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Bill Clinton signs the Defense of Marriage Act
President Bill Clinton signs the Defense of Marriage Act banning federal recognition of same-sex marriage and defining marriage as "a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife." -
Hawaiian state court ruling
A Hawaiian state court ruling makes Hawaii the first state to recognize that gay and lesbian couples are entitled to the same privileges as heterosexual married couples. The ruling is stayed and appealed the next day. -
Ellen Degenres
"I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somehow had the courage to do something and say something that I knew would possibly end my career. Instead of making business more important I made my soul and my life more important. And I think by being truthful, and being honest, that saved me." -Ellen Degeneres -
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court rules that gay and lesbian couples should be given the same rightsas heterosexual couples. -
. . .and the political fallout
In Montpelier, a protest on July 1 -- the first day civil-unions were legally recognized -
Massachusetts Supreme Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Court rules tht a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. -
San Francisco, Calfornia
Nearly 4,000 same-sex couples get marriage licenses in San Francisco, California. -
Sandoval County
Sandoval County,New Mexico, issues 26 same-sex marriage licenses, but they are nullified by the state attorney general the same day. -
George W. Bush
President George W. Bush announces support for a federal constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. -
New Paltz
New Paltz, New York, Mayor Jason West performs same-sex marriages for about a dozen couples. -
State bans continue
Two or more states pass constitutional amendments barring gay marriage. -
Superior Court
A Superior Court judge rules that California's law that limits marriage to a union between a man and a woman is unconsittutional.
