On this day, 31 October 1969, the Queens Liberation Front was founded in New York City.

On this day, 31 October 1969, the Queens Liberation Front was founded in New York City. The QLF, initially called Queens, was a prominent trans liberation group, created by Barbara de Lamere (then known as Bunny Eisenhower), Lee Brewster, Bebe Scarpinato, Vicky West, and Chris Moore. 

De Lamere and the others first met in the gay-rights advocacy group the Mattachine Society. Queens was formed following the Stonewall rebellion, due to the lack of interest the Mattachine Society had in gender nonconforming people, trans people and self-identified drag queens and their issues. And while Stonewall had been a violent, anti-police riot, the Mattachine Society was aiming for mainstream respectability. 


The Queens issued two important goals in a prospectus: "Rights to Congregate" and "Rights to Dress as We See Fit". After these goals were declared they became known as the Queens Liberation Front. 
While acting as an activist group, they worked to achieve social liberation and acceptance for drag queens and gender nonconforming people. In this, they created a magazine called Drag which reached over 3,500 readers. 
Before this, they participated in and financially supported the first Pride march - the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade in June 1970. Later that year on Halloween, the first anniversary of the QLF, the then Executive Director Lee Brewster announced the victory of their first goal, after New York City scrapped its ban on cross dressing, and they held the first legal drag ball in the city’s history. 
As their activist work continued, they supported attempts to pass a bill in 1973 banning discrimination based on sexuality in employment, housing, and public accommodation. Although in this bill nothing was explicit in support of those who were trans, and was subsequently passed without this. 
The final ball thrown by QLF took place at the Hotel Diplomat on West 43rd Street in 1973. While the group eventually disbanded, Drag magazine continued into the 1980s.

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