-
The first gay rights group is established.
World War I veteran Henry Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights in Chicago. The group was the first homosexual rights group in America, and its newsletter, “Friendship and Freedom,” was the United States’ first recorded gay rights publication. -
The Supreme Court rules in favor of gay rights.
After the U.S. Post Office refused to deliver America’s first widely distributed pro-gay publication, ONE: The Homosexual Magazine, the case went to the U.S. Supreme Court — and the court ruled in favor of gay rights for the first time, making it a major landmark case in LGBTQ history. -
The Mattachine Society organizes a gay rights “Sip-In.”
During a time when most bars refused to serve gay people, the Mattachine Society, one of the country’s first gay rights organizations, staged a “Sip-In,” during which activists entered a New York City bar, announced they were gay, ordered drinks, and waited to be served. -
The Stonewall riots spark the beginning of the LGBT movement.
In the early morning hours on June 28, 1969, police performed a raid of the Stonewall Inn, a New York City gay bar — and the gay customers and their supporters took a stand. The event turned into a violent protest and led to a days-long series of riots. Those “Stonewall riots” are largely considered the start of the gay civil rights movement in the United States -
Homosexuality is no longer declared a mental illness.
After years of studies, analysis, and changing cultural attitudes, the American Psychiatric Association’s board of directors removed homosexuality from the official list of mental illnesses, known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a move that was upheld with a vote by the association’s membership. -
Barney Frank becomes second openly gay member of Congress.
After spending six years on Capitol Hill, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), voluntarily came out as gay, making him the second openly gay member of congress, and the first to come out voluntarily, in the country’s history. -
Vermont takes a huge step toward same-sex marriage legalization.
Vermont became the first state in the country to give same-sex couples the right to enter into civil unions — legal partnerships which would grant those couples the same rights and benefits as those in legal marriages. -
The Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act becomes a law.
President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law. The act was named for two men who were murdered in hate crimes — Matthew Shepard because he was gay, and James Byrd, Jr. because he was black. The new law expanded previous hate crime legislation to officially categorize crimes motivated by actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability as hate crimes. -
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is over.
President Obama officially revoked the anti-gay, discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, which prevented openly gay Americans from serving in the U.S. armed forces. -
SCOTUS strikes down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which became a law in 1996, declared that marriages between gay or lesbian couples were not recognized by the federal government, meaning those couples could not receive legal benefits — like Social Security and health insurance — that straight married couples could. But in 2013, the Supreme Court ruled DOMA to be unconstitutional, which meant same-sex couples married in their own states could receive those federal benefits. -
President Obama acknowledges the LGTBQ community in the State of the Union address.
For the first time in U.S. history, the words “lesbian,” “bisexual,” and “transgender,” were used in the president’s State of the Union address, when President Obama mentioned that, as Americans, we “respect human dignity” and condemn the persecution of minority groups. -
Obergefell v. Hodges Victory
The Supreme Court finally and officially declared same-sex marriage a Constitutional right nationwide, meaning all states must allow Americans to get married, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. -
The Obama administration publicly supports transgender students.
In the midst of anti-transgender movements throughout the country, President Obama and his administration issued a directive to all public schools that transgender students should be allowed to use the restrooms that reflect their gender identity.
