Posts by Sofia:

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 […]

On this day in queerstory: UK bans imported queer media

On January 14, 1957, British customs officials formally seized and banned the import of several queer-themed novels and magazines under the UK’s obscenity laws, including works circulating quietly among gay men in Europe and North America. The action wasn’t unusual—but what followed was. Writers, publishers, and early homophile organizations coordinated a response, challenging the idea […]

On this day in queerstory: Europe debates LGBTQIA+ rights

On January 13, 1981, the European Parliament held one of its first formal debates explicitly addressing discrimination against homosexual people, following a series of petitions submitted by LGBTQ+ organizations from multiple member states. While the debate did not immediately produce binding law, it marked a crucial shift: queerness entered supranational politics not as a moral […]

On this day in queerstory: queer organizations unite across borders

On January 12, 1969, the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO) opened its winter strategy meetings in Kansas City, bringing together activists from across the United States and Canada at a moment when the homophile movement was straining at its own limits. Stonewall was still months away, but the ground was already shifting. What […]