Posts by Sofia:

On this day in queerstory: work starts in UK to level ages of consent

January 20 shows up in queer history where power is most visible. Inaugurations, court terms, parliamentary sessions, administrative resets. It’s a date built for decisions, which makes it useful if you want to force the issue rather than politely request attention. On January 20, 1961, as a new U.S. presidential administration took office, LGBTQ+ federal […]

On this day in queerstory: Europe and the UK fight back against discriminative laws

January 19 shows up in queer history as a day when things escalated. Not always loudly, not always publicly, but decisively. Court filings landed. Protests sharpened. Institutions were forced to respond instead of deflect. This is a date that rarely waits for permission. On January 19, 1978, the European Court of Human Rights formally registered […]

On this day in queerstory: seeds of change in the UK and Canada

On January 18, 1967, Canada’s House of Commons resumed debate on criminal law reform that would eventually decriminalise homosexual acts between consenting adults. While the famous phrase “the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation” would come later, January 18 marked a crucial return to parliamentary discussion after delays and opposition attempts […]

On this day in queerstory: queer service members quietly accepted in the Netherlands

January 17 shows up in queer history as a day for paperwork with consequences. Not parades. Not riots. Forms, directives, filings, and policy tweaks—the kind of thing that doesn’t look sexy until you realise it decides who gets to keep their job, their home, or their partner’s pension. On January 17, 1974, the Netherlands quietly […]

On this day in queerstory: World Health Authority gets real about homosexuality

On January 16, 1980, the World Health Organization formally acknowledged the need to revise its classification of homosexuality within the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), following sustained pressure from psychiatrists, activists, and public health researchers across multiple countries. While the final removal would come years later, January 16 marked the moment the issue could no […]

On this day in queerstory: Brazil fights back against AIDS

On January 15, 1988, LGBTQ+ activists in Brazil formally established one of the country’s first nationally coordinated responses to the AIDS crisis, bringing together grassroots groups from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Porto Alegre. Meeting just weeks after Brazil’s new democratic constitution came into force, organizers used the date to align public health demands […]