Primary documents about the lives of persons identified at birth as female, who later lived and sometimes identified as male. Documents reprinted from Jonathan Ned Katz, Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A. (NY: Crowell, 1976).…
An exhibit on the rediscovery of female impersonator and singer Gene Pearson. Published originally on OutHistory in 2020.
An introduction to a 300-person gay cruise, organized by the Islanders Club of New York, that set sail from Fort Lauderdale in 1974. Published originally by OutHistory in 2020.
Brief history (with many pictures) of a gay pageant that ran from 1968 to 1991 in Los Angeles.
A 1974 interview with Harry Hay about founding the Mattachine Society in California.
A biography and obituary of an AIDS activist.
A series of "musings on lesbian history" originally contributed as "Blog on History" by Joan Nestle, co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives. Copyright © Joan Nestle 2008. All rights reserved.
An exhibit on the post-Stonewall LGBT history of Houston, Texas.
A collection of twenty-three LGBTQ oral histories completed by John D'Emilio in the 1970s.
In 2015, OutHistory published this original document discovery, a homophobic 1958 report by the President of Mississippi Southern College (now the University of Southern Mississippi) in Hattiesburg. The exhibit includes the memoir of Anne Nunnally, a…
Following the death of historian Horacio N. Roque Ramírez in December 2015, OutHistory published a memorial by Nan Alamilla Boyd.
OutHistory presents 92 pages of previously unpublished documents on the hunt for homosexuals, sex “deviates,” and “perverts,” 1955-1965, by the president and deans of Mississippi Southern College (now the University of Southern Mississippi),…
Even in conservative corners of the United States such as Idaho, there is a history of LGBT community and political organizing. This exhibit, first published on OutHistory in 2013, offers a brief glimpse into that history.
An exhibit about the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation's surveillance of African American writer and activist James Baldwin in the 1960s and 1970s. First published on OutHistory in 2014.
This essay was first published on March 2, 2022, by Harper’s Bazaar magazine, which retains the copyright. It is reprinted here with the permission of the author and publisher. This reprint includes citations by the author (not included in the…
An overview of a research project in progress, created by a group effort to identify the birth name and other information about the pioneering author who went by the names Jennie June, Ralph Werther, and Earl Lind. Published originally on OutHistory…
An introduction to the 2010 discovery by historian Randall Sell of Riddle of the Underworld (1921), a long-missing trans memoir by Jennie June/Ralph Werther/Earl Lind, with thanks to Ted Faigle for his transcription work. See also Who Was Jennie…
An essay by Elly Bulkin about Jo Sinclair, pen name of Ruth Seid (1913-1995), a working-class Jewish lesbian writer. Sinclair's positive portrayals of 1940s lesbians and norm-breaking teen, her fictional explorations of Jewish identity, and her…
Jim Oleson, the longtime partner of historian John D'Emilio, passed away April 4, 2015. To honor Oleson, OutHistory republished his obituary by Yasmin Nair. Reprinted with permission of the Windy City Times, April 5, 2015. Published originally…
In 1864, John William Sterling graduated from Yale College. About 1870, in his mid-twenties, Sterling met James Orville Bloss, who was three years younger. The two formed a relationship of almost 50 years and lived together in New York City for most…