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First documented gay rights organized in the U.S.
The first documented gay rights organized in the U.S. was organized by Henry Gerber. The organization published the first gay-interest newsletter. -
Banning from Working for the Federal Govt.
President Dwight Eisenhower signs Executive Order 10450, banning homosexuals from working for the federal government or any of its private contractors. The Order lists homosexuals as security risks, along with alcoholics and neurotics. -
StoneWall Riots
Members of the LGBTQ community fought against a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in Manhattan. This triggered the modern LGBT liberation movement in the US and beyond. -
No Longer Considered a Mental Illness
Homosexuality was no longer considered a “psychiatric disorder”; it became defined as a “sexual orientation disturbance.” -
AIDS First Discovered and Connected to Gay Men
The New York Times prints the first story of a rare pneumonia and skin cancer found in 41 gay men in New York and California. The CDC initially refers to the disease as GRID, Gay Related Immune Deficiency Disorder.
When the symptoms are found outside the gay community, Bruce Voeller, biologist and founder of the National Gay Task Force, successfully lobbies to change the name of the disease to AIDS. -
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AIDS
AIDs was stuck to gay men because people just assumed it only had to do with them thankfully more research was done and now people spread awareness. -
Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation
Wisconsin becomes the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. -
ACT UP
AIDS advocacy group ACT UP (The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) was formed in response to the devastating affects the disease has had on the gay and lesbian community in NY.
The group holds demonstrations against pharmaceutical companies profiteering from AIDS-related drugs as well as the lack of AIDS policies protecting patients from outrageous prescription prices. -
World AIDS Day
The World Health Organization organizes the first World AIDS Day to raise awareness of the spreading pandemic. -
"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
President Clinton in 1993 passed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, which allowed gay men and women to serve in the military as long as they kept their sexuality a secret. -
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DADT Policy
It took 18 years for the DADT policy to be repealed allowing gay people who are serving be open about their sexual orientation. -
Same Sex Marriage legalized in MA for the first time
Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage, and the first legal same-sex marriage was performed on May 17, 2004 -
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Fight for same sex marriage
It took many years to finally legalize same sex marriage in all 50 states of the U.S. -
Matthew Shepard Act
In 2009, Obama signed the Matthew Shepard Act. The act was a response to the 1998 murder of 21-year-old Matthew Shepard, who was brutally tortured and killed. The murder was thought to be driven by Shepard’s perceived sexuality. -
DADT Repealed
Finally the day came that the DADT policy is repealed. President Obama repealed the DADT and finally let people who serve in the military freely say their sexuality. -
Same Sex Marriage legalized in all 50 states
With a 5-4 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, the U.S. Supreme Court declared same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states. -
Lifted ban on Trans people serving in the military openly
The U.S. military lifted its ban on transgender people serving openly. -
Ban on trans people serving in Military
Trump announced a new transgender policy for the military that again banned most transgendered people from military service. After people in the trans community finally got the right to serve in the military, Trump took away their right again. -
Ban on trans people serving in Military lifted again
Biden signed an executive order overturning the ban on trans people serving in the military.