RUTH PITTER, English poet, born, (d: 1992); the first woman to receive the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry (in 1955), and was appointed a Commander of the British Empire in 1979 to honor her many contributions to English literature. In 1974 she was named a Companion of Literature, the highest honor given by the Royal Society of Literature. Since making a living from poetry is virtually impossible, most poets, unless they are independently wealthy or kept, work at whatever it is that will keep them alive while they devote their lives to the Muse.

Pitter was a clerk in the war office during WWI, after which she took up pottery painting, eventually becoming a partner in a furniture and gift store. Her many volumes of poetry – from First Poem (1920) to Still by Choice (1965) – contain some of the best lyrics in modern English. When critics cavil that “her poetry is not profound” that really means it is accessible, a serious flaw since, in our time, “difficult” has become confused with “good.” If you like Edna St. Vincent Millay, you’ll like Pitter, and for the same reasons. She was a good friend of C.S. Lewis, who admired her poetry and once said, according to his friend and biographer George Sayer, that if he was the kind of man who got married, he would want to marry Ruth Pitter. If she were the kind of woman who got married.

JONI MITCHELL, Canadian musical goddess, born; OK...she’s not Gay. We just love her. Famously heterosexual, in fact; nevertheless, her relationship with singer and Academy Award nominee (for her performance as country superstar Barbara Jean in Robert Altman's 1975 film Nashville) Ronee Blakley resulted in the exchange of memorable love songs, Mitchell writing “Shades of Scarlet Conquering” to Blakley, and Blakley responding with “She Lays It On The Line”

MARY ROBINSON the first woman elected President of the Republic of Ireland, born; For many years Robinson worked as legal advisor for the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform with future Trinity College senator David Norris.

In one of her roles as president, the signing into laws of Bills passed by the Oireachtas she was called upon to sign two significant Bills that she had fought for throughout her political career: a Bill to fully liberalize the law on the availability of contraceptives and a law fully decriminalizing homosexuality. And unlike Britain and much of the world at the time, it provided for a fully equal age of consent, treating heterosexuals and homosexuals alike.

Robinson became the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on September 12, 1997, resigning the Presidency a few weeks early with the approval of Irish political parties in order to take up the post. Media reports suggested that she had been headhunted for the post by Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan to assume an advocacy as opposed to administrative role, in other words to become a public campaigner outlining principles rather than the previous implementational and consensus-building model. The belief was that the post had ceased to be seen as the voice of general principles and had become largely bureaucratic. Robinson's role was to set the human rights agenda within the organization and internationally, refocusing its appeal.

In November 1997, still new to her post, Robinson delivered the Romanes Lecture in Oxford on the topic of "Realizing Human Rights"; she spoke of the "daunting challenge" ahead of her, and how she intended to set about her task. She concluded the lecture with words from The Golden Bough: "If fate has called you, the bough will come easily, and of its own accord. Otherwise, no matter how much strength you muster, you never will manage to quell it or cut it down with the toughest of blades."

Robinson was the first High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Tibet, making her trip in 1998. During her tenure she criticized the Irish system of permits for non EU immigrants as similar to "bonded labor" and criticized the United States' use of capital punishment.

Though she had initially announced her intention to serve a single four-year period, she extended the term by a year following an appeal from Annan, allowing her to preside over the 2001  World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, South Africa, as Secretary-General. Robinson's posting as High Commissioner ended in 2002. Mrs Robinson is the twenty fourth, and first female, Chancellor of University of Dublin “Here’s to you Mrs. Robinson, Jesus taught you more than you could know.”

ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, First Lady of the United States and first ambassador to the United Nations died on this date (b. 1884).  The wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor is considered one of the most iconic first ladies. 

In 1933, Roosevelt had a very close relationship with Lorena Hickok, a reporter who had covered her during the campaign and early days of the Roosevelt administration and sensed her discontent, which spanned her early years in the White House. On the day of her husband's inauguration, she was wearing a sapphire ring that Hickok had given her.

When their correspondence was made public in 1978, it became clear that Roosevelt would write such endearments as, "I want to put my arms around you & kiss you at the corner of your mouth." It is unknown if her husband was aware of the relationship, which scholar Lillian Faderman has deemed to be Lesbian. 

In both her first and second volumes Eleanor Roosevelt's biographer, Blanche Wiesen Cook, assumes a Lesbian relationship between Roosevelt and Hickok.

The Finnish born fetish artist TOM OF FINLAND died on this date (b. 1920)   Born Touko Laaksonen in Kaarina, Finland he was notable for his stylized homoerotic art and his influence on late twentieth century Gay culture. Over the course of four decades he produced some 3500 illustrations, mostly featuring men with exaggerated primary and secondary sex traits: heavily muscled torsos, limbs, buttocks and improbably large penises.

Tight or partially removed clothing showed off these traits, with penises often visible as distinct bulges in tight trousers or prominently displayed for the viewer. His drawings frequently feature two or more men either immediately preceding or during explicit sexual activity.

In 2014 Finland began selling stamps that feature the “confident and proud homoeroticism” of Tom of Finland. And Tom of Finland, is a critically acclaimed film from well-regarded Finnish director Dome Karukoski about the life and work of Touko Laaksonen. The film is set to have its North American premiere at the upcoming Tribeca Film festival and is, not surprisingly, also in high demand among LGBTQ U.S. festivals. The theatrical release date has not yet been set.

Gay activist HARVEY MILK, also known as "Mayor of Castro Street," was elected on this date to the San Francisco board of supervisors. Milk was sworn in the following January and eleven months later he and Mayor George Moscone were murdered in City Hall by Supervisor Dan White. Milk became a Gay martyr.  http://www.youtube.com/watchv=Pvfexvihri8&feature=player_embedded

 Tom of Finland stamps issued 2014