Charles Karel Houley
June 6 - National
Mario Cantone starts his role as the wedding planner in “Sex In The City”
January 1 – National
The comic strip “Chelsea Boys” debuts in New York NEXT magazine (August 1998), written by Glen Hanson. It has since been syndicated and collected in a trade paperback.
State equality and discrimination bills
April 1 - National
Michael-Christopher launches his self-published, six-issue, LIVING THE LIFE (April 1998) about gay life among African-American men. He has since written three prequel Living the Life prose novels.
November 28 – Massachusetts
In Allston, transgender woman Rita Hester is murdered. The ensuing candlelight vigil a few days later was attended by 250 people and inspired the Transgender Day of Remembrance, observed each November 20th worldwide.
January 23 - National
“The Adventures of Sebastian Cole”. The famous 1970s New York City nightclub Studio 54, seen and told through the eyes of a young employee.
January 1 - National
The ex-gay movement, supported by conservative organizations like Focus on the Family, gains traction, suggesting that gays and lesbians can be cured gains prominence with a number of advertisements.
February 1 - National
William Haines is remembered in the biography “Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly Gay Star” by William J. Mann.
January 1 – Oregon
In reference to the Tanner versus OHSU lawsuit, the Oregon Court of Appeals rules that all state and local governments must offer spousal benefits to same-sex domestic partners. And the ruling prohibits private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation in hiring, firing, and pay.
January 1 - Massachusetts
The original Boston Colony was founded in October 1998 by eight students from Boston University, New England Conservatory, Tufts, MIT, and Massachusetts College of Art. In 2001, we became the Alpha Chi Chapter. Despite our youth, our chapter embodies the many great traditions of Delta Lambda Phi and the Greek system itself.
October 1 - National
The Executive Council of the United Church of Christ calls for the passage of the Federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1998 and urges all United Church of Christ members to communicate support for this legislation to their congressional representatives.
June 27 - National
Charles Karel Bouley and his husband Andrew Howard became the United States first gay couple radio show.
January 1 - Delaware
“Rainbow Chorale of Delaware” The Rainbow Chorale of Delaware seeks to represent the positive face of Delaware’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community and their straight allies, plus provide opportunities to perform high-quality choral music in a supportive and affirming environment.
January 1 – Michigan
State Rep. Lynne Martinez of Lansing introduces a bill to add lesbians and gays to Michigan's hate crimes law.
October 7 - National
“The Thin Pink Line”. Mockumentary about Chauncey Ledbetter, an eccentric flamboyant male supermodel convicted of murder and sentenced to death. The filmmakers interview various people involved with him, the victim and the case to get to the truth.
April 30 - National
“Get Real”. Steven (Ben Silverstone) spends his school days longing for all-star athlete John (Brad Gorton). But John has a gorgeous girlfriend, and Steven is still in the closet about being gay. The only one who knows the teenager's secret is his friend Linda (Charlotte Brittain). After a curious run-in with John in a public restroom, Steven starts to wonder if the jock is straight after all. When they start a romance, it threatens to expose the truth about both of them.
January 1 - Nevada
“Spectrum Northern Nevada” Our Mission is to create safe and accepting social networks and events for members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) community and their advocate through diversity education, community service and providing social opportunities that help to break down cultural barriers and promote human equality.
February 4 - National
Pat Griffin’s Strong Women, Deep Closets: Lesbians and Homophobia in Sport is published. The first book to explore homophobia in women’s sports
October 7 - Wyoming
One day after the second campaign from Focus on the Family to promote conversion therapy and condemnation against LGBT members of the community, Matthew Shepard a gay student, in Laramie, Wyoming was tortured, beaten severely, tied to a fence, and abandoned.
December 1 - National
“Matthew Shepard Foundation”. The Matthew Shepard Foundation’s longstanding mission is to erase hate by replacing it with understanding, compassion and acceptance. Through local, regional and national outreach, we empower individuals to find their voice to create change and challenge communities to identify and address hate that lives within their schools, neighborhoods and homes. Our work is an extension of Matt’s passion to foster a more caring and just world. We share his story and embody his vigor for civil rights to change the hearts and minds of others to accept everyone as they are.
January 1 – National
"Trans Liberation" In this collection of speeches and new writing, Leslie Feinberg argues passionately for the acceptance of all trans peoples - and for the absolute necessity of building coalitions between all progressive political groups. Speaking to an audience of 350 male heterosexual crossdressers and their partners at the Texas "T" Party - a speech at which Feinberg was the only person dressed in a suit and tie - s/he notes the similarities between their struggles and the struggle of the gay, lesbian, and bi communities to break down the closet doors of shame and silence. At the 7th Annual Queer Graduate Studies Conference s/he stresses the links between lesbian, gay, bi, and trans desires and the desire for education, food, and shelter. And always s/he calls for tolerance and respect - a call whose importance is brought home by the affecting self- portraits written by individuals from across the diverse trans spectrum.
