200 Years of LGBTQIA+ History

From Shadows to Pride — UK & Global Timeline

29 August 1867

Karl Heinrich Ulrichs — First Known Public Coming Out

Activism Legal People

German lawyer and writer Karl Heinrich Ulrichs addressed the Congress of German Jurists in Munich, publicly arguing for the repeal of anti-homosexual laws — widely regarded as the first public 'coming out' in recorded history. He was shouted down before finishing his speech but continued writing and campaigning. He coined the term 'Urning' (Uranian) to describe same-sex attracted people and argued that homosexuality was natural and innate.

Impact & Significance

Ulrichs is considered the first modern advocate for homosexual rights. His courageous public declaration predated the organised gay rights movement by a century.

Reference Record

Date
29 August 1867
Era
1800s
Sources
2

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Topic Guides

Early Sexology and Nazi Persecution Early sexology and organised homosexual-rights advocacy in Germany were violently interrupted by Nazi persecution under Paragraph 175.

Questions This Event Helps Answer

Q How did UK law criminalise homosexuality before 1967? Before 1967, English and Welsh law criminalised male same-sex intimacy through buggery and gross indecency offences, with punishments ranging from execution to imprisonment. Q What happened to LGBTQ+ people under Nazi rule? Under Nazi rule, gay men and gender-nonconforming people were surveilled, prosecuted, imprisoned and in many cases sent to concentration camps under intensified Paragraph 175 enforcement.

Related Events

1871 Paragraph 175 — German Criminalisation of Homosexuality 1897 Magnus Hirschfeld Founds the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee

Sources

en.wikipedia.org legacy reference en.wikipedia.org Meet Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, 'the first gay person to publicly out himself' news PinkNews
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