May 15th in Queer History

Events this day in Queer History

2008 – California State Supreme Court strikes down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, making them available from June 2008
2009 – Same-sex couples in Finland allowed to legally adopt a biological child [no full adoption]

Born this day

Archduke Ludwig Viktor  (1842 – 1919)  Austrian

Aristocrat, the youngest brother of Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph. Despite his mother's attempts to arrange a marriage for him with Duchess Sophie Charlotte in Bavaria, youngest sister of Empress Elisabeth he remained a bachelor all his life. As a result of his very public homosexuality and transvestitism, and prolonged visits to the Central Bathhouse in Vienna, his brother Emperor Franz Joseph finally forbade him to stay in the capital.

Jasper Johns  (1930 – )  US
Contemporary artist who works primarily in painting and printmaking.

Maruyama Akihiro [aka Akihiro Miwa]  (1935 – ) Japanese
Drag Queen / Singer / Actor / Director

Nancy Garden  (1938 - )  US
Author

Barbara Hammer (1939 – ) US
Director

Bill Rosendahl  (1945 – ) US
Politician / Teacher / Presenter

Frank Sanders  (1946 – ) Dutch
Actor / Singer / Dancer / Director

Boze Hadleigh  (1954 – ) US
Journalist

Ricky Ian Gordon  (1956 – )  US
Composer

Rustom Padilla [aka BeBe Gandanghari]  (1965 – )  Filipino
Actor / Reality TV

Andy Towle  (1967 – )  US
Blogger / Editor

Spencer Herbert  (1981 – ) Canadian
Politician

Fred Martinez  (1985 – 2001 ) US
Hate Crime Victim

Died this day

Nigel Green (1924– 1972 ) UK
Actor

Jackie Curtis  (1947 –   1985) US

Actress / Poet / Playwright

Peter Grimwade (1942 – 1990) UK
Screenwriter / Director

Gloria E Anzaldua  (1942 - 2004)  US
Author / Poet / Activist

Rodger McFarlane  (1955 – 2009), US

Gay rights activist who served as the first paid executive director of the Gay Men's Health Crisis and later served in leadership positions with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Bailey House and the Gill Foundation.

Sodomy in history, May 15 

1797 — Captain Henry Allen is hanged in England for sodomy, the only ship’s captain ever to be hanged for sodomy.
1968 — The North Carolina Supreme Court rules that sodomy indictments must name the partner of the defendant.
 1978 — The U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear a challenge to the North Carolina sodomy law.

Sources:

Wikipedia

glbtq emcyclopedia

On this gay day

Calendar of Sodomy, May