February 1 - Delaware
H.B. 466 is introduced and would ban sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace. It is easily defeated, even though a Newsweek poll at the time showed 84% of Americans opposed sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace.
January 1 - Oregon
The Portland City Council passes a resolution that implements nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender (transgender or transsexual) identity.
In reference to the Tanner versus OHSU lawsuit, the Oregon Court of Appeals rules that all state and local governments must offer spousal benefits to same-sex domestic partners. And the ruling prohibits private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation in hiring, firing, and pay.
Scott Meisner, Eugene’s first openly gay council member, becomes president of the city council. The unanimous vote by other council members places him second in command behind the mayor.
November 1 - National
Peterson Toscano came out after 17 years of conversion therapy. As part of the ex-gay movement he attempted to alter his sexual orientation through conversion therapy and faith-based ex-gay programs. In addition to receiving pastoral counseling, conversion therapy, and discipleship training, he attended Life Ministries and the residential program Love in Action.
He has stated that his experiences in Love in Action "felt like ... a biblically induced coma". He now presents his LGBT affirming messages through theatre and talks at universities, schools, conferences, churches, gay clubs, theaters and on-line through blogs and YouTube videos. He later co-founded “Beyond Exgay” to help to help people with their struggle.
Billy Beane
Major League Baseball
June 7 - National
“Totally Confused”. Wiley is a gay virgin who spends his nights with a large collection of porno. Johnny's his best friend but he's straight, though does admit to a little experimenting. What to do? what to do?
Catalogued archive material by subject:
March 15 - National
"Farm Boys" Homosexuality is often seen as a purely urban experience, far removed from rural and small-town life. Farm Boys undermines that cliché by telling the stories of more than three dozen gay men, ranging in age from 24 to 84, who grew up in farm families in the midwestern United States. Whether painful, funny, or matter-of-fact, these plain-spoken accounts will move and educate any reader, gay or not, from farm or city.
January 1 - California
“Lavender Library & Archive”. The Lavender Library was founded by a core group of 17 local community members in 1998 as a research and information institution for Sacramento’s LGBTQI community. The founding took place during a tumultuous time for the LGBT Community Center (then the Lambda Community Center) as it struggled to stay open. Fearing imminent closure (luckily that did not happen!), community members moved the small library from the Center to its first location at the B Street Theater. The founders considered several other names before settling on the Lavender Library, including: River City Community Library, Sacramento Alternative Library, Capital Library Archive Project (CLAP), and Sacramento Library and Archive Project (SLAP). Two years later in 2000, the Library moved to its current space at N at 21st Streets. One of the original primary champions of the Library, Gail Lang, was a beloved member of Sacramento’s local LGBTQ community. When she passed in 2003, she left the Library funds that have helped it stay open over the years. Today, the Library lives on as an important site for community, knowledge, and engagement.
November 3 - Utah
Voters of District 30 in Salt Lake elect Jackie Biskupski, an openly gay woman, to the House of Representatives by a 3 to 2 margin. She serves until 2011.
January 1 - Alaska
“Alaska Gay & Lesbian Association” The Mission of AGLA (Alaska Gay & Lesbian Association) is to provide a supportive environment for UAF Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgendered Students, Faculty and Staff to meet and discuss issues and socialize.
January 1 - Montana
“Western Montana Gay & Lesbian Community Center” The Center fosters a welcoming space for community members from Western Montana and surrounding areas. We offer community events and free space and for LGBTQ individuals, groups, communities, and more to host one- time events or ongoing meetings focused on identity development and self-care, empowerment, leadership development, community engagement, and overall wellness. In Montana, now more than ever we need safe, inclusive, and welcoming spaces to meet with the community. The Center supports the work of all community members to create & sustain a healthy community in Western Montana.
January 1 – Michigan
Marci Devernay is charged with running gay and straight escort services out of her Huntington Woods home.
December 5 - Texas
Sheriff’s deputies responding to a false report of an armed intruder inside an apartment catch two men having sex and arrest them, setting up a case that eventually brings an end to Texas’ rarely enforced, 119-year- old law against sodomy. People widely believe that this is a staged “accident.”
February 12 - National
“Party Monster the Shockumentary”. This documentary depicts the rise and fall of Michael Alig, who arrives in New York City from Indiana and becomes a renowned club promoter. Notorious for their outlandishness, his parties become increasingly debauched and drug-fueled, as does Alig himself. When drug dealer and club regular Angel Melendez is found dead, evidence eventually points to Alig and one of his roommates as the killers. The film features interviews with Alig and others in his world, along with dramatized reenactments.
October 15 - National
“Affectionate Men” In Affectionate Men, photographic collector Russell Bush has assembled an album of images--daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, cartes-de-visite, cabinet cards, and ordinary Kodak prints--that form an idiosyncratic record of the affection between men, from the 1850's to the 1950's.The earliest daguerreotypes in the book was made in America around 1850- an image frozen in time long before the invention of the automobile, telephone, radio, or airplane. Over a period of one hundred years, we can see the changing styles in clothes, hair, and attitudes, but what remains constant is the expression of affection and love between these men. Some may be gay, others assuredly not, but whatever the relationship, these images celebrate Walt Whitman's "dear love of comrades."
