by Evelyn Bailey
October 1st
1971 – Connecticut becomes the second state to abolish its laws prohibiting homosexual acts by consenting adults.
1973 – In Touch a glossy nudie magazine makes its debut in Los Angeles.
1981 – The U.S. House of Representatives fails to pass a bill that would decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults in the District of Columbia.
1982 – Glenn Burke, once a Los Angeles Dodger potential phenomenon, comes out in an interview in Inside Sports.
1987 – Playgirl editor (once again) publicly dismisses the "myth" that most of the magazine's readers are gay men.
1989 – In Denmark, the first state-sanctioned gay marriages take place.
October 2nd
1985 – Rock Hudson dies of AIDS at age fifty-nine.
October 6th
1968 – Metropolitan Community Church holds its first service. It is the first "gay" church.
October 7th
1967 – The Advocate begins publication.
1976 – Elton John comes out as bisexual in Rolling Stone magazine.
1986 – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors outlaws the sales and use of "poppers" (amyl nitrate).
1987 – The U.S. Justice Department issues a report which concludes, "homosexuals are probably the most frequent victims [of hate crimes]."
October 8th
1971 – The first gay rights demonstration in Syndney, Australia takes place.
October 11th
1987 – Over 500,000 people attend the second national March on Washington.
1987 – The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is displayed in front of the U.S. Capitol
1988 – National Coming Out Day is founded.
October 12th
1996 – More than 1.2 million people view the Names Project AIDS Quilt in Washington, D.C.
October 14th
1977 – Anita Bryant is hit in the face with a pie by a gay activist while speaking at a press conference.
1979 – More than 100,000 people attend the first March on Washington.
1982 – Scott Thompson files a palimony suit against Liberace. (The case later settles.)
1990 – Leonard Bernstein dies of a heart attack at age seventy-two.
October 15th
1952 – Members of the Mattachine Society, including Dorr Legg, Dale Jenning and five others, meet and form One, Inc. to promote gay education and research.
October 16th
1973 – The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) is formed.
October 17th
1992 – 400,000 people view the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt which (then) has over 20,000 panels covering 13 acres.