Lesbian History Week

Quiz

BuzzFeed Staff

LGBT

¿Cuánto sabes sobre la historia de las lesbianas?

How Much Do You Know About Lesbian History?

Find out more [here.](http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/herstory/f/Lesbian.htm)

It's derived from the name of the Greek island of Lesbos, home to the Greek poetess Sappho.

What's the origin of the term "lesbian"?

Find out more [here.](http://castle.eiu.edu/lgbtqa/symbolism.php)

A Rhinoceros (specifically a lavender one)

Which animal has historically served as a symbol for the lesbian movement?

Find out more [here.](http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93301189)

The depiction of homosexuality in all Hollywood films.

The Hays Code, which was in operation from 1930 until 1967, prohibited what?

Find out more about her [here.](http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/jackie-moms-mabley-is-one-historical-badass-you-should-know#.ix468zpjKL)

Jackie ‘Moms’ Mabley in 1939

Who was the first lesbian comedian to perform at The Apollo?

Find out more [here.](http://www.out.com/entertainment/popnography/2013/04/26/9-things-to%C2%A0know-about-lavender-scare)

The fear and persecution of gay people in the United States in the 1950s.

What was the "Lavender Scare"?

Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed in 2011, officially allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the U.S. military.
Read more about it [here.](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/20/us-military-lifts-ban-gay-troops)

True

True or False: Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed in 2011.

Elsa Gidlow was a poet and published the first volume of openly lesbian love poetry in the United States in 1923.
Find out more about her and her work [here.](http://allpoetry.com/Elsa-Gidlow)

Elsa Gidlow

Who published the first volume of openly lesbian love poetry in the United States, titled _On A Grey Thread?_

Find out more about them [here.](http://www.buzzfeed.com/skarlan/the-ladder-the-first-lesbian-magazine-established-in-the-195#.bdqMnO26Lx)

Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), founded in San Francisco in 1955.

What was the first national lesbian political and social organization in the United States?

"...there is evidence to indicate that the black triangle was used to designate prisoners with anti-social behavior. Considering that the Nazi expectation of womanhood was strongly rooted in patriarchy (women were required to center their lives on mothering, housework, and commitments to their church), black triangle prisoners may have included lesbians, prostitutes, women who refused to bear children, and women with other "anti-social" traits."   
Read more about the black triangle [here.](http://castle.eiu.edu/lgbtqa/symbolism.php)

A black triangle

What were lesbians sometimes required to wear in Nazi concentration camps during WWII?

"In 1974 Smith co-founded the Combahee River Collective, an early and influential Black feminist group. Her leadership made the group a conscience for different movements by calling attention to the ways racism, classism, homophobia, and sexism intersect."   
Find out more about her [here.](http://www.makers.com/barbara-smith)

Barbara Smith

Which American lesbian feminist played a significant role in building and sustaining black feminism in the United States?

Read more about these historic riots [here.](http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-stonewall-riot)

The Stonewall Inn riots of June 28, 1969.

Which event marked the birth of the modern gay and lesbian civil rights movement?

"[She] dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing the injustices of racism, sexism, and homophobia."  

Find out more about her [here.](http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/audre-lorde)

Audre Lorde

Which Caribbean-American lesbian writer, poet, and activist helped pave the way for more inclusive feminism in the 1960s?

Find out more [here.](http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/faculty_sites/rainbow/html/facts_mental_health.html)

False; it wasn't until 1973.

True or False: In 1963, the American Psychiatric Association decided that homosexuality should no longer be classified as a mental disorder.

Find out more about this symbol [here.](http://www.autostraddle.com/i-saw-the-sign-lgbt-symbols-then-and-now-140061/)

The labrys (a double-edged hatchet or axe). Demeter, the Goddess of Earth, used a labrys as her scepter.

What has historically been a symbol of strength and unity for the lesbian community?

Find out more about it [here.](http://www.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/08/10/10-fun-facts-you-didnt-know-about-lesbians?showFullText=true)

The Amazon Bookstore Cooperative (now known as True Colors Bookstore) opened in Minneapolis in 1970.

What was the first lesbian/feminist bookstore in the U.S.?

Her character Ellen Morgan famously came out in "The Puppy Episode" of _Ellen_ in Season 4. Despite critical acclaim for the episode, the show faced criticism for being "too gay" and was cancelled after Season 5.  
Find out more [here.](http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/coming-out-episode-of-ellen)

Ellen DeGeneres

Who was the first openly lesbian actress to play an openly lesbian character on television?

Read more about her [here.](http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1875032,00.html)

Johanna Sigurdardottir, Iceland's first female Prime Minister (2009).

Who was the world's first openly lesbian head of government?

Read more about her [here.](http://www.baldwin.senate.gov/about)

Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, elected in 2012.

Who became first openly lesbian or gay senator in American history?

The bill required California public schools to teach the historical accomplishments of gay men and lesbians, and passed the state Legislature in 2011, a first for the nation.  

Read more about it [here.](http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/06/us-gay-education-california-idUSTRE76509120110706)

California, in 2011

Which state became the first to pass a bill requiring public schools to teach the historical accomplishments of gay men and women?

"The case of United States v Windsor is arguably the most influential legal precedent in the struggle for LGBT marriage equality. In its landmark 2013 ruling in Windsor, the Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) which by its terms had excluded gay couples from all the benefits and protections of marriage under federal law."  

Read more about her and this historic case [here.](http://ediewindsor.com/)

Edith Windsor

Who argued at the Supreme Court for her right to her partner's estate without estate tax, effectively helping to overturn DOMA?

Read more about this [decision](http://edition.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/06/26/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage-ruling-brown-dnt-tsr.cnn/video/playlists/same-sex-marriage-debate/) and the work that's still left to be done [here.](http://www.marriageequality.org/)

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of allowing same-sex marriage nationwide in the U.S.

When did same-sex marriage become legal nationwide in the U.S.?

¿Quién fue la primera actriz abiertamente lesbiana en interpretar un personaje abiertamente lésbico en la tele?

¿Cuánto sabes sobre historia del lesbianismo?

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