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1920 - American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU )
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is formed to defend civil liberties. Since the 1950's, this organization has been trying to defend and protect the rights of homosexuals. -
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Gay Rights
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1947 - homosexuals in the federal government
t the start of the Cold War, the United States began secretly investigating communists and homosexuals in the federal government. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin and others assert that homosexuals are easy to blackmail and so should be considered security risks and not hold government jobs. The U.S. State Department asks dozens of f its employees accused of being homosexual to resign. In addition to being fired from their jobs, many homosexuals during this period are harassed by police. -
Dangerous Security Risks
A Senate subcommittee approves a full-scale investigation of "moral depravity" in the government after it is disclosed that 3,750 federal employees in Washington, D.C., are homosexual. On December 15, the investigating group reports that homosexuals are "dangerous security risks." -
Gay Pride March
3,000 gay rights demonstrators marched from Greenwich Village to Central Park in New York City to take part in a Gay Pride Weekevent to demand equal rights. Gay pride marches became a yearly event in June nationwide. -
National Organization of Women
In 1971, members of NOW (National Organization of Women) draft a resolution in support of lesbian rights. Betty Friedan, the founder of NOW, says that the issue of lesbian rights is hypocritical to the women's movement. -
Prohibiting Same Sex Marriage
The Minnesota Supreme Court holds that prohibiting same-sex marriage is not in violation of the U.S. Constitution. The plaintiffs appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. This dismissal establishes Baker v. Nelson as the controlling precedent on the same-sex marriage issue. -
Hate Crime Hot Lines
The U.S. Department of Justice sets up a toll-free hate crimes hot line, but refuses to take calls that report crimes against homosexuals or religious minorities because it says those crimes do not fall within the mandate of the department's Community Relations Service. After gay rights and Jewish groups complain, the Justice