1924- Society for Human Rights formed in Chicago for gay rights.
1951- A gay rights organizations called the Mattachine Society is formed by Harry Hay.
1952- Homosexuality is defined as a mental disorder by the American Psychriatric Association.
1956- The Daughters of Bilitis, a national lesbian organization, is formed.
1962- Illinois decriminalizes homosexual acts between consenting adults in private.
1966- National Transsexual Counseling Unit is formed in San Francisco, becoming the first transgender organization.
1973- The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as being a mental disorder.
1976- Harvey Milk is the first openly gay city commissioner in the United States.
1979- National March on Washington for lesbian and gay rights in Washington, D.C. This was the largest political gathering in support of the LGBT rights.
1982- Wisconsin outlaws discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
1984- Berkeley, California, offers its employees domestic partnership benefits.
1993- “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy is issued by military.
1996- Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage for all federal law purposes as a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.
2003- Lawrence v. Texas Supreme Court ruling is that state laws banning homosexual sodomy are unconstitutional.
2003- Massachusetts allows same-sex marriage.
2007- House of Representatives approves bill requiring equal rights in the workplace for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.
2008- Connecticut legalizes same-sex marriage.
2008- California citizens approve Proposition 8, which defines marriage in the state constitution as being between a man and a woman. The California Supreme Court ruled the definition unconstitutional.
2009- Iowa legalizes same-sex marriage
2008-2014- Constant battle in states over gay rights.
2012- Maine, Maryland, and Washington legalize same-sex marriage by popular vote. New Jersey legalizes same-sex marriage.
2013- Supreme Court invalidated the Defense of Marriage Act to the extent that it invalidated same-sex marriages recognized by states.
2015- June 16, the Supreme Court rules same-sex marriage is legal throughout the United States.
–Evelyn Galtman
1 Comment
This is a good list, but if you look beyond the US to Europe, you’ll find that the traditions of gay marriage in Christianity go back to the 10th Century. That’s just religiously recognized unions. http://www.gaychristian101.com/Gay-Marriage.html
There were gay marriages of a sort in Victorian England: http://www.historyextra.com/feature/historical-perspective-same-sex-marriages
…not to mention Classical Greece.
Probably for as long as there has been marriage, there have been homosexual men and women who sought to sanctify their relationships. In other words, for ever.
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