January 1 - National
“Soulforce” the goal is to turn this world upside down and inside out in the name of justice and equity for folks across all marginalized racial, sexual, and gender identities. We seek to do the kind of collective activism that makes our souls burst as we free ourselves from spiritual violence.
June 11 - National
“Finding North”. Screwball romance involving a woman (Makkena) who gets fired from her job as a bank teller when her friends arrange for a stripper to appear at the bank for her birthday. She then meets a man (Hickey) whom she had earlier seen jump off a bridge and had assumed had committed suicide. With nothing else to do, she follows him to Texas. Along the way she slowly comes to realize he is gay and is despondent over the AIDS-related death of his former lover.
September 1 - California
Mark DeAngelis is elected as the first openly gay president of the student body at the Marshall School of Business.
January 1 - Washington State
“Rainbow City Band” Rainbow City Performing Arts provides opportunities for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied to share their musical talents through public performances. We foster music education, friendships and community giving.
March 1 - National
Gay couple Chester and Deck star in Havoc Inc., an on-going anthropomorphic sci-fi adventure series, beginning in issue #1 (Radio Comix, March 1998).
Peterson Toscano
April 11 - National
LPGA Hall of Famer, Patty Sheehan, comes out as a lesbian in Golf World magazine
January 1 - Oregon
“SMYRC”. Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center, which has come under management of Portland Q Center, was founded to honor, empower, and supports LGBTQ youth to change the world. Its vision: “Q Center’s SMYRC Program embodies a vision of generosity, community support & investment, abundance and intergenerational connection.”
August 19 - National
Clifford Chase is the editor for “Queer 13: Lesbian and Gay Writers Recall Seventh Grade”
August 1 - National
Mark Merlis published his novel “An Arrow's Flight” a gay depiction of the gods of Troy.
January 1 - Florida
“OUTshine Film Festival”. Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (MGLFF) was a 501(c)3 annual festival based out of Florida. MGLFF changed its name to MiFo in 2015. Films submitted to the festival's screening committee went through a multi-tier process where they were watched and rated by interested parties and individuals.
Matthew Shepard
July 16 - National
“The Velocity of Gary”. Valentino is an Ex Adult film star very much in love with his girlfriend Mary Carmen....and boyfriend Gary. Things take a tragic turn when Valentino is rushed to the hospital after collapsing on a city street and is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS...Forcing Mary Carmen and Gary to push aside their jealousy & differences to take care of the man they both love while he is dying. Ultimately finding comfort, understanding, and strength in the other.
Mario Cantone
January 1 – National
“The Male Nude” For anyone who worships the male body or wants to know why others do (TASCHEN's 25th anniversary special edition) While the female nude has long played a conspicuous role in western iconography, the male nude has not always enjoyed such adoration. This collection provides an overdue review of material that at one time could only be bought under the counter, beginning with the anonymous erotica of the 19th century. It features the pioneer homoerotic nude photographs of Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, posing nude youths in classical postures at Taormina in Sicily. It includes illustrations from groundbreaking magazines such as Physique Pictorial, the leading organ of the mid-50s gay scene, and it covers the entire range from classic masters of male nude photography, such as Herbert List, George Platt Lynes or Robert Mapplethorpe, to the pin-up beefcake of the sex magazines.
June 1 - National
John Paulk founds “Love Won Out” to align with Focus on the Family and promoted conversion
therapy as a positive cure for homosexuality. He later came out to the public and offered the country a formal apology for the damage that he had created in promoting hatred and futile therapy treatments.
June 1 - National
A coalition of fundamentalist groups led by Coral Ridge Ministries sponsors “Truth in Love,” a $1-million advertising campaign promoting “ex-gay ministries,” which use discredited psychological methods to “cure” gay people. One day before a second round of “Truth in Love” ads is released, gay college student Matthew Shepard is murdered, spurring a national debate about the connection between anti-gay rhetoric and hate crimes.
June 18 - Ohio
Mike Muska, a gay man and former collegiate track and field coach, is named the athletic director at Oberlin College, becoming the first openly gay male ever in that position.
October 9 - National
“Pecker” A talented young photographer, who enjoys snapping photos of his satirical, perverted Baltimore neighborhood and his wacky family, gets dragged into a world of pretentious artists from New York City and finds newfound fame.
January 1 - Wisconsin
“MKE LGBT Community Center” The Milwaukee LGBT Community Center is dedicated to serving the needs of LGBTQ people and to making the Greater Milwaukee area safer and more inclusive. We focus on anti-violence, healthy relationships, counseling, Youth & Elder Adult programming and more. Our Center’s resources include a lending library with over 2000 LGBT titles, meeting space for over 100 groups during the year, computer/internet access and referrals.
September 23 - National
“The Brandon Teena Story”. Documentary about a multiple murder in rural Nebraska in 1993.
