1934-07-01 Swedish legal reform

A law criminalizing blackmail goes into effect in Sweden. A major motivation for adopting the law by the Social Democratic government was to protect homosexuals, who were recognized as one of the primary targets of blackmailers.

1934-11-20 The Children's Hour Opens in New York City

The Children’s Hour, a play by Lillian Hellman, opens in New York City. The play revolves around the accusation by a student that two teachers in the school are lesbians. The play received strongly positive reviews and was a hit on Broadway. The first movie version of it, in 1936, eliminated the lesbian content, but a remake, in 1961, restored the original story line.