( Feb. 11 -17 )
1996
U.S.: Tommy Morrison, the former World Boxing Organization heavyweight champion, acknowledges that he has tested positive for HIV. * In an in-depth interview with Sister 2 Sister magazine, R&B singer Bobby Brown denies tabloid reports that he called his wife, Whitney Houston, gay while being treated at the Betty Ford Center. * In Tuscaloosa, a U.S. District Judge rejected Alabama's claims that a gay conference at the University of Alabama is illegal, opening the way for the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual College Conference of the Southeastern United States to begin. Opponents from the governor down had condemned the meeting as unsuitable at a taxpayer-funded school. * Jeffrey, the film based on Paul Rudnick's play, is released on video. * The musical Rent opens at the New York Theater Workshop. It's directed by Michael Grief, has a cast of 15, with 35 songs, a 5-piece band, and a budget of $200,000. * The CDC reports that AIDS has become the third leading cause of death among American women 25 to 44 years of age, and the leading cause among white men in the same age group. * George Williams, an AIDS-prevention activist who founded the Chicago Recovery Alliance, an HIV-prevention agency for drug users, dies at age 55. * Ellen DeGeneres appears in the comedy Mr. Wrong. * France: The chairman of a French Roman Catholic Bishops' committee suggests in a report that the use of condoms could be justified in some cases to prevent the spread of AIDS. * Brazil: In Rio de Janeiro, Brazilian AIDS groups set up the country's first condom vending machines for "self-service safe sex."
1991
U.S.: In San Francisco, more than 275 couples, most of them lesbian and gay, walk to City Hall and register as "domestic partners." * The Twirlers, the second women-only square dance club in the country, forms in Chicago. * A Valentine's Day request for a marriage license by Timothy Grair and Christopher Lubus, a gay couple, is rejected by the Milwaukee County Clerk's office. * The 4th annual National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Conference takes place in Boston. * Britain: In London, the direct action group OUTRAGE! organizes a gay and lesbian kiss-in to protest a section of the Sexual Offenses Act that makes public displays of affection between men illegal. Also this day in London, 7,000 demonstrators march to protest the recent arrest of gay male S/M devotees and other anti-gay and lesbian initiatives.
1986
U.S.: The International Gay and Lesbian Archives hold the largest, most comprehensive, show of gay men's visual arts ever presented in Los Angeles. Nearly 100 artists, 50 photographers, video and film producers are invited. * President Reagan's proposed fiscal 1987 budget, submitted to Congress, calls for a 20 percent cut in AIDS funding. * The Boston City Council unanimously vote to "discourage official city participation in any event involving the promotion of Coors beer" because of Coors' anti-gay, anti-labor, and racist business practices. * Portugal: In Braga, a telephone helpline is established to answer questions about gay life in Portugal.
1981
U.S.: The 9th annual Quakers Midwinter Gathering of Friends for Lesbian and Gay Concerns is held in Cambridge, Mass. * New York's Black-oriented Amsterdam News has the headline "Transsexual wins a million." The Black transsexual in question is named Kaiema Harvey. * A new publication by gay Ex-Marines is issued. It's called Iwo Jima Belligerent. * In Fort Lauderdale, three gay men, members of Broward County Coalition for Human Rights, and the newly formed Gay Education Project, are the special guest speakers at the Racquet Club of Bonaventure.