The Legacy Project

08/30/2026

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 1958
Today the Legacy Project celebrates the birth of DANIEL SOTOMAYOR – the first nationally syndicated openly gay political cartoonist – who was born in Chicago, IL on August 30, 1958. Daniel, who was co-founder of ACT-UP/Chicago, would eventually turn his considerable drawing talent to capturing the riveting, horrifying (and often inspiring) history of AIDS between 1988 and 1992 in nearly 150 brilliantly executed cartoons. His activism changed Chicago politics – both gay and straight – forever. There will never be another activist like him. Daniel was inducted onto Chicago’s award-winning “Legacy Walk” outdoor LGBTQ History Museum on October 15, 2022. The Legacy Project is also the curator of the Sotomayor Collection. To read more about Daniel Sotomayor check-out… https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/daniel-sotomayor

08/30/2026

TODAY IN LGBT HISTORY: 1956
Psychologist (and straight ally) DR. EVELYN HO**ER delivers her paper The Adjustment of the Male Overt Homosexual at the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Convention in Chicago on August 30, 1956. Her research findings indicated that heterosexuals and homosexuals do not significantly differ from eachother; which becomes a milestone in the rapidly shifting clinical perception of homosexuality. To learn more about one of our most influential allies check out… http://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/02/myth-buster.aspx

08/27/2026

Fascinating.

As a civil servant, Katherine Ott took an oath to uphold the Constitution. To them, that means preserving q***r history.

08/26/2026

Today the Legacy Project celebrates the birth of gay author CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD (A Single Man, The Berlin Diaries, Christopher and His Kind). Perhaps associated most with “Cabaret”, which was adapted from his work “I Am A Camera”, he would become a vital literary voice capturing the last days of the Weimar Republic before the rise of Adolf Hi**er. Isherwood was born on August 26, 1904 in Cheshire, England. Learn more about this extraordinarily influential literary voice at… https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/christopher-isherwood

08/25/2026

Today the Legacy Project commemorates the death of researcher and sexologist DR. ALFRED KINSEY (S*xual Behavior in the Human Male, S*xual Behavior in the Human Female). The founder of the Institute for S*x Research at Indiana University (1947) passed away on August 25 from of a heart ailment and pneumonia in 1956 in Bloomington, IN. He was 62. Read more about 2012 Legacy Walk Inductee at… https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/alfred-kinsey

08/25/2026

Today the Legacy Project celebrates the birth of bisexual Maestro LEONARD BERNSTEIN, who conducted more than 1000 performances of the New York Philharmonic. A gifted composer (On The Town, Candide, West Side Story) he won three Tony Awards, an Emmy, numerous Grammys, received the Kennedy Center Honor, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Bernstein was born on August 25, 1918 in Lawrence, MA. He was inducted onto Chicago’s Legacy Walk in 2015 in memory of Chicago activist and fine arts critic , thanks to the generosity of , which coordinated the sponsorship efforts among Andrew’s colleagues. Bernstein’s bronze memorial can be found at 3641 N. Halsted. Read more about at https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/leonard-bernstein.

08/24/2026

Today the Legacy Project commemorates the death of Civil Rights icon BAYARD RUSTIN who died on August 24, 1987 of a perforated appendix in New York City. An openly gay man throughout most of his long adult life, Rustin was instrumental in so many watershed moments during the Civil Rights era it is impossible to recount them here. A bronze memorial in his honor was unveiled as part of the inaugural dedication of Chicago's Legacy Walk on October 11, 2012, thanks to the generosity of . He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in November 2013. The Rustin plaque, which is one of the most popular on the Legacy Walk, can be found at 3314 N. Halsted. Read more about at... https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/bayard-rustin

08/23/2026

VIVE LA FRANCE!! Today the Legacy Project celebrates the birth of COCCINELLE – entertainer, actress (Dias de Viejo Color, Los Viciosos), and transgender activist who, among other things, helped found Devenir Femme (To Become a Woman), an organization which provided emotional and practical assistance for those seeking gender-confirmation surgery. Her marriage was the first “transsexual union” officially acknowledged by the French government. She was born on August 23, in 1931 in Paris, France. Read more about Legacy Nominee at https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/coccinelle

08/22/2026

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY: A Call to
Today the Legacy Project celebrates the birth of WILLEM ARONDEUS – artist, writer, and member of the Anti-Nazi Dutch Resistance during WWII – who was born on August 22, 1894 in Naarden, The Netherlands. Read more about Legacy Nominee – the man who wanted to make sure that the world knew that “g**s are not cowards” – at… https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/willem-arondeus

08/20/2026

Today the Legacy Project celebrates the birth of SGT. PERRY WATKINS – who, in 1990, would become one of the first U.S. soldiers to successfully challenge the ban on g**s in the U.S. military in a complex case that revealed the inherent weakness in the military’s codified bigotry. He was born on August 20, 1948 in Joplin, MO. Read more about Legacy Nominee at… https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/perry-watkins