1998
U.S.: Ellen and her mother, Betty DeGeneres, both speak at an Accent sponsored event in Gainsville, Fla. Betty is a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign. * The NGLTF Policy Institute releases a new study called The Myth of Affluence Among Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Americans. * At their quarterly meeting in Washington, D.C., the American Psychiatric Association strongly condemns the practice of 'reparative therapy' on homosexuals. * Rev. James Callan, a New York priest, is suspended by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester, Matthew Clark, for conducting same-sex weddings. * India: Hundreds of female Hindu zealots storm 12 movie theaters and close down the lesbian-themed film Fire.
1993
U.S.: The U.S. Postal Service issues an AIDS Awareness stamp, designed by Wisconsin nurse Jean Anne Hlavecek. * Homophobe Fred Phelps writes to The Advocate: 'Kissy-poo fag preachers telling you it's OK to play with gerbils and worship the rectum will send you to hell, and Fred Phelps is the best friend you fags have got in this world.' * Andrew Sullivan, editor of the New Republic, tells The Advocate: 'If the first wave of gay liberation was merely about unleashing sexual energy, the second wave is about marriage and family life. We are entering the second wave.' * Out There, the first all-queer comedy special, airs on Comedy Central. * In Jonesboro, Ga., Clayton County public schools ban Vox, an Atlanta-area newspaper by and for teenagers, because it contains an article about gays and lesbians. Candie Styles, a reporter for the paper, responds: 'Why don't they just cut out our tongues. I guess they just want to put teenagers in a hole so when we get (to be) 50 and our ideas have developed into what they think they should be, then they can let us out into the world again.' * Deb Price, the only syndicated gay columnist for the mainstream press, is profiled in People. She is pictured with her spouse Joyce Murdoch. * Britain: Colin Ireland, a man who confessed to murdering five gay men in London, is sentenced to life in prison. * Japan: Token of Love, a short film by Chicago filmmaker H.D. Motyl, is banned by Japanese custom officials for showing seven seconds of male nudity. The film was scheduled to be shown at the Tokyo Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.
1988
U.S.: The 1st World AIDS Day takes place. * A four-alarm fire causes serious damage when it blazes through San Francisco's famous Castro Street, with the Elephant Walk receiving extensive water damage. * In Hartford, Conn., 200 gay-rights supporters attend a candlelight vigil to remember victims of anti-gay violence. * Richard Failla, New York State's first openly gay elected judge, is sworn in as a New York State Supreme Court Justice. * James Michael Pittman, a 26-year-old man from Charleston, S.C., is ordered to perform 500 hours of public service and is placed on five years probation for knowingly exposing a sex partner to HIV.
1983
U.S.: National Gay Task Force Executive Director Victoria Apuzzo, the playwright and actor Harvey Fierstein, and the Body Politic collective in Canada, are among those honored by the Gay Academic Union at its annual banquet in San Diego. * The New York Times makes a significant change in the way it reports on lesbians and gay men. Reporting the death of novelist Mary Renault, the Times noted that she was survived by 'the writer's companion of the last 50 years, Julie Mullard.' And in the obituary of Tony Award-winning actor David Rounds, they mention 'his companion, David Seidman.'
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------