LGBT History Month: 4 Queer Events On October 21

Know Your LGBT History: Four Queer Events That Happened On October 21

In conjunction with the celebration of October as LGBT History Month, The Huffington Post will be providing you with "Know Your LGBT History" updates! Check back throughout the month for a brief overview of some of the landmark moments throughout the course of our journey as LGBT and queer-identifying individuals.

1939: New York police raided a masked drag ball and arrested 99 men in attendance, charging them with masquerading as females.

drag ball

1964: The original "My Fair Lady" film production premiered. Though not specifically impacting the trajectory of the LGBT movement, the story of Eliza Doolittle and her social disenfranchisement remains influential on the lives of many members of the LGBT community. Richard Chamberlin, who appeared in the revival productions of "My Fair Lady," has previously discussed the difficulties of coming out as gay while working as a leading actor.

my fair lady

1985: Dan White, the man who murdered both Harvey Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone, committed suicide. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay individual to be elected to office in California (and he will be honored with his own postage stamp next year!)

harvey milk

1993: Yale University announced that it would begin extending health benefits to the domestic partners of same-sex couples. Universities preceding Yale to make this decision included Stanford, Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago.

yale university

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