GAY APP WATCH: Quist Offers a Daily Dose of LGBTQ History

Move over Grindr, it's time for a gay history lesson.

Did you know that on this day in 1936, French athlete and lesbian Violette Morris was personally invited by Adolf Hitler (boo!) to attend the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics? You would have if you had Quist, a slick new gay app that delivers fascinating tidbits of what happened on this day in LGBTQ history to your smartphone every single day. From the app’s website:

Historical events in the app paint a picture of how far the LGBTQ community has come over time — how we have been treated, how we have reacted, how our allies have supported us, and how others have worked vehemently to stop the progress. LGBTQ individuals’ contributions to society and events in HIV/AIDS history are also included. …

Events range from LGBTQ individuals’ contributions to the arts and sciences, watershed moments in the LGBTQ liberation movements, milestones of the HIV epidemic, specific love stories from the last several hundred years, significant court cases and executions, and worldwide “firsts” from the first transgender member of parliament’s election to the first time a same-sex wedding aired on a sitcom. 

So far, I’ve loved it for its ability to inform me about obscure bits of gay history (like the one today) that I definitely wouldn’t see on some run-of-the-mill “Today in History” roundup. And for your multimedia hounds, each entry comes with photos, videos (if available) and links to other sources of info on the subject. For instance, the fact I shared above came with a link to Violette Morris’s Wikipedia page, where I learned why her invitation to the 1936 Olympics was so important — because she was banned in 1928 for being a lesbian.

Nifty, huh?! You can download the app from your smartphone or online via iTunes. It’d be a great addition to your LGBT History Month lessons in October.

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