Gay marriage symbol

Civil Rights Movement vs. Marriage Equality

  • Brown vs. Board of Education

    Brown vs. Board of Education
    Brown vs. Board Education was signed into law, calling for the desegregation of schools all over the nation.
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    Civil Rights Movement

  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Civil Rights Act of 1964
    The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned all major forms of discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic, national and ethnic minorities, and women.
  • Voting Rights Act of 1965

    Voting Rights Act of 1965
    The Voting Rights Act of 1965 banned discriminatory voting practices that had previously been used against African Americans.
  • Defense of Marriage Act signed into law

    Defense of Marriage Act signed into law
    The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was signed into law, defining marriage as a union between one woman and man at the federal level.
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    Marriage Equality: A Brief History

    This is a brief history of the Marriage Equality movement in the United States, starting with the signing of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996.
  • Massachusetts Legalizes Gay Marriage

    Massachusetts Legalizes Gay Marriage
    Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize gay marriage.
  • UK Parliament passes Gay Marriage Bill

    UK Parliament passes Gay Marriage Bill
    The UK moves closer to marriage equality as its Parliament passes a bill legalizing gay marriage.
  • Illinois Senate Approves Gay Marriage

    Illinois Senate Approves Gay Marriage
    Illinois moves closer to marriage equality as a gay marriage bill passes in the state Senate.
  • Polls in Minnesota Show Majority Oppose Gay Marriage

    Polls in Minnesota Show Majority Oppose Gay Marriage
    Recent polls in Minnesota show a majority of people in opposition to marriage equality.
  • GOP Senator Supports Gay Marriage

    GOP Senator Supports Gay Marriage
    Ohio Senator Rob Portman, a Republican, becomes the first senator in his party to openly support marriage equality. The decision came two years after finding out his son is gay.
  • Marriage Equality on Facebook

    Marriage Equality on Facebook
    The Marriage Equality movement hits Facebook in wake of the Supreme Court hearings on DOMA, as millions change their profile picture to a red version of the Human Rights Campaign logo.
  • Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on DOMA

    Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on DOMA
    The Supreme Court reconsiders the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act after thirteen years of it as the law of the land.
  • Another GOP Senator Supports Marriage Equality.

    Another GOP Senator Supports Marriage Equality.
    Mark Kirk (R-IL) becomes the second Republican senator to publicly support gay marriage. His announcement came just a few weeks after Rob Portman of Ohio voiced his support.