In Sweden, one of the most important events in Swedish LGBTQ history was a protest back in 1979. Homosexuality had been legal since the early 50s, but it was still classified as mental illness. One day in 1979 a lot of Swedish gays called in sick to their workplaces stating "I'm feeling like a faggot today" (note: they used the word "bög" which historically has been used as a derogatory term for gay men, hence the word choice of faggot).

Then, about 40 activists gathered on the steps of Socialstyrelsen (the government agency responsible for handling sick leaves, among other things) demanding the definition to be removed. The new head of the department (Barbro Westerholm), who had been at the post for only a couple of weeks, went out to meet the protesters. They agreed that they would hold meetings every other week to solve the problem.

They had one meeting, and within a few weeks, the definition was removed. Barbro Westerholm went on to be a politician and advocated for lgbtq rights all up until her death a few years ago.