Oct. 6-12

1997

U.S.: Vice President Al Gore praises Hollywood for producing the openly lesbian TV character Ellen, saying she forced Americans to “look at sexual orientation in a more open light.” * In Ohio, Out in Akron is the title of the city’s first lesbigay pride weekend, and it begins with a rally at the Ocasek Government Office Building. * In Albuquerque, N.M., KUNM 89.9 FM commemorate National Coming Out Day with a full day of programs focusing on gay and lesbian issues, people and music. * California Republican Gov. Pete Wilson vetoes a bill that would have given gays and lesbians better legal protections from employment and housing discrimination. He called the measure “unnecessary.” * A candlelight vigil takes place in Ashland, Ore., honoring lesbian activists Michelle Abdill and Roxanne Ellis, who were killed by Robert James Acremant. * British Airways (BA) joins Subaru of America as the second corporate sponsor of the Rainbow Card, a Visa affinity credit card.

1992

U.S.: A poll conducted by Overlooked Opinions Inc., shows that 92.2 percent of registered gays back Bill Clinton in the upcoming Presidential election. * Madonna’s book Sex is selling out everywhere. * The NAMES Project Memorial Quilt is laid out in Washington, D.C. It has 20,064 panels, is 361,000 square feet, and weighs 30 tons. * In Los Angeles, Keith Meinhold, a Naval petty officer who was discharged after he came out on ABC’s World News Tonight, files a lawsuit against the Navy. * Denmark: Since Denmark legalized gay marriages in 1989, 1,301 couples have tied the knot, with 17 divorces. * New Zealand: Minister of Police, John Banks, publicly states: “We do not want transsexuals, bisexuals, and transvestites in the police.” The following day a picture of Banks wearing a pink tutu is splashed all over the media. The photograph dates back to his appearance in a 1982 parliamentary pantomime.

1987

U.S.: A federal report commissioned by the Justice Department concludes that “homosexuals are probably the most frequent victims” of hate crimes. * An estimated 500,000 people march on Washington, D.C., in the largest gay-rights demo to date. The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt is displayed in front of the Capitol for the first time. * 2000 gay and lesbian couples take part in a mass wedding on the steps of the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington, D.C. * New Zealand: The Gay Task Force declines an invitation to host next year’s International Lesbian and Gay Association conference, because of the continuing controversy over allegations that a predominantly white South African gay group collaborated with the apartheid regime to gain improved conditions for gays.

1982:

U.S.: A man is arrested in Salvation, a Miami gay bar, for exposing his buttocks. Richard Nunet was wearing chaps, boots, and a leather jock strap. Police reports indicate that his attire “caused others to look” and that Nunet “resisted arrest by causing the officer to struggle to handcuff him.” * Five guards at the Baton Rouge Parish Jail are fired, after allegedly encouraging and watching inmates engage in homosexual activity. * The nude body of an apparent suicide victim is found in the apartment of former U.S. Rep. Frederick W. Richmond, D- NY. A bottle of pills is found near the body of 21-year-old Gregory Bergeron, and a hand-written inscription on Bergeron’s chest reads “I Will Always Love U,” followed by the letters ‘XOXOX’ and the words “Sin Angel.” * Spain: In Barcelona, the murder of three gay men by the Guardia Civil results in the trial of three of its members. The murdered men were tied together in the back seat of a car, doused in gasoline, and then set on fire.