LGBT History

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

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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

A collage featuring three key figures in Black August: Marsha P Johnson, Angela Davis, and Patrisse Cullors

lgbt history

Black August: A Feminist and Queer Syllabus for Black Liberation

There’s a long and proud Black radical history of fighting back against the prison industrial complex and criminal (in)justice systems. So why is it that most of the voices that…

Carmen Phillips —

Jun 4, 2020

lgbt history

The Public Universal Friend: A Deep Dive on a Story of Nonbinary Identity, Quakerism and Near-Death Experiences

The Public Universal Friend is just one example of how, even in the binarist West, non-binary people have always existed.

Siobhan —

Apr 7, 2020

lgbt history

The Quiet Lesbian Biography of Lorraine Hansberry

‪There is sufficient evidence, both from Lorraine Hansberry’s own hand and from those with whom she interacted socially, that she was a lesbian. But the how of it all —…

Natalie —

Feb 25, 2020

lgbt history

I Just Want to Look Like Greta Garbo: On Icons

Personal icons from Greta Garbo to Jenny Lewis: how we come by them, fall in love with them, and want to be like them. Who’s to say whether we’re really…

Jenn Shapland —

Feb 20, 2020

lgbt history

Let Us Consider St. Gertrude, the Cat Lady Alternative to St. Patrick

St. Patrick’s Day, every non-Irish person’s favourite excuse to get piss drunk, talk in an annoying accent all day and cover everything in Green is coming up once again. But…

Siobhan —

Feb 18, 2020

lgbt history

Black, Queer, and Here Without Apology: The History of BLK and Black Lace Magazines

When BLK first published, it was a 16 page black-and-white newsletter with a circulation of roughly 5,000. By the time it ended its publication it had grown into a 40…

Carmen Phillips —

Feb 13, 2020

lgbt history

Black Queer People Writing Ourselves Into History: An Autostraddle Master List

We want this year’s Black History Month to be serious. But also – sexy, fun, JOYful. We want to reflect the multiple ways that black people see ourselves and walk…

Carmen Phillips —

Feb 1, 2020

lgbt history

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed with Their Dogs, Part 4

We’re back for a barely conceivable fourth installment looking at the big dogs, little dogs and doggy dogs of more lesbian and bisexual women of history who were obsessed with…

Sally —

Dec 6, 2019

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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

Black August: A Feminist and Queer Syllabus for Black Liberation

The Public Universal Friend: A Deep Dive on a Story of Nonbinary Identity, Quakerism and Near-Death Experiences

The Quiet Lesbian Biography of Lorraine Hansberry

I Just Want to Look Like Greta Garbo: On Icons

Let Us Consider St. Gertrude, the Cat Lady Alternative to St. Patrick

Black, Queer, and Here Without Apology: The History of BLK and Black Lace Magazines

Black Queer People Writing Ourselves Into History: An Autostraddle Master List

Lesbian and Bisexual Women of History Who Were Obsessed with Their Dogs, Part 4

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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