October 11

October 11, 1884 - Eleanor Roosevelt is born in New York City. She was the wife of President Franklin Roosevelt, and while he had his lady friends, Eleanor had hers. In her case, one special lady friend: Lorena Hickok. “Hick darling,” Eleanor wrote, “Oh I want to put my arms around you…I want to hold you close.”

October 11, 1979 - Toronto Police raid gay bathhouse, the Hot Tub Club, and charge forty men with bawdyhouse charges.

October 11, 1987 - The Baltimore Gay and Lesbian Community Center refused to provide meeting space to NAMBLA after the local gay and lesbian community responded to the request with outrage. They had considered the request despite their opposition to NAMBLA’s views but felt the tremendous negative reaction of the community indicated that it would interfere with BGLCC’s own mission.

October 11, 1987 - The second march on Washington drew 1/2 million people. The NAMES project AIDS quilt was displayed with 1,920 panels. Rev Jesse Jackson addressed the crowd, calling for AIDS funding, civil rights protection, and an end to anti-gay violence.

October 11, 1988 - The first National Coming Out Day was celebrated.
October 11, 1993 - After learning they did not have the authority to carry out their threat, Fairfax County Virginia supervisors voted to withdraw a threat to abolish the library board for refusing to ban the distribution of gay and lesbian books and magazines.

October 11, 1993 - The US Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from a former CIA employee who was fired for acknowledging he was gay.

October 11, 1999 - After receiving an angry letter from GLAAD, World Champion Wrestling discontinued the “Lenny” and “Lodi” characters whose arena entrance routinely sparked chants of “fag.”

October 11, 1999 - Rev. Jerry Falwell and other religious conservatives held an event in San Francisco to encourage gay men and lesbians to leave the homosexual lifestyle.