On the history and evolution of queer communities on- and offscreen.
Whether onscreen or behind the lens, L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ stars, directors, and writers have made limitless groundbreaking contributions to the world of film and television, pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible. Representing a unique range of identities, your favorite shows and movies’ inspiring heroes create the magic we love to watch.
THE ELDORADO
1920s Berlin
The Eldorado nightclub was a haven for the Berlin queer community before Nazi rule. The glittery cabaret was frequented by many of the brightest minds, including Magnus Hirschfeld, who founded the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, where some of the earliest contemporary gender-affirming medical services were offered.
CAMP
Susan Sontag, 1964
As defined by Susan Sontag in the groundbreaking 1964 essay “Notes on ‘Camp,’” camp is a sensibility characterized by love for the artificial and exaggerated. Sontag describes camp as a mode of perception and a way of appreciating art and culture that involves a combination of irony, humor, parody, and a celebration of artifice.
THE STONEWALL UPRISING
June 28, 1969
Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, instrumental activists in the monumental 1969 Stonewall uprising, co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), one of the first efforts to support homeless L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ youth, among other causes.
THE PRIDE FLAG TO THE PROGRESS FLAG
1978 – 2018
The iconic rainbow pride flag was first flown on June 25, 1978 in San Francisco. While the effort to create the flag was a community one, it was spearheaded by activists Lynn Segerblom (a.k.a. Faerie Argyle Rainbow), James McNamara, and Gilbert Baker. In 2018, designer Daniel Quasar updated the flag, incorporating colors to include the transgender and BIPOC communities, along with those lost to the AIDS crisis. Read more about the Progress Pride Flag at Progress.gay.
THE SAN FRANCISCO LESBIAN / GAY FREEDOM BAND
San Francisco, 1978
Originally founded by Jon Reed Sims as the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band and Twirling Corps, the San Francisco Lesbian / Gay Freedom Band was the first openly gay musical group in the world when it was created in 1978.
TWO-SPIRIT
Indigenous Divinity
Two-spirit is a term used by some Indigenous peoples to describe their sexual, gender, or spiritual identity and refers to having both masculine and feminine spirits. Two-spirit individuals are revered, sacred, divine, and held in high regard in some Indigenous cultures.
AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT
October 14, 1979
While the twentieth century ushered in the pride movement, the AIDS epidemic plunged the queer community into crisis. During the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, half a million people visited the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest community art project in the world.
International Transgender Day of Visibility
March 31, 2009
Fed up with the lack of opportunities to honor the lives and accomplishments of transgender and gender nonconforming people, activist Rachel Crandall Crocker proposed the International Transgender Day of Visibility on Facebook in 2009. Since then, people around the world celebrate on March 31.
IDENTIFYING TEENS
1 in 4 high school students in the U.S. identify as L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+.
GENDER EXPANSIVE
The term gender expansive honors the flexibility and exploration of gender expression, referring to a range of identities that are not typically encompassed by a binary perspective on gender.
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCES
Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee made history in 2023 when they became the first out nonbinary actors to win Tonys for their respective performances in Shucked and Some Like It Hot.
