12 Iconic Queer Moments From The Past 12 Months

12 Iconic Queer Moments From The Past 12 Months

Every year, millions of people, queer and not, celebrate Pride Month during June.

It's a time to reflect on all of the things we as a community have achieved over the last 12 months, to celebrate the gains we've made and the struggles we've overcome, to remember those who fought before us and to be reminded of what we have left to achieve.

In honor of Pride Month, we took a look at 12 iconic queer moments from the last year. Check them out below and then let us know what you'd add to the list.

Happy Pride!

Laverne Cox Covers TIME
TIME
Transgender actress and activist Laverne Cox made history this year when she appeared on the cover of TIME magazine.
Michael Sam Drafted Into NFL
Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Michael Sam became the first openly gay football player to be drafted into the NFL and publicly kissed his boyfriend on national television after receiving the news.
Gay Marriage Across The Nation
AP
Following the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, gay marriage is increasingly being legalized at the state level. Currently, same-sex couples can wed in 19 states and the District of Columbia..
Mass Gay Wedding At The Grammy's
AP
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed their marriage equality anthem "Same Love" during a surprise mass wedding featuring same-sex and opposite-sex couples at the 56th annual Grammy Awards. Mary Lambert, Queen Latifah and Madonna also joined in on the fun.
Barneys Features Transgender Models
Barneys
Barneys department store created an incredible campaign earlier this year that featured a number of stunning transgender models in a push for visibility and equality.
Standing Up To Westboro
Getty Images
Principal Pete Cahall waves a rainbow flag, symbolizing gay pride, at a rally of about 1,000 Woodrow Wilson High School students and gay supporters at Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, DC. The rally was a massive counter protest to the efforts of the Westboro Baptist Church.
Robin Roberts Comes Out
Heidi Gutman/ABC via Getty Images
"Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts made history this year when she publicly came out of the closet on Facebook by thanking her "long time girlfriend."
Harvey Milk Stamp
AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
The late California politician and gay rights icon Harvey Milk is now forever immortalized on these official stamps from the U.S. Postal Service. The move has prompted some anti-gay groups to claim they won't accept mail with Harvey Milk postage.
Sally Ride Honored
AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin
President Barack Obama awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom for Sally Ride to Tam O'Shaughnessy, Ride's partner of 27 years, this year. Ride was the first American woman, and lesbian, in space.
Bayard Rustin Honored
Patrick A. Burns/Getty Images
President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Bayard Rustin, the trailblazing civil rights activist, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year, the highest civilian award in the United States. Rustin was a key advisor to Martin Luther King and the primary organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom -- and a gay man.
Conchita Wins!
AP Photo/Frank Augstein
Austrian singer and drag queen Conchita Wurst won the Eurovision Song Contest in May of this year with his song "Rise Like a Phoenix."
Cheryl Maas' Bold Queer Move
Getty Images
Cheryl Maas of the Netherlands competed in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and was openly vocal about her lesbian identity, as well as her opposition to Russia's institutionalized culture of fear and violence for queer individuals. She raised a rainbow glove in solidarity with LGBT Russians during the games despite the country's anti-gay "propaganda" law.

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