RENÉ CREVEL is born in Paris. The only “out” member of the Dada movement of artists he was the founder of a number of short-lived literary magazines. His poetry was filled with death and castration themes. He told anyone who would listen he had been mutilated as an infant by being circumcised.

ANDREW SULLIVAN, born; English-born journalist, a libertarian conservative author and political commentator, distinguished by his often personal style of political analysis, and pioneering achievements in the field of blog journalism. In May 2001, Village Voice columnist Michael Musto said that Sullivan had anonymously posted advertisements for bareback sex (anal sex without a condom) on America Online and the now-defunct website barebackcity.com. Subsequently, the Italian-American journalist and activist Michelangelo Signorile wrote about the scandal in a front-page article in the New York gay magazine LGNY, igniting a storm of controversy. Later, in a defiant blog post titled Sexual McCarthyism: An article no-one should have to write, Sullivan confirmed the allegations while lashing out at his detractors.

Sullivan's critics argue that it was hypocritical of Sullivan to engage in this kind of sexual activity while arguing against gay sexual promiscuity. They claim that the vision of gay sexuality presented in Sullivan's writing is at odds with the activities he was said to be engaging in. They also charge that because Sullivan is HIV-positive, it is unsafe for him to engage in sex without a condom. Sullivan's critics also contend that it is unfair for Sullivan to have criticized Bill Clinton’s's sexual indiscretions as "reckless" while engaging in unprotected sex himself. This scandal was parodied in the popular television show, Queer As Folk. In one episode, a well-known gay political commentator condemns a 30-year old gay man for dating an 18-year old, only to be later caught attending a bareback sex party

PAUL THEK (b: 1933) died on this date. Thek was an American painter and, later, sculptor and installation artist. Born in Brooklyn, he studied locally, at the Art Students League and the Pratt Institute. In 1951 he entered the Cooper Union.

Although Thek began as a painter, he became known later in life for his sculptures and installations. Notable works include Technological Reliquaries (1964-67), a series of wax sculptures of human body parts, and The Tomb, a bright pink pyramid installation or "environment", which was badly damaged in 1981 but is documented in Edwin Klein's black and white photographs. Today his work may be seen in numerous collections, including that of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington D.C. and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.

After his return to New York in 1959, his artistic circle of friends included photographer Peter Hujar, as well as Joe Raffaele, artist Eva Hesse and Ann Wilson, in addition to Gene Swenson and Susan Sontag.  From 1959 until 1962, Thek worked as a textile designer for Prince Studios in New York. During the years between 1962 and 1964, Thek lived and worked in Rome, until his return to New York in 1964. In 1964, he participated in Screen Test by Andy Warhol. His works from 1966 were produced by casting parts from his own body. From the late 1960s and onward, Thek aroused interest with his processual and situation-oriented installations and environments.

During the 1970s, Thek lived in Italy, where he created many works in conjunction with friend and photographer Peter Hujar. In 1976, Thek returned to New York once again. Having lost what prestige he had accumulated in the American art scene of the 1960s, he spent his remaining days washing floors and bagging groceries, however creating art all along. On August 10, 1988, Thek, weakened by HIV/AIDS, died of illness. Susan Sontag dedicated her classic and influential 1966 collection of critical essays, Against Interpretation, which took up with the latest developments in European critical thought -- notably that of Roland Barthes -- and her later AIDS and its Metaphors to Thek's memory.

Thek, who was bisexual, died of AIDS related illness in New York City in 1988, aged 54.

BRIGADIER GENERAL TAMMY S. SMITH, a 26-year veteran of the Army became the first out Lesbian officer of flag rank in the United States military on this date. At her Arlington National Cemetery ceremony, her star was affixed to her uniform by her wife, and co-founder of the Miitary Partners and Families Coalition, TRACEY HEPNER. As a colonel, General Smith was deployed in Afghanistan from December 2010 to October 2011 as the chief of Army Reserve Affairs. She served in Washington D.C. as the deputy chief of the Army Reserve. As of May 2017 she serves as Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colo.