KING JAMES I OF ENGLAND AND VI OF SCOTLAND (d. 1625); Responsible for the accursed version of the Bible that bears his name, James was the son of a homosexual who was murdered in his bed at twenty-two, together with the page he was buggering. James, King of Scotland and England, was himself homosexual, but, understandably, unable to act on his own instincts.

All of James’ great loves were heterosexual men completely unable to return the love this unhappy man so desperately needed. Fewer heads in history were ever more uneasy wearing the crown. The joke that circulated about King James in his own day is telling: “Habuimus regem Elisabetham, habemus reginam Jacobum” (“We have had King Elizabeth, now we have Queen James.”)

Under James, the "Golden Age" of Elizabethan literature and drama continued, with writers such as Shakespeare, John Donne, Ben Jonson and Sir Francis Bacon contributing to a flourishing literary culture. James himself was a talented scholar, the author of works such as Daemonologie (1597) and Basilikon Doron (1599). Sir Anthony Weldon claimed that James had been termed "the wisest fool in Christendom", an epithet associated with his character ever since (and, I’m sure we need not remind you if you’ve been paying attention!...one of the essential archetypes of same-sex people across time and cultures in history.)

LAURA Z. HOBSON, American novelist (d. 1986); The daughter of Jewish socialist immigrants, Hobson graduated from Cornell University. In July, 1930, she married Francis Thayer Hobson, owner of William Morrow & Company. In 1934, she joined the promotional staff of Time, Life, and Fortune.

In 1935, her marriage ended in divorce. In 1937, she decided to adopt a baby and became pregnant in 1941, raising both children on her own. After 1940 she devoted herself to writing. On April 27 1947, her most famous work, Gentleman’s Agreement, reached #1 on the The New York Times best sellers’ list. A later novel, Consenting Adult (1975), about a mother dealing with her son's homosexuality, was based on her experience with her son, Christopher.

PIERS GAVESTON, French favorite of Edward II of England, murdered (b: 1284); The favorite, and probable lover, of King Edward II of England. A Gascon by birth, Piers was the son of Sir Arnaud de Gabaston, a soldier in service to King Edward I of England. Arnaud had been used as a hostage by Edward twice; on the second occasion, Arnaud escaped captivity, and fled to England with his son. Both then entered the royal household, where Gaveston behaved so well and so virtuously that the King declared him an example for his own son, Prince Edward, to follow, making him a companion of Prince Edward in 1300.


Prince Edward was delighted with Gaveston -- a man skilled in the arts of war and military tactics -- who was noted for his wit, rudeness, and entertaining manner, and gave him many honors and gifts. The Prince also declared that he loved Gaveston 'like a brother.' Gaveston was also a close friend of Roger Mortimoer of Wigmore, Gaveston being awarded the wardship of Mortimer's property after the death of Roger's father – this was a great honor for Gaveston, since the wardship of such an estate would normally be awarded to a nobleman, and is thus an indication of the regard both the King and his son held for Gaveston.


When Gaveston returned in 1312, he was faced with hostility. Thomas Plantagenet, 2nd Earl of Lancaster raised an army against Gaveston and the King, and on May 4th attacked Newcastle, where Edward and Gaveston were holed up. They were forced to flee by ship to Scarborough Castle, leaving behind all of their money and soldiers, where they were appropriated by Lancaster. Edward then went south to raise an army, leaving Gaveston in Scarborough. Lancaster immediately brought his army up to threaten Gaveston and to cut him off from the King. Fearful for his life, Gaveston was forced to surrender to Aymer de Valence 2nd Earl of Pembroke who swore an oath to surrender his lands and titles to protect Gaveston.


However, in Oxfordshire, Gaveston was captured and taken to Warwick Castle by Guy de Beauchamp10th Earl of Warren. He was held there for nine days before the Earl of Lancaster arrived; Lancaster then judged, "While he lives, there will be no safe place in the realm of England." Accordingly, on June 19th, Gaveston was taken to Blacklow Hill (which belonged to the Earl of Lancaster), and killed by two Welshmen, who ran him through with a sword before beheading him as he lay dying on the grass.


For more see The White Crane Blog.

Largest Gay demonstration in Canada to date is organized in Montreal by Comité homosexuel anti-répression (Gay Coalition Against Repression) to protest pre-Olympic "clean-up" raids on Gay bars and baths.

To day is JUNETEENTH, also known as Juneteenth Independence Day or Freedom Day; Juneteenth is an American holiday that commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas, and more generally the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans throughout the former Confederacy of the southern United States. Its name is a portmanteau of "June" and "nineteenth", the date of its celebration. 

Juneteenth is recognized as a state holiday or special day of observance in forty-five states. Today it is observed primarily in local celebrations. Traditions include public readings of the Emancipation Proclamation, singing traditional songs such as "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", and reading of works by noted African-American  writers such as Ralph Ellison nand Maya Angelou. Celebrations may include rodeos, street fairs, cookouts, family reunions, park parties, historical reenactments, and Miss Juneteenth contests.  The Macogos descendants of Black Seminoles of Coahulla, Mexico also celebrate the Juneteenth. 

In 1996 the first legislation to recognize "Juneteenth Independence Day" was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, H.J. Res. 195, sponsored by Barbara Rose Collins (D-MI). In 1997 Congress recognized the day through Senate Joint Resolution 11 and House Joint Resolution 56. In 2013 the U.S. Senate passed Senate Resolution 175, acknowledging Lula Briggs Galloway (late president of the National Association of Juneteenth Lineage) who "successfully worked to bring national recognition to Juneteenth Independence Day", and the continued leadership of the National Juneteenth Observance Foundation. In 2018 Apple added Juneteenth to its calendars in iOS under official US holidays.