by Evelyn Bailey
As we turn the calendar to a new year, I thought a list of new beginnings – firsts - in the American Gay Rights Movement would help us to bring in the New Year with renewed pride and hope. Happy holidays and a Gay New Year to all!
1951: First National Gay Rights Organization is Founded
1961: Illinois Sodomy Law is Repealed – First State to do so
1969: The Stonewall Riots
1973: American Psychiatric Association Removes Homosexuality From list of Mental Disorders
1980: Democratic National Convention Supports Gay Rights
1984: City of Berkeley Adopts First Same-Sex Domestic Partnerships Ordinance
1993: Hawaii Supreme Court Rules in Support of Same-Sex Marriage
1998: President Bill Clinton Signs Executive Order 13087--banning the federal government from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation in employment.
1999: California Adopts a Statewide Domestic Partnerships Ordinance
2000: Vermont Adopts Nation's First Civil Unions Policy
2003: U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down All Remaining Sodomy Laws
2004: Massachusetts Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