September 21 - National
Sean Hayes who for many years refused to discuss his sexuality starts his role as Jack in “Will & Grace”
June 15 - Utah
Members of the Salt Lake City council revoked the newly enacted anti-discrimination law for gay and lesbian people in a 4-3 vote.
Brian Orser
Olympic Silver Medalist
December 5 - National
From "The Family Research Charade" by FranK Rich (Dec 5 98 NY Times):
"In the aftermath of the Wyoming killing, the same groups that worked overtime to stigmatize gay people have mounted a furious propaganda defense to assert that their words and ads demeaning gay people have nothing to do with any anti-gay crimes."
"Given that these are the same groups that claim the "pro-gay" rhetoric of an Ellen DeGeneres or Joycelyn Elders foments homosexuality, it isn't easy for them to argue now that their own words have no consequences. So they instead attack those who call them on their game, hoping we might be intimidated and shut up. As one of their apologists, Hadley Arkes, wrote in a "Wall Street Journal" opinion piece, my columns on this subject are "vibrant with a hatred of the Family Research Council and evangelical Christians."
Rita Hester
January 1 - California
“The Pop Luck Club” We are a community of gay dads building families through fostering, adoption, co-parenting, and surrogacy.
February 15 - Kansas
Two Kansas legislators send a memo to all Kansas regents universities, asking each university to forward a list of all courses containing content related to homosexuality and bisexuality. What the legislators intend to do with such information is unknown. The “Chronicle of Higher Education,” a very prestigious higher education magazine, reports on the memo. In the end, only Fort Hayes State refuses to respond to the request. Other universities run elementary name searches (i.e. "bisexuality," "homosexuality") and come up with only a handful of course listings. No one knows why the request was made and the "mystery legislators" never come forward.
July 24 - National
In response to this craziness, columnist Ellen Goodman asks: “If 1994 was the Year of the Angry White Male, is 1998 being cast as the Year of the Angry Heterosexual?”
Paul Marcarelli
June 12 - National
“High Art”. Syd (Radha Mitchell), a low-level editor at a photography magazine eager to establish herself, discovers her neighbor is the once-celebrated downtown photographer Lucy Berliner (Ally Sheedy). Although Syd lives with her boyfriend (Gabriel Mann), she is drawn to Lucy, who has a volatile relationship with her heroin-addicted girlfriend, Greta (Patricia Clarkson). As Syd starts sleeping with Lucy, she is pulled into a glamorous but dangerous art-world scene, full of drugs and unexpected pleasures.
February 27 - Alaska
Alaska Superior Court Rules on Same-Sex Couples' Right to Marry "Alaska Superior Court judge rules that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry but stays the decision pending appeals to the state Supreme Court."
July 15 - Kansas
The Kansas Supreme Court refuses to hear Max Movsovitz’ appeal after being arrested for sodomy. Max decides not to appeal his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. He continues to live in Topeka. (An interesting note on Thomas Pfortmiller, the Topeka Police officer who posed as a gay man looking for fun and who got Max to say he was “in to oral sex”:
Emporia State University quietly removes “sexual orientation” from its non-discrimination policy. Upon review by Joe Barron, legal counsel to ESU, he advises them that there is "no legal basis" for including it since there are no state or federal laws to that effect. Barron also says he "didn't think it appropriate" for a state agency--which the university is--to take it upon itself to institute a policy which federal and state legislators did not decide to do. Even though ESU's non- discrimination policy does not include "sexual orientation," Barron states that "didn't mean improper behavior would be tolerated." The policy had been in effect since 1990.
November 1 - National
Lance Rund tells the story of the sexual awakening of a gay college student in anthropomorphic form in his comic ASSOCIATED STUDENT BODIES (Arclight Press, January 1998), which runs eight issues.
January 1 - National
“The Brewer Twins” Derek and Keith Brewer, identical twins from Redondo Beach, went from riding the waves of the California coastline to walking the runways of the world's fashion capitals. This bold, graphic biography chronicles their success story, featuring photographs by fashion's preeminent style-makers-- from Steven Meisel and Patrick Demarchelier to Blake Little and Peggy Sirota-- and showcasing the Brewers' appearances in top magazines, campaigns, and shows, from Esquire, Vogue, and Sassy, to Yves Saint Laurent and Calvin Klein. The Brewers also provide the inside scoop on their beach boyhood and extreme lifestyle, from surfing to snowboarding, and share what it's like to be celebrity twins. Derek and Keith are represented by Q, America's newest model management agency.
January 1 - Texas
“Q Cinema: Fort Worth's Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival”. QCinema is Fort Worth's source for the best in gay and lesbian film. Founded in 1998 by Shawn Moore and Todd Camp, QCinema’s early origins included occasional community screenings and a film discussion group at Texas Christian University before Moore suggested that it be expanded into a full-fledged, four- day festival in July of 1999. It has since evolved to become the presenter of a year-round series of events including monthly film screenings, live programs, fund-raisers and, of course, our annual film festival, now in its 20th year. Our mission is to provide a voice for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender persons by presenting films, videos and live programs that not only represent the diversity of our community but educate, enlighten and entertain us all.
