On this day in queerstory: pronoun day is born

On this day in 1970, thousands of LGBTQ+ Americans took to the streets of Washington D.C. for what became known as the First National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Protesters demanded equal employment opportunities, the repeal of anti-sodomy laws, and federal protection against discrimination — radical goals for an era when queer existence itself was still considered criminal in much of the United States.

While official counts vary, historians estimate that more than 10,000 people marched that day, transforming the capital into a sea of homemade placards and liberation chants. The march helped cement Washington as a stage for queer political visibility, laying the groundwork for the mass demonstrations that would follow in the 1980s and beyond.

Among those who later reflected on that early activism was Ron Gold, a fiery New York journalist turned gay-rights advocate, whose work also finds its echo on this date. Gold was one of the activists who confronted the American Psychiatric Association in 1972, publicly challenging the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder. Two years later, the APA finally voted to remove that diagnosis — a move widely seen as a turning point in modern LGBTQ+ history.

Gold’s legacy was celebrated on October 18 during LGBT History Month 2022, marking his contribution to the de-pathologization of queer identity. “He forced psychiatry to face its own prejudice,” one historian noted, “and in doing so, gave generations of queer people the freedom to see themselves as whole.”

Across the Atlantic, October 18 also recalls the death of Imrich Matyáš, a Czech activist who spent the early 20th century campaigning for the decriminalization of homosexuality under shifting regimes in Czechoslovakia. When he died in 1974, his efforts had helped lay the groundwork for reforms that would arrive decades later — another reminder that queer progress often takes a lifetime of persistence.

But not every October 18 milestone is anchored in struggle. The date has also become known for something gentler but no less political: International Pronouns Day. Observed annually on the third Wednesday in October, it’s a day to promote respect and awareness around gender pronouns and identity.

Across cities like Chicago, Berlin, and London, queer groups and allies mark the occasion with events ranging from panel discussions to playful drag-themed celebrations. Pronoun-themed cocktail nights and “name-tag parties” have become a staple of the day — part activism, part joyful reclamation. “It’s about self-definition,” says London-based non-binary performer Rey Del Mar. “We’re not asking for grammar lessons; we’re asking for recognition.”

This year, Chicago’s History Museum will lead an “Out at CHM” walking tour, tracing the city’s hidden queer past — from underground bars to overlooked activists — while San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society hosts its annual Reunion Gala, a black-tie fundraiser honouring the community’s elders and archivists. Both events fall, fittingly, on October 18.

For all its intersections — psychiatry and pronouns, marches and memory — October 18 stands as a microcosm of queer history itself: serious but not solemn, political but alive with personality. It’s a reminder that the movement for liberation was never just about rights on paper, but the right to exist with joy, complexity, and flair.

So as activists march, scholars remember, and drag performers toast their pronouns tonight, October 18 remains a day worth marking — a date that ties the fight for equality to the celebration of identity, one generation to the next.