The Society for Human Rights in Chicago becomes the country's
earliest known gay rights organization.
1948
Alfred Kinsey publishes
Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, revealing to the public that
homosexuality is far more widespread than was commonly believed.
1951
The Mattachine Society, the first national gay rights organization,
is formed by Harry Hay, considered by many to be the founder of the gay
rights movement.
1956
The Daughters of Bilitis, a pioneering national lesbian
organization, is founded.
1962
Illinois becomes the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize
homosexual acts between consenting adults in private.
1969
The Stonewall riots transform the gay rights movement from
one limited to a small number of activists into a widespread protest for
equal rights and acceptance. Patrons of a gay bar in New York's
Greenwich Village, the Stonewall Inn, fight back during a police raid on
June 27, sparking three days of riots.
1973
The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its
official list of mental disorders.
1982
Wisconsin becomes the first state to outlaw discrimination on the
basis of sexual orientation.
1993
The “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy is instituted for the
U.S. military, permitting gays to serve in the military but banning
homosexual activity. President Clinton's original intention to revoke
the prohibition against gays in the military was met with stiff
opposition; this compromise, which has led to the discharge of thousands
of men and women in the armed forces, was the result.
1996
In Romer v. Evans, the Supreme Court strikes down
Colorado's Amendment 2, which denied gays and lesbians protections
against discrimination, calling them “special rights.”
According to Justice Anthony Kennedy, “We find nothing special in
the protections Amendment 2 withholds. These protections . . .
constitute ordinary civil life in a free society.”
2000
Vermont becomes the first state in the country to legally recognize
civil unions between gay
or lesbian couples. The law states that these “couples would be
entitled to the same benefits, privileges, and responsibilities as
spouses.” It stops short of referring to same-sex unions as
marriage, which the state defines as heterosexual.1
2003
The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy laws in the U.S. are unconstitutional. Justice Anthony
Kennedy wrote, “Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes
freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate
conduct.”
In November, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that
barring gays and lesbians from marrying violates the state constitution.
The Massachusetts Chief Justice concluded that to “deny the
protections, benefits, and obligations conferred by civil
marriage” to gay couples was unconstitutional because it denied
“the dignity and equality of all individuals” and made them
“second-class citizens.” Strong opposition followed the
ruling.
2004
On May 17, same-sex marriages become legal in Massachusetts.
2005
Civil unions become legal in Connecticut in Oct. 2005.
2006
Civil unions become legal in New Jersey in December.
2007
In November, the House of Representatives approves a bill ensuring
equal rights in the workplace for gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals.
2008
In February, a New York State appeals court unanimously votes that
valid same-sex marriages performed in other states must be recognized by
employers in New York, granting same-sex couples the same rights as
other couples.
In February, the state of Oregon passes a law that allows same-sex
couples to register as domestic partners allowing them some spousal
rights of married couples.
On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court rules that same-sex
couples have a constitutional right to marry. When the ruling goes into
effect in June 2008, California will be the second state, after
Massachusettes, to legalize same-sex marriages.
1. Internationally, Denmark became the
first country to legalize same-sex partnerships in 1989. Within two years,
Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and France followed suit. In 2001, the
Netherlands became the first country legalizing same-sex marriages;
Belgium followed in 2003, and Spain in 2005. The Canadian provinces of
Ontario and British Columbia legalized same-sex marriage in 2003, numerous
other provinces followed suit in 2004, and on June 29, 2005, the Canadian
parliament passed a bill legalizing gay marriage throughout the country.
Countries that offer a legal status, sometimes known as registered
partnership, that confers most or all spousal rights to same-sex couples:
Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. Countries that offer a
legal status, sometimes known as unregistered cohabitation, that confers
certain spousal rights to same-sex couples (and, in some of these
countries, unmarried opposite-sex couples): Brazil, Canada, Croatia,
France, Hungary, Israel, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa, Spain,
Switzerland.
