Jan 11, 1973 - An American Family, PBS's pioneering reality series about the Loud family of California, debuts. The family's oldest son, Lance (standing, far right) is gay.
Jan 13, 1973 - On the Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda goes on a date with landlady Phyllis' brother, who turns out to be gay. Phyllis is greatly relieved by this news because she feared the prospect of Rhoda becoming part of her family.
March 4, 1973 - Betty Friedan accuses "man-hating lesbians" of trying to take over the National Organization of Women (NOW).
April 16, 1973 - Stephen Sondheim (43 years old at the time) appears on the cover of this week's issue of Newsweek (cover date: 4/23).
June 24, 1973 – 32 mostly gay and lesbian patrons die in an arson fire at the Upstairs Lounge in New Orleans, a disaster met largely with indifference by the city.
Aug 8, 1973 – The bodies of 28 teen boys, who went missing over the course of the past three years, are discovered in Houston. The ringleader, 33-year-old Dean Corll, was shot dead by one of his accomplices, who then reported the murders to police.
Sept 15, 1973 - Sue Ann Nivens (played by Betty White) is introduced on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
Sept 20, 1973 - Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes", televised in primetime from the Astrodome.
Oct 3, 1973 - Truman Capote is a guest on CBS's Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
Dec 15, 1973 - The American Psychiatric Associaton removes homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders.
(To read about LGBT pop culture milestones from other years, double click here.)
Comments