Clark Polak, “The Issue,” Drum, Jan. 1968, 4.

Prison Sex and Solitary Confinement in Pennsylvania, 1790-1829, by Jen Manion

On the publication of Jen Manion’s book Liberty's Prisoners: Carceral Culture in Early America (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015), OutHistory featured an original essay by Manion. It discusses how sex between men in early Philadelphia…

Annual Reminders in Philadelphia, July 4, 1965-July 4, 1969, by Marc Stein

This exhibit was originally published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the demonstrations for gay and lesbian rights that began at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on July 4, 1965, and continued as Annual Reminders on July 4 in 1966, 1967,…

Almeda Sperry to Emma Goldman, 1912, by Jonathan Ned Katz

A collection of love letters to Emma Goldman, the anarchist leader, vividly conveys the emotions and varied life experience of Almeda Sperry, their complex author. The letters detail and evoke Sperry's tender-brutal relationship with her husband…

Dewey's Sit-in in Philadelphia, 1965, by Marc Stein

In 1965 Drum magazine called it “the first sit-in of its kind in the history of the United States.” To honor the fiftieth anniversary of this major act of LGBT resistance, Marc Stein presented reports of the sit-in at Dewey’s restaurant in Center…

Profiles of Ten LGBT Activists for Social Justice, 2013/2017, by Rich Wilson

Profiles of ten LGBT social justice activists by Rich Wilson. First published December 10, 2013. Last edited: May 28, 2017.

Moreau de Saint-Méry and the "Unnatural Practices" of American Women, 1793-1798, by Jonathan Ned Katz

A French lawyer and politcian, Moreau de Saint Méry, who lived in the United States from 1793 to 1798, mostly in Philadelphia, provided one of the earliest comments on sex between women in the new American nation. First published on OutHistory in…

Bleeding Blue, White, and Rainbow in State College, PA, 1969-2010

The author of this feature on LGBTQ life at Penn State asked to remain anonymous. Published October 23, 2013.

Colonial America: The Age of Sodomitical Sin, 1607-1783, by Jonathan Ned Katz

The years from 1607 to 1783 constitute the founding era of what became the United States. In the early years of this era, in these American colonies, the penalty for sodomy was death, and a number of executions are documented. Sodomy was usually…

Lesbians in the Twentieth Century, 1900-1999, by Esther Newton and Her Students

"Lesbians in the Twentieth Century" was created by Professor Esther Newton and the graduate and undergraduate students in the seminar on "Lesbian History" that she taught in fall of 2006 at the University of Michigan. Newton and…

Out and Elected in the USA: 1974-2004, by Ron Schlittler

A survey, through black and white portraits and texts, of many pioneering openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals elected to public office in the United States beginning in the 1970s. For information on a touring exhibit version of…

Queer Youth: On Campus and in the Media, by Sharon Ullman and Her Students

This exhibit focuses on LGBTQ+ activism on college and high school campuses and representations of queer youth in the media. The project was researched by Bryn Mawr and Haverford students for a class on the history of sexuality in America, taught by…

Philadelphia LGBT History Project, 1940-1980, by Marc Stein

Transcripts of interviews on Philadelphia LGBT history from the 1940s to the 1970s, along with an introduction by the interviewer, who completed much of this work as part of his Ph.D. dissertation research at the University of Pennsylvania. The…