A New Biography Offers the Most Intimate Portrait Yet of One of the 20th Century’s Greatest Authors
Research into James Baldwin’s archives reveals incisive details about the writer’s personal relationships, both platonic and romantic, with other men
A Bold Finnish Artist Brought These Precious Little Hippopotamus-Like Trolls to the World 80 Years Ago
Tove Jansson was a trailblazing illustrator and author—and the inventor of the beloved Moomins, the central characters of her whimsical children’s books
America Deported Her for Publishing a Book Titled ‘Lesbian Love.’ Years Later, She Was Murdered by the Nazis for Being Jewish
Eve Adams, an immigrant and the proprietor of a 1920s lesbian tearoom, was imprisoned for disorderly conduct and obscenity, then sent back to Europe, where she became a target of the Holocaust
Rejected by Museums Around the World, This New Art Exhibition Explores the Historical Roots of the Term ‘Homosexual’
“The First Homosexuals: The Birth of a New Identity, 1869-1939” is a sprawling collection of more than 300 works at Chicago’s Wrightwood 659 gallery
Harvey Milk, One of the World’s First Openly Gay Politicians, Was Assassinated on This Day in 1978
A disgruntled former San Francisco politician killed Milk and the city’s mayor, George Moscone
Read Freddie Mercury’s Heartbreaking Announcement of His Diagnosis With HIV/AIDS, Released on This Date in 1991, Just a Day Before the Queen Frontman Died
Until Mercury released the statement, tabloid newspapers hounded the ailing singer, while only a smaller inner circle knew about the extent of his illness
Sphen, Australian Penguin of Famous Same-Sex Couple, Dies at Age 11
Sphen and his longtime partner Magic got together at Sea Life Sydney Aquarium in 2018. They successfully hatched two foster chicks and became “international queer icons”
Who Was ‘Lisa Ben,’ the Woman Behind the U.S.’s First Lesbian Magazine?
Edythe Eyde published nine issues of “Vice Versa” between June 1947 and February 1948. She later adopted a pen name that doubled as an anagram for “lesbian”
At Coney Island’s Mermaid Parade, Thousands Channel Aquatic Weirdness
Crowds decked out as fantastical sea creatures flocked to Brooklyn’s amusement district for the summer kickoff event
Celebrate Pride Month With 15 Photos of LGBTQ Joy
These images from the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest capture vibrant parades and festivals around the world
Keith Haring Painted This Mural on the Wall of an Iowa Elementary School Library
Ahead of planned construction, experts removed the 4,000-pound wall behind the 1989 artwork, which is now on public display for the first time
An Absolutely Fabulous Celebration of History’s Greatest Divas
This heady, exquisitely delightful new book reveals the power behind the sequins
These Were the Most Challenged Books in America Last Year
Titles with LGBTQ themes dominated the American Library Association’s newly released list
The Real Story Behind ‘Mary & George’
The new mini-series dramatizes the Villiers family’s scandalous rise to power at the court of England’s James I
Book Banning Attempts Are at Record Highs
A new report from the American Library Association found that the number of challenged titles increased by 65 percent in 2023
Who Will Design London’s First Permanent HIV/AIDS Memorial?
Five artists have been shortlisted for the project, which will be located near the site of the U.K.’s first dedicated AIDS ward
The Real History Behind ‘Feud: Capote vs. the Swans’
Ryan Murphy’s new mini-series dramatizes the “In Cold Blood” author’s betrayal of an insular group of Manhattan socialites
The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2024
Scheduled to launch this year are new institutions dedicated to astronomy, Nintendo and women artists
How Zines Brought Power to Those on the Margins of Culture
A new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum examines zines’ role in art history and community building
The Ten Best Books About Travel of 2023
Take a trip without leaving home with these adventurous reads from this year
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