LGBT History

LGBT History with a focus on Lesbian, Bisexual and Queer Herstory!

gender

Trans Activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy Lived a Long, Beautiful Life

One of our most influential and remarkable trans queer elders — Miss Major Griffin-Gracy — has died at the age…

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

Oct 14, 2025

issues

Alewives: The Women Who Crafted Beer and Split Hell Wide Open

For centuries, the art of brewing beer belonged to women alone. This is the story of how the church pushed them out the industry they founded and sent them riding…

Heather Hogan —

Aug 14, 2018

lgbt history

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed With Their Dogs, Part 2

What further revelations lurk in our woefully unexplored queer pupper past? Find out literally right now, as we continue our historical adventures with gal’s best pal!

Sally —

Aug 9, 2018

scattering of b&w zine cover — pesto no tine nombre / revisits de lesbians latinas

lgbt history

Raging Against Cultural Amnesia: tatiana de la tierra and Latina Lesbian Herstory

In the 90s, a collective of Latina lesbians founded two radical, bilingual zines. They made culture, connected activists, and scared the sh*t out of the patriarchy.

Sara Youngblood Gregory —

Jun 19, 2018

lgbt history

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed With Their Dogs, Part 1

If you’ve been waiting your whole life to find people in history that really reflect who you are, today is that day! We’re examining the many ways gay, bisexual, queer…

Sally —

May 9, 2018

lgbt history

How Well Do You Know The History Of Menstruation Products?

Many of us menstruate, but what do we even know about the things we use to manage our periods? What did people used to do? Let’s test our knowledge about…

Raquel —

May 8, 2018

lgbt history

Can You Name These Historic Lesbian Couples and Other Gal Pals Through the Years?

Which pair of extremely close female friends decided to “marry” each other in 1844?

Siobhan —

Apr 19, 2018

lgbt book reviews

Fill In Your 50s, 60s, and 70s Butch History With This Coloring Book

Why learn about butch lesbian herstory in the 50s, 60s and 70s when you can learn about butch lesbian herstory by looking at babes?

Ryan Yates —

Apr 18, 2018

lgbt history

British Suffragette History: Come for the Democracy, Stay for the Lesbian Drama

If you’re wondering why it’s important to believe these suffragettes were sleeping with every other suffragette, it’s because they were. I made you a chart.

Sally —

Apr 17, 2018

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24 Very Gay Excerpts from Eleanor Roosevelt’s Love Letters with Lorena Hickok

"Most clearly I remember your eyes with a kind of teasing smile in them, and the feeling of that soft spot just northeast of the corner of your mouth against my lips."

Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya

24 Very Gay Excerpts from Eleanor Roosevelt’s Love Letters with Lorena Hickok

lgbt history

How Magazines Served As Sites of Trans Community-Making 50 Years Ago

These magazines provided critical representation for trans and gender expansive individuals across the United States who saw themselves represented in their pages.

Emma Cieslik —

Aug 8, 2025

78 Years Of Lesbian Magazines Keeping Our Queer Legacy Alive

The desire to connect with other people like us has been the driving force of queer media since the first lesbian print magazine ever launched in 1947. Here are just…

Riese —

Aug 4, 2025

Rosie O’Donnell In Blazers, 1992 – 1999

In this much-anticipated follow-up to “12 Monumental Moments In Lesbian Blazer-Wearing History” we are narrowing our focus onto one key subject in 90s blazer history: Rosie O’Donnell.

Riese —

Jul 14, 2025

The Hidden History of Lesbian Phone Lines

London Friend’s Lesbian Line, which opened in 1989 and closed in 1999, was one of many gay and lesbian phone lines across the UK.

Lauren Herold —

May 1, 2025

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About Autostraddle

LGBT History

gender

Trans Activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy Lived a Long, Beautiful Life

Alewives: The Women Who Crafted Beer and Split Hell Wide Open

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed With Their Dogs, Part 2

Raging Against Cultural Amnesia: tatiana de la tierra and Latina Lesbian Herstory

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed With Their Dogs, Part 1

How Well Do You Know The History Of Menstruation Products?

Can You Name These Historic Lesbian Couples and Other Gal Pals Through the Years?

Fill In Your 50s, 60s, and 70s Butch History With This Coloring Book

British Suffragette History: Come for the Democracy, Stay for the Lesbian Drama

Featured Archive

24 Very Gay Excerpts from Eleanor Roosevelt’s Love Letters with Lorena Hickok

How Magazines Served As Sites of Trans Community-Making 50 Years Ago

78 Years Of Lesbian Magazines Keeping Our Queer Legacy Alive

Rosie O’Donnell In Blazers, 1992 – 1999

The Hidden History of Lesbian Phone Lines

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LGBT History

gender

Trans Activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy Lived a Long, Beautiful Life

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Featured Archive

24 Very Gay Excerpts from Eleanor Roosevelt’s Love Letters with Lorena Hickok

How Magazines Served As Sites of Trans Community-Making 50 Years Ago

78 Years Of Lesbian Magazines Keeping Our Queer Legacy Alive

Rosie O’Donnell In Blazers, 1992 – 1999

The Hidden History of Lesbian Phone Lines

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