The journey to LGBT equality in America has taken many years. More visibility and a lot of hard work has led to greater consciousness and support. Here is a look at some of the key moments in American LGBT history:
June 28,
1969: Start of the gay rights movement
The
Stonewall Riots begin after police raid a popular unlicensed gay bar, the
Stonewall Inn, in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The riots, which lasted
for days, were triggered by police harassment of gays, according to media
reports. This is considered by many to herald the start of the gay rights
movement in the U.S.
June
27-28, 1970: First gay pride parades
On the
anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the nation’s first gay pride parades are
held in four cities – New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Pride
events now are held worldwide every year.
1973: Homosexuality
no longer classified as a mental disorder
The
American Psychological Association’s Board of Trustees votes to remove
homosexuality from its diagnostic manual of mental disorders, influenced by
psychologist Dr. Robert Spitzer, who provided data showing there was no clear
link between homosexuality and mental illness. A few years later, gay members
of the APA formed the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists.
Nov. 27,
1978: Assassination of Harvey Milk
Milk
became the first openly gay man elected to office in a major U.S. city when he
won a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in early 1978. An outspoken
advocate for gay rights, he urged gays to come out and fight for their rights.
May 30,
1987: Congressman comes out
Rep.
Barney Frank becomes the first openly gay member of Congress. Twenty-five years
later, in July 2012, he married his longtime partner. He re-introduced the
Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which prohibits employers from
discriminating based on someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. The
bill did not pass. This year an ENDA bill was introduced yet again by different
lawmakers, in both the House and Senate. Frank retired in January 2013 after
serving for 16 terms as a Democratic representative from Massachusetts.
1993:
‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’
President
Bill Clinton enacts “don’t ask, don’t tell” a policy preventing gays from
openly serving in the military. Under it, an estimated 13,000 people were
expelled from the U.S. Armed Forces. President Barack Obama repealed the policy
in 2011.
1996:
Congress bars federal recognition of same-sex marriage (DOMA)
Congress
passes the Defense of Marriage Act. Section 3 of the statue bars recognition of
same-sex marriage, affecting more than 1,100 provisions of federal laws. It
denies gay couples the right to file joint taxes and the protections of the
Family Medical and Leave Act, and it blocks surviving spouses from accessing veterans’
benefits, among other things. The Supreme Court heard a challenge to DOMA on
March 27, 2013. Bill Clinton, who signed the legislation, recently came out
against the law and asked the Supreme Court to repeal it. On June 26, SCOTUS
declared the law unconstitutional.
2000:
First state to allow same-sex civil unions
Vermont
becomes the first state to allow same-sex couples to join their lives via civil
unions. The state approved same-sex marriage in 2009.
2003:
Anti-sodomy law struck down
The
Supreme Court strikes down a Texas anti-sodomy law, reversing an earlier
decision made in another case 17 years earlier.
May 17,
2004: Massachusetts legalizes gay marriage
Massachusetts
becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage after the state
Supreme Court ruled the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
2004:
State same-sex marriage bans
A dozen
states pass constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage. The amendments
become a popular method to attempt to block legislative acts and judicial
decisions on the issue.
2008:
California’s Pro. 8 nixes gay marriage
California’s
Supreme Court rules that gays and lesbians should be allowed to wed. For a
short time that year, some 18,000 same-sex couples tie the knot in the Golden
State. But in November, voters approved a constitutional amendment banning
same-sex marriage (Proposition 8) after a hard-fought, multimillion-dollar
campaign – one of the most expensive on this issue. The Supreme Court heard a
challenge to Prop. 8 on March 26, 2013 and in June SCOTUS paved the way for
same-sex marriages in California.
October
28, 2009: Hate Crimes Prevention Act
President
Barack Obama signs into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes
Prevention Act. The hate crimes prevention law requires the RBI to track hate
crimes based on gender and gender identity, and gives the Department of Justice
the power to prosecute crimes that were motivated by the victim’s race,
religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or
disability.
May 9,
2012: First sitting president to support same-sex marriage
Barack
Obama becomes the first sitting U.S. president to back marriage for gay and
lesbian couples. It marked a reversal from his 2008 campaign, when he said he
opposed same-sex marriage but favored civil unions as an alternative.
Nov. 4,
2012: In a first, gay marriage wins at the ballot box
Voters in
Maine approve same-sex marriage in the first vote brought by supporters, while
voters in Maryland and Washington uphold state legislation allowing gays and
lesbians to wed. And in Minnesota, voters reject – for just the second time
nationwide – a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
May 23,
2013: Boy Scouts life ban on gay youth
Members
of the Boy Scouts of America’s council vote to remove the ban against gay
scouts, causing conflict with some faith-based supporters. The Boy Scouts’ ban
on gay adult leaders remains in place.
June 20,
2013: ‘Ex-gay’ group shuts down
Exodus
International, a group that claimed it could cure same-sex attraction via
prayer and therapy, announces it will close its doors after more than three
decades.
June 26,
2013: U.S. Supreme Court strikes down DOMA, allows same-sex marriage to resume
in California. In a 5-4
decision, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act
as unconstitutional. DOMA defined marriage as a union between one man and one
woman. Gay couples legally married in their states will now be granted federal
benefits such as family leave and Social Security survivor benefits. On the day,
SCOTUS rules on Proposition 8, a hotly contested ban on gay marriage in California.
The justices found supporters of the ban did not have the legal standing to
appeal a lower court’s decision against it. Two days later, a federal appeals
court lifted its stay on same-sex marriages in the state.
