voice. Retrieved October 5, 2011.
  37. ^ "Gordon Fox elected first openly gay RI House speaker". Boston Herald. Associated Press. February 11, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2011. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  38. ^ "UN Human Rights Council". 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 24 June 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  39. ^ Jordans, Frank (2011-05-17). "UN group backs gay rights for the 1st time ever". Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 20, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  40. ^ "Marcus Brandon elected to House District 60, becomes second openly gay member in N.C. General Assembly history". The American Independent. November 3, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  41. ^ Wallsten, Peter; Wilson, Scott (9 May 2012). "Obama endorses gay marriage, says same-sex couples should have right to wed" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  42. ^ Castellanos, Dalina (19 May 2012). "NAACP endorses same-sex marriage, says it's a civil right" – via LA Times.
  43. ^ Jarchow, Boo (29 June 2012). "Jamaican Singer Diana King Comes Out". SheWired. Here Media. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  44. ^ "'Yes, I am a lesbian' - Diana King". The Gleaner. 2012-06-28. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
  45. ^ Hunt, Loretta (7 March 2013). "How Fallon Fox became the first known transgender athlete in MMA". SportsIllustrated.CNN.com. Time Inc. Archived from the original on March 10, 2013. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
  46. ^ "WWE superstar Darren Young comes out as gay - News | FOX Sports on MSN". Msn.foxsports.com. 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2013-10-05.
  47. ^ Matthew, Jacobs (26 June 2013). "DGA Elects First Black, Openly Gay President". Huffington Post.
  48. ^ "National Intervention Strategy for LGBTI Sector 2014" (PDF). Department of Justice and Constitutional Development. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  49. ^ "Radebe launches LGBTI violence programme". IOL. SAPA. 29 April 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  50. ^ Diale, Lerato (30 April 2014). "Plan to combat gender violence". The New Age. Archived from the original on 20 July 2014. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  51. ^ Smith, David (26 May 2014). "South Africa appoints first lesbian to cabinet". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 26 May 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  52. ^ Thelwell, Emma (6 June 2014). "SA's first gay minister: why it matters". News24. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 19 June 2014.
  53. ^ Thom Senzee (2014-05-31). "South Africa Gets Its First Openly Gay Parliamentarian". Advocate.com. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  54. ^ 429magazine (2014-05-29). "Violinist Tona Brown to make history as first black transgender woman to perform at Carnegie Hall | Articles". dot429. Retrieved 2015-11-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  55. ^ Weaver, Jay (June 17, 2014). "Miami's Gayles confirmed as first openly gay black male judge on federal bench". Miami Herald. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  56. ^ "Uganda anti-gay law challenged in court". The Guardian. AFP. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  57. ^ "Uganda court annuls anti-gay law". BBC News. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  58. ^ "Uganda constitutional court annuls new anti-gay law". Times LIVE. AFP. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  59. ^ Bruce Wright (2 June 2015). "Mozambique To Decriminalize Homosexuality June 29: Southeast African Nation Is Latest Country In Africa To Legalize Being Gay". International Business Times.
  60. ^ "Tracey Africa and Geena Rocero Cover Harper's Bazaar". Nymag.com. 2016-09-15. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
  61. ^ "STATEMENT ON DECISION OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES' RIGHTS TO GRANT OBSERVER STATUS TO THE COALITION OF AFRICAN LESBIANS [CAL]". Coalition of African Lesbians. April 26, 2015.
  62. ^ "Jamaica's first LGBT Pride celebrations signal turning tides". Antillean.org. Retrieved 2015-08-09.
  63. ^ "City of Gaborone calls for an end to gay ban in Botswana". MambaOnline. 1 April 2016.
  64. ^ LGBTIs: Treat us as equals, John Sealy, NationNews
  65. ^ Barbados Pride combats nation's anti-LGBT hatred, Alexa D. V. Hoffmann, 76crimes.com
  66. ^ "First West Africa LGBT-inclusive religious gathering takes place". 6 September 2017.
  67. ^ "Botswana: Activists Celebrate Botswana's Transgender Court Victory". AllAfrica. October 4, 2017. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  68. ^ "Press Release: Botswana High Court Rules in Landmark Gender Identity Case". Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  69. ^ Darin, Graham (18 December 2017). "Botswana to recognise a transgender woman's identity for first time after historic High Court ruling". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  70. ^ "Angola Decriminalizes Same-Sex Conduct | Human Rights Watch". Hrw.org. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  71. ^ Powys Maurice, Emma (11 June 2019). "Botswana LGBT activists present arguments to decriminalise gay sex". Pink News. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  72. ^ "Nigeria's first lesbian documentary film is finally here – Rights Africa – Equal Rights, One Voice!". Rightsafrica.com. 2019-07-03. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  73. ^ "Angola Decriminalizes Same-Sex Conduct". Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  74. ^ "PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF THE PENAL CODE" (PDF). Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  75. ^ "Court dismisses challenge of Jamaica's buggery law". jamaica-gleaner.com. 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  76. ^ "Namibia's top court recognises same-sex marriages formed elsewhere". Reuters. 2023-05-16.
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