TIPPU SAHIB, aka Tippu Sultan, the last Maharajah of Mysore, born (d: 1799); Tippu, last Maharajah of Mysore, spent his entire life resisting British designs on India. It was, of course, a losing battle, but one that was fierce and bloody nonetheless. Long before Mahatma Gandhi conceived the idea of passive resistance as a means of toppling British rule, Tippu had his own way of dealing with Imperialism. The fierce warrior, known as the Tiger of Mysore, used to supervise gang rape of captured British soldiers. It is not known whether a well-known oil company had Tippu in mind when it came up with an ad campaign featuring a cuddly tiger holding the nozzle of a gas pump. “Put a tiger in your tank,” the ad said. And some did.

The New York chapter of DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS is formed by a group of Lesbians which includes the late Barbara Gittings. For a time, Daughters of Bilitis and The Mattachine Society joined together in "Common Cause". Some women even wrote for Mattachine's ONE Magazine. As the women's movement began to grow in the U.S., it became apparent that the men of Mattachine showed little desire to champion women's issues. At the same time, the women's movement was not particularly welcoming. The National Organization for Women (N.O.W.) was afraid that Lesbian involvement would only bring further hostility from the media and a male dominated world. They called Lesbians "the lavender menace" and sought to eject them from the movement.

With such choices, the direction of the Daughters of Bilitis was split. Some members favored focusing their energies on Gay rights, while others favored women's issues. Just before the 1970 National Conference of D.O.B., the publishing group for The Ladder was secretly moved to another location and devoted itself to feminist issues instead of Gay issues. The group never really recovered after this, and in time the individual chapters began to die out.

In their so-called "Battle Of The Sexes," tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome.

President Bill Clinton announced his signing of a bill outlawing homosexual marriages, DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE (DOMA) but said it should not be used as an excuse for discrimination, violence or intimidation against Gays and Lesbians.  No…of course not. Who would do such a thing? Thanks for nothing, Bill. Guess you had your fingers crossed for that “equal protection” part?

In 2013 the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to strike down DOMA. The Obama administration, which had declined to defend the law, took steps to insure the Federal government, including the Internal Revenue Service, recognized marriages from states where LGBT marriage is legal. Under the Full Faith and Credit section of the Constitution. We shall overcome!