How this Minnesota city redefined LGBTQ+ rights 50 years ago
On December 30, 1975, Minneapolis became the first city to adopt this trans-inclusive policy.
December 16, 2025
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Why did a gay man throw a pie in Anita Bryant's face, and who was he?
Gay activist Thom Higgins "pied" the antigay crusader during a press conference in Des Moines in 1977 as part of his considerable career as an LGBTQ+ rights advocate. Here's the whole story.
January 10, 2025
53 years ago, Jack Baker and Michael McConnell became the first same-sex couple to wed
Their story is about a lifetime of love, commitment, and staying in the fight to prove that their marriage was legit.
September 4, 2024
50 Years, 50 Heroes: Honoring Jack Baker and Michael McConnell
LGBT activists Jeff Zarrillo and Paul Katami honor another pioneering gay couple.
April 9, 2018
Meet the Gay Men Whose 1971 Marriage Was Finally Recognized
The U.S. government did everything it could to nullify Richard Baker and James Michael McConnell's nuptials -- it only took Uncle Sam 48 years to come around.
March 1, 2019
VIDEO: When Was the First Official Same-Sex Marriage?
Marriage licenses for same-sex couples go back further than you might think.
August 6, 2015
Cheat Sheet: What's All This Talk About Standing?
The Supreme Court's Proposition 8 decision could be limited to California, or even to only the four plaintiffs involved. But liberal legal scholars see reason a worst-case scenario is unlikely.
March 27, 2013
Remembering Gay Activist Tim Campbell
With tactics that included wearing campy costumes and setting fires, the Minnesota activist and journalist 'was the queen of guerrilla theater,' a friend said.
January 4, 2016
SCOTUS will decide whether to take up the Kim Davis marriage case, and here's what it will mean
Opinion: There might be two conservative justices with the social and emotional investment in a right that now runs wide and deep in communities and neighborhoods across the country, writes John Casey.
October 24, 2025
O'Connor retires from Supreme Court
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court and a key swing vote on issues such as abortion and the death penalty, said Friday she is retiring.
July 1, 2005
Meet the Gay Men Who Got Married in 1975
In the days of Gerald Ford and Anita Bryant, Anthony Sullivan and Richard Adams gave a big middle finger to authority.
June 24, 2016
How the Marriage Equality Movement Forgot Its Pioneers
You might not know it from mainstream coverage, but same-sex couples have been fighting for marriage equality for decades.
June 15, 2015
Hall of Fame Part One
Any celebration of the The Advocate's founding in 1967 must honor the heroes for LGBT rights that we've covered for 45 years. With one honoree named per year, the list will be announced in parts and culminate in an event in Los Angeles this month.
March 14, 2012
Reflecting on 10 years of marriage equality: Frankie Frankeny on the stories behind the movement
"These aren’t just love stories. They’re blueprints. They’re battle cries. They’re reminders that when we tell the truth about our lives, we change the world," photographer Frankie Frankeny tells The Advocate of her book LOVE: The Heroic Stories of Marriage Equality.
June 23, 2025
Marriage Only Came Because Grassroots Refused to Wait
While the major LGBT rights groups have of course played a big role in getting marriage equality, it's the grassroots that made it happen.
April 28, 2015
Marriage Equality Was Won by Widowers
The love stories behind the landmark court cases both ended tragically.
May 3, 2017
Craig reconsidering decision to resign
Sen. Larry Craig is reconsidering his decision to resign, which stemmed from his arrest in a Minnesota airport sex sting, and may still fight for his Senate seat, his spokesman said Tuesday evening.
September 6, 2007
GOP Lawmaker Calls Teenage Senate Pages 'Little Sh*ts'
He screamed “f**k” and “sh*t” continually as he went on a tirade against the 16 and 17-year-old kids.
July 28, 2023
Kamala Harris Emerges as Dem Star During Senate Hearings
After being told to shush during her questioning of the deputy attorney general, Harris persists. The next day, she turned her attention to James Comey.
June 8, 2017