History Today: How homosexuality was removed from list of mental illnesses

The World Health Organisation scripted history on May 17, 1990, when it removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. This decision marked a turning point in global health policy, human rights, and the LGBTQ+ movement.

If you are a history geek who loves to learn about important events from the past, Firstpost Explainers’ ongoing series, History Today will be your one-stop destination to explore key events.

On this day in 1954, US Supreme Court issued one of its most transformative rulings in American history with the declaration of racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional.

Here is all that took place on this day across the world.

WHO removes homosexuality from mental illness

May 17, 1990 is a day written in golden letter as the World Health Organization (WHO) made a landmark decision, removing homosexuality from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).

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Until then, homosexuality was pathologised by many medical institutions around the world, reinforcing social stigma and justifying discriminatory practices. The decision by Who followed decades of activism, research and growing understanding within the medical and psychological communities. It aligned with earlier changes by organisations like the American Psychiatric Association, which had already removed homosexuality from its own diagnostic manual in 1973.

This decision carried extensive and significant implications. It conferred legitimacy and validation upon LGBTQ+ communities worldwide, many of whom had been subjected to persecution, involuntary medical treatments and social ostracisation under the guise of mental health interventions. The reclassification also sparked policy reforms, influencing nations to commence the decriminalisation of same-sex relationships and to promote principles of equality within their respective healthcare systems.

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In commemoration of this significant milestone, May 17 is observed internationally as the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). This observance functions as a global reminder of the advancements made and the persistent struggle for LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance across the world.

School segregation outlawed by the US Supreme Court

On May 17, 1954, the US Supreme Court passed a landmark judgement in the Oliver Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, unanimously declaring racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional. This one of its most transformative rulings in American history.

Brown, a consolidation of five distinct legal challenges to school segregation, reversed the “separate but equal” doctrine articulated in the 1896 Supreme Court case of Plessy v Ferguson.

The legal challenge was initiated by a collective of African American parents, with Oliver Brown as the lead plaintiff. He contested the policy mandating his daughter’s attendance at a segregated and geographically distant Black school rather than a nearby white institution. Their argument, supported by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, asserted that segregation inflicted psychological harm on Black children by fostering feelings of inferiority, thereby constituting a violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause.

Chief Justice Earl Warren, in the Court’s opinion, declared that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” directly rejecting the idea of truly equal opportunities under segregation. The ruling specifically highlighted the damaging psychological impact of segregation on Black students, citing research that demonstrated its negative influence on their development and sense of self-worth.

The Brown ruling exerted a substantial influence on public education across the United States. Specifically, in Topeka, elementary schools underwent desegregation within a two-year timeframe. However, not all states accepted the Supreme Court’s decision.

This Day, That Year

• In 2004, Massachusetts became the first US state to legalise same-sex marriage.
• The first Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on this day in 1875.
• The first meeting on what is now Wall Street in New York City took place in 1792.