June 23 - Ohio
“Aware on the Square” held (No parade) (Gay & Lesbian Community Center Cincinnati)
Bisexual Flag
January 1 - Georgia
“Athens Pride Georgia” Athens PRIDE exists to promote community, fellowship, and support around lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer issues in the greater Athens, GA area.
April 1 - National
Coretta Scott King, widow of slain civil rights lead Martin Luther King Jr., calls on the civil rights community to join the struggle against homophobia. She receives criticism from some members of the black civil rights movement for comparing civil rights to gay rights.
February 1 - New York
Roman Catholic officials and New York State clash over the treatment of AIDS patients in church- owned and operated hospitals and other facilities. The state accuses the church of jeopardizing the care of patients while Catholic representatives, such as Cardinal O’Connor continue to insist that safe-sex alternatives to abstinence are “morally sinful and medically dangerous.” The State Public Health Council also approves publicly financed, Catholic-run AIDS homes.
January 1 - Indiana
“Fort Wayne Pride” Fort Wayne Pride is committed to bringing safe, fun events to the LGBT community and our straight allies.
James Dobson
March 20 - National
“Wild Things”. A police detective uncovers a conspiracy behind a case involving a high-school guidance counselor when accusations of rape are made against him by two female students.
January 1 - National
“GSA Network” Our overall strategy for fighting for educational justice is to work with grassroots, youth-led groups and GSAs, empowering them to educate their schools and communities, advocate for just policies that protect LGBTQ youth from harassment and violence, and organize in coalition with other youth groups across identity lines to address broader issues of oppression. All of our work with students focuses on leadership development and activism that prioritizes building alliances not only across sexual orientation and gender identity lines, but also across race, ethnicity, and class lines, and our resources and trainings are designed to facilitate coalition building.
January 1 – National
“David Vance” David Vance's pictures combine masculinity and sensuality, making them classics of their genre. His fresh, natural image of masculinity has become a dominant influence in male photography.
Tammy Baldwin
United States Congress
May 10 - Rhode Island
Rhode Island repeals the 102-year-old law that made sodomy a felony.
November 20 – National
Brian Orser, former world champion figure skater and Olympic silver medalist, comes out as a gay man in a palimony suit filed by an ex-lover.
January 1 – National
Divine is described by People magazine "Drag Queen of the Century" remains a cult figure, particularly within the LGBT community, and has provided the inspiration for fictional characters, artworks, and songs. Various books and documentary films devoted to his life have also been produced, including Divine Trash
Coretta Scott King
November 2 - National
Victory Fund is instrumental in assisting Tammy Baldwin’s winning congressional campaign, making her the first openly LGBTQ candidate ever elected to Congress as a non-incumbent. Victory Fund also endorses recently out incumbent Jim Kolbe, who becomes the first openly gay Republican to win election to Congress.
July 23 - National
The American Institute of Bisexuality, a charity, was founded on July 23, 1998, by Fritz Klein M.D. to promote research and education about bisexuality.
June 17 - Washington D.C.
In a TV interview, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) compares gay people to alcoholics and “kleptomaniacs,” earning praise from anti-gay activists. “Leaders willing to be set apart and stand solidly in the truth are rare in today’s permissive culture,” says James Dobson.
July 1 - National
“Out of Season” A sexy, romance about two woman who unexpectedly fall in love during a winter's stay in the resort town of Cape May.
January 1 - North Carolina
“Cantaria Gay Men’s Chorus of Asheville” Our primary goals are to achieve excellence in musical performance; to enrich the lives of participants through social and fellowship experiences; to foster Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender community spirit and to present a positive gay image to the Western North Carolina community at large.
October 1 - National
“Open Secret Gay Hollywood” Hollywood isn't just a place or an industry -- it's a fantasy that unfolds in the minds of moviegoers the world over. And talking about "who's gay in Hollywood" has always been the most socially acceptable way of talking about homosexuality period. But times have changed for gays and lesbians inside Hollywood and in the culture at large. Ellen DeGeneres "came out" to a world quite different from the one that allowed Marlene Dietrich to "stay in." And while Rupert Everett may be called "the gay Cary Grant," the real Cary Grant would never have described himself as gay -- even though he was. So what has it meant to be gay in Hollywood, not just as a star but behind the scenes as well? How homosexual actors and actresses came to define straight America's sexual self-image is only one of the paradoxical and provocative questions explored in Open Secret, a revealing cultural chronicle of gay Hollywood. From the silent era to the age of the multiplex and beyond, homosexuality has been a fact of life in the film industry, and scores of important personalities -- stars, writers, directors, producers -- have enjoyed long and spectacular careers on both sides of the camera, despite mainstream America's professed bias against gays. Part social history and part Tinseltown expose, this entertaining book spans seventy years, painting knowing and vivid portraits of many of Hollywood's foremost gays and lesbians, often in the words of eyewitnesses or the principals themselves. Veteran entertainment journalist David Ehrenstein traces the gradual transformation from an era when gays and lesbians had no public profile in "polite" society to the modern era when many top entertainment figures are not merely comfortable with their sexuality but actually celebrate it -- and are in turn celebrated for it. In the process, he presents a unique reflection of American society as a whole and its ever-changing attitudes and values.
January 1 – New York
Paul Marcarelli actor and producer is one of the founding members of the award winning “Mobius Group Productions”
VEIWER DISCRESSION
January 1 - National
"My Dear Boy" Gay Love Letters Through the Centuries Writers range from Kings and aristocrats, musicians and artists, soldiers and monks, to farm laborers, political activists, hustlers and drag queens. Illustrated.
November 4 - National
“Gods and Monsters”. Once a powerful Hollywood director best known for "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein," James Whale (Ian McKellen) is long since retired and in increasingly poor health. His stalwart housekeeper, Hanna (Lynn Redgrave), quietly disapproves of Whale's faceless, nameless parade of young gay lovers, but when the director takes an interest in new gardener Clayton Boone, a former Marine and Korean War veteran, it seems to be for something more than his usual casual conquest.
June 10 - National
P. J. Castellaneta writes and directs “Relax…it’s just sex”. A diverse group of couples from different sexual orientations struggle and support each other through various issues, including violent hate crimes, HIV, conception, commitment, and love in 1990s Los Angeles.
President Bill Clinton
January 16 - National
“2x4”. Openly bisexual, Johnnie's pressures mount when his girlfriend, Maria, and a sex-partner, Christian, begin to pressure him for more commitment. He fumbles his responses, and no one is satisfied. Finally, Johnnie catches his Uncle Trump in an act that fractures the dam of memories, and in a short time, they come flooding back into Johnnie's consciousness. Although shaken to his core, Johnnie finds the answers he needs. Most importantly, he survives the flood and can finally move forward.
December 10 - Oregon
The Portland City Council passes a resolution that implements nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender (transgender or transsexual) identity.
June 9 - Kansas
The Topeka City Council strips Mayor Joan Wagnon of her power to appoint members of the Topeka Relations Commission (HRC) because she appoints an openly gay man and a lesbian to the city’s nine-person HRC, which is a regulatory arm for discrimination in Topeka. She had wanted the group to discuss whether or not sexual orientation should be included in Topeka’s human rights ordinance. The City Council also disbands the current commission in order to remove the two gay appointees. (The City Council bowed to pressure by hatemonger Fred Phelps and local NAACP president, Rev. K.E. Hill, who called the gay commissioners “stated supporters of. . . sinful acts.”)
Taylor Alesana
January 1 - South Carolina
“AFFA – Alliance For Full Acceptance” AFFA is a social justice organization achieving equality and acceptance for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Simply put, we change hearts and minds!
November 1 - Georgia
Georgia overturns its sodomy law, saying it violates the Georgia Constitution’s guarantee of a right to privacy.
January 1 – National
Former Major League baseball player Billy Bean reveals he is gay.
January 1 - California
“Equality California” Equality California is California’s premier statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization focused on creating a fair and just society.
January 1 - North Carolina
“Triad Pride Men’s Chorus” Triad Pride Men’s Chorus performs choral music to entertain, enlighten, and enrich while promoting equality and social justice for all people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity–fostering pride, understanding and acceptance.
November 2 - Washington D.C.
Tammy Baldwin becomes the first open lesbian elected to federal legislative office when she is elected to the U. S. Congress.
January 1 - North Carolina
“MECKPAC” Mecklenburg LGBT Political Action Committee (most commonly known as “MeckPAC”) is registered with the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections as a non-partisan, non- profit organization whose mission is to mobilize the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community and its many allies in Charlotte/Mecklenburg to vote and participate in city/county elections, to educate city/county elected officials about issues of importance to the LGBT community, and to hold city/county elected officials accountable for their votes on such issues.
August 24 - National
“54”. The famous 1970s New York City nightclub Studio 54, seen and told through the eyes of a young employee.
January 1 - California
“Solano Pride Center” Solano Pride is working in Solano County to ensure that the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, and Intersex individuals have a network of resources and educational tools to meet their needs.
May 22 - National
“The Opposite of Sex” A 16-year-old girl visits her gay half-brother and ends up seducing his boyfriend, thus wreaking havoc on all of their lives.
Mike Muska
Athletic Director Oberlin College
January 1 - Georgia
Robin Shahar loses her appeal to the Supreme Court after being fired for her marriage and being a lesbian.
January 1 - National
“American Institute of Bisexuality”. EDUCATE: Educate the general public, civic and professional organizations on bisexuality and the needs and concerns of bi people. DISCOVER Promote and fund research on bisexuality. ENGAGE Sponsor and organize conferences, public forums, panels, social and cultural activities that increase understanding about bisexuality
June 10 - Florida
Reverend Pat Robertson warns the city of Orlando that its support for a gay-pride celebration was inviting the vengeance of God. He later states that the fires in Florida are an example of holy punishment.
Gary Bauer, the head of the Family Research Council, complains repeatedly that ''as the homosexual movement has come out of the closet, there seems to be an expectation that everybody else is supposed to go into the closet.''
December 5 - National
The first bisexual pride flag, designed by Michael Page, was unveiled
August 11 - National
“Hard”. When a series of brutal killings of young male hustlers awakens the police to the threat of a serial killer, rookie detective Raymond Fates (Noel Palomaria) and his seasoned partner detective Tom Ellis (Charles Lanyer) battle an intolerant police department that is indifferent to these "misdemeanor killings.
December 1 - National
The first episode of the online superheroic gay soap opera satire comic book QUEER NATION is previewed (December 1998, officially debuting the next month), written by Chris Cooper.
January 1 – National
James St. James TV personality and author releases “Club Kids” a documentary film detailing the rise of the club kid phenomenon in New York City, the life of club kid and party promoter Michael Alig, and Alig's murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer Andre "Angel" Melendez.
April 20 - National
“Edge of Seventeen”. A teenager copes with his sexuality on the last day of school in 1984. It shows him coping with being gay and being with friends.
December 16 - National
ESPN airs ‘World of the Gay Athlete’ special.
April 1 - National
Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin introduce the first gay male in Star Trek, Yoshi Mishima, in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy #17 (Marvel, April 1998).
December 24 - National
Jameson Currier publishes “Where the Rainbow Ends “
January 1 - Illinois
“AFFINITY” Affinity Community Services is a social justice organization that works with and on behalf of Black LGBTQ communities, queer youth, and allies to identify emergent needs, create safe spaces, develop leaders, and bridge communities through collective analysis and action for social justice, freedom, and human rights.
April 17 - National
“The Object of My Affection” A pregnant New York social worker begins to develop romantic feelings for her gay best friend, and decides she'd rather raise her child with him, much to the dismay of her overbearing boyfriend.
Frank Rich
New York Times
January 1 - National
“Changing Ones” The term 'berdache' is a little-known, rarely discussed reference to Native American individuals who embodied both genders - what some might classify as 'the third sex.' Berdaches were known to combine male and female social roles with traits unique to their status as a third gender, defying and redefining traditional notions of gender-specific behavior. In Changing Ones , William Roscoe opens up and explores the world of berdaches, revealing meaningful differences between Native American culture and contemporary North American culture. Roscoe reveals that rather than being ostracized or forced into obscurity, berdaches were embraced by some 150 tribes, serving as artists, medicine people, religious experts, and tribal leaders. Indeed, Roscoe points out, berdaches sometimes even occupied a holy status within the tribal community. Roscoe begins with case studies of male and female berdaches, blending biography and ethnohistory, and he builds toward theoretical insights into the nature of gender diversity in North America. What results is highly engaging, readable, and illuminating. Changing Ones combines the fields of anthropology, sociology, queer theory, gay and lesbian studies, and gender studies to challenge conventional schools of thought and to expand every reader's horizons.
April 1 - Kansas
Shawnee County (Topeka) Treasurer Rita Cline ceases contract negotiations with BA Merchant Services Inc. (in a plan to offer tax-payment services by telephone) after learning the company is an affiliate of San Francisco-based BankAmerica Corp. In accordance with San Francisco's ordinance, BankAmerica provides spousal benefits to same-gender partners it employs. Cline uses this as her reason for withdrawing from negotiations with BA Merchant Services; she will not do business with companies that break Kansas law (homosexuality is still illegal in Kansas). "They were trying to cram a California law down my throat and that didn't sit well with me," Cline says to a "Topeka Capital-Journal" reporter. Rita Cline was alerted to San Francisco's domestic partner ordinance by Fred Phelps. (Cline will resign from office in 2003 amid allegations she misused public money; in Dec 2004 she will file for personal bankruptcy.)
July 24 - National
“Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss”. Billy is a gay fine-arts photographer who falls in love with straight coffee-shop waiter Gabriel.
June 1 - National
The Executive Council of the United Church of Christ calls for the passage of the Federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 1998 and urges all United Church of Christ members to communicate support for this legislation to their congressional representatives.
October 12 - Wyoming
Matthew Shepard, succumbed to his injuries. His attackers, Russell Arthur Henderson and Aaron James McKinney, are both serving two consecutive life sentences in prison. Matthew Shepard brings hate crimes against gays to the forefront of news.
January 1 – Michigan
Christian Reform Church strips Grand Rapids minister of credentials for pro-gay views.
June 15 - California
“In the Flesh”. A mature but uneasy cop takes in a young gay hustler following a knifing death in the area. A personal relationship wants to form but both are leery of it.
November 28 – Michigan
WDIV Channel 4 in Detroit airs three-part undercover expose on sex in public restrooms.
Trent Lott (R-Miss)
Senate majority leader
August 6 - National
Episcopal At the Lambeth Conference, the once-a-decade gathering of about 700 Anglican leaders, the world’s bishops vote to endorse a resolution declaring homosexual activity to be “incompatible with Scripture,” and advise against the ordination of homosexuals. Several American bishops, including Bishop Spong who calls the resolution a sign of “waning Christianity,” rush to reassure gay and lesbian members of their congregations.
June 1 - National
Southern Baptist Convention passes a resolution calling upon Congress to “nullify…through legislation” President Clinton’s Executive Order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in the federal workforce.
June 1 - National
Michael Derry’s comic strip about a group of West Hollywood friends, “TROY“, debuts in Bent magazine (June, 1998). The strip has since appeared in many gay publications.
June 1 - National
The More Light Churches Network (MLCN), formalized in 1992, combines with the former Presbyterians for Gay and Lesbian Concerns to make a single organization, More Light Presbyterians.
November 3 - Alaska
Voters Approve Constitutional Amendment Limiting Marriage between one man and one woman.'"
November 3 - Hawaii
Hawaii voters approve the constitutional amendment that gives the legislature the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples. This effectively prevents same-sex marriage in Hawaii for now. In 2000, Hawaii’s domestic partnership status will be referred to as "reciprocal beneficiary" and will confer numerous rights, but not health insurance via a partner's employer.
November 1 - National
Chris Glaser a writer publishes “Coming Out as Sacrament”
October 10 - National
“Dear Jesse”. Can you go home again? What if you're a gay man and home is a state where voters keep electing a homophobe to the US Senate? In 1996, at age 30, native son Tim Kirkman returns to North Carolina to explore the parallels and differences between himself and Jesse Helms: they're from the same town and college, with media interests, from families blessed by adoptions, Baptists by upbringing. Tim puts his camera in front of his family, a boyhood pal, college friends, his pastor, Helms fans, community activists, novelists Lee Smith and Allan Gurganus, a mayor who's gay, and people in the street, including a brief interview with Matthew Shepard. What is it to judge, and what is it to love?
June 13 - California
GLBA sponsors “Tammy Trojan” -Tommy Trojan in drag- to ride in a float at the West Hollywood Pride Parade along with the Bruin Bear and UCLA’s GALA group.
January 1 - California
“The Imperial Court of Alameda-Ducal”. Since 1998 Our purpose is to raise money to be disbursed several times a year for those Charities in the County who are not heavily subsidized by other grants. We are governed by a Board of Directors, who are elected or appointed and volunteer their time. The Board of Directors consist of nine members. Each year, we hold a Ducal Ball. At this time the Community selects a Royal Grand Duke and a Royal Grand Duchess, to reign for a year. They are responsible for promoting the organization and various fund raisers throughout their reign. Their titles are camp titles and are not used for personal gain of the individuals that hold them. They answer to the Board of Directors who have the final say in decision making for the organization. We have been able to work with other non-profit organizations within the community.
May 16 - California
Taylor Alesana, a 16-year-old died by suicide
United States LGBT History for 1998
October 23 - National
“Velvet Goldmine”. Glam rock star Brian Slade (Jonathan Rhys Myers) plays a character on stage named Maxwell Demon who predicts his death on stage. Shortly after he announces his prediction, he fakes his own death and is exposed as a fraud. A decade later in 1984, a reporter and former fan, Arthur Stuart (Christian Bale), tracks down the former rocker to do an article on his life and downfall. Arthur interviews the man who discovered Slade and a peer (Ewan McGregor) to understand Slade's motivations.
October 1 - National
“Female Masculinity” Masculinity without men. In Female Masculinity Judith Halberstam takes aim at the protected status of male masculinity and shows that female masculinity has offered a distinct alternative to it for well over two hundred years. Providing the first full-length study on this subject, Halberstam catalogs the diversity of gender expressions among masculine women from nineteenth-century pre-lesbian practices to contemporary drag king performances.
Through detailed textual readings as well as empirical research, Halberstam uncovers a hidden history of female masculinities while arguing for a more nuanced understanding of gender categories that would incorporate rather than pathologize them. She rereads Anne Lister’s diaries and Radclyffe Hall’s The Well of Loneliness as foundational assertions of female masculine identity. She considers the enigma of the stone butch and the politics surrounding butch/femme roles within lesbian communities. She also explores issues of transsexuality among “transgender dykes”—lesbians who pass as men—and female-to-male transsexuals who may find the label of “lesbian” a temporary refuge. Halberstam also tackles such topics as women and boxing, butches in Hollywood and independent cinema, and the phenomenon of male impersonators.
Female Masculinity signals a new understanding of masculine behaviors and identities, and a new direction in interdisciplinary queer scholarship. Illustrated with nearly forty photographs, including portraits, film stills, and drag king performance shots, this book provides an extensive record of the wide range of female masculinities. And as Halberstam clearly demonstrates, female masculinity is not some bad imitation of virility, but a lively and dramatic staging of hybrid and minority genders.
January 1 - National
“The Trevor Project” The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
Copyright © Proud Scholars 2023.