Wednesday, 27 February 2013

February 27th in Queer History


Born this day

Angelina Weld Grimke (1880 –  1958) US
An African American poet, writer, critic, biographer, and teacher, who was an important forerunner of the Harlem Renaissance.

Pat Bond (1925 – 1990)  US
Actress who in a career spanning forty years, starred on stage and on television, as well as in motion pictures. She was openly lesbian and in many cases she was the first gay woman people saw on stage

Vincent Fourcade (1934 - 1992 ) French  
Interior designer and the business and life partner of Robert Denning. "Outrageous luxury is what our clients want," he once said.

Sonia Johnson  (1936 –  ) US
Feminist activist and writer. She was an outspoken supporter of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) for which she eventually was excommunicated from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) for her activities. She and her partner Jade DeForest now run Casa Feminista, a New Mexico hotel catering to feminist women.

Libby Davies  (1953 –  ) Canadian / UK
Member of Parliament and Deputy Leader of the federal NDP, New Democratic Party.

Bevan Dufty  (1955 –  ) US
Local politician, a former Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. His election campaigns often won the backing of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

Chiya Fujino  (1962 –  ) Japanese
Author, and a MTF transsexual who reflects the difficulties of her own life journey in the characterisations of her writing.

Sheree Harris (1965 - ) US
Seattle local politician, who defeated a 24-year incumbent councilman and became the nation's first openly lesbian African-American city council member.

Derren Brown (1971 –  ) UK
English illusionist, painter, writer and sceptic. He is known for his appearances in television specials, stage productions, photographic memory, and British television series such as Trick of the Mind and Trick or Treat.
He came out publicly in an interview with the Independent in 2007.

Christopher B Landon  (1975 –  ) US
Screenwriter and film director best known as the writer of 2007 film Disturbia and as the son of filmmaker Michael Landon. Landon came out as gay in 1999 having only written the script of Another Day in Paradise, unafraid of his sexuality harming his career potential

Died this day

Orry-Kelly (1897 - 1964) Australian / US
Professional name of Orry George Kelly, a prolific Hollywood costume designer.

Sir Harold Acton (1904 - 1994) UK
British writer, scholar and dilettante perhaps most famous for being wrongly believed to have inspired the character of "Anthony Blanche" in Evelyn Waugh's novel Brideshead Revisited

Annemarie Grewel  (1935/40 - 1998) Dutch
Psychiatrist and academic, who was chairman of the University Council, U. of Amsterdam. From 1982 to 1988 she was a city councillor for Amsterdam, and has also been president of the Dutch Society for Sexual Reform .

Anthony Blond   (1928 - 2008) UK
British publisher and author. Blond, who was openly bisexual, was twice married, and also had a long relationship with Andrew McCall.

Carol Philipps (1965 - 2009) Canadian
Journalist and activist, most prominent as the original editor of Swerve, the first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community magazine in Winnipeg 

Sodomy in history, February 27th

1801 — Congress passes a criminal code for the District of Columbia by incorporating the laws of Maryland into that part of the District ceded by Maryland and the laws of Virginia into that part ceded by Virginia. Slaves in both portions get the death penalty, but free persons get imprisonment, and a flogging in the Maryland portion.

1931 — The Michigan Supreme Court overturns a gross indecency conviction because other acts with other partners were admitted as evidence.

1976 — South Dakota passes a new criminal code that repeals its sodomy law.

1977 — Wyoming repeals its sodomy law in a sexual offenses revision.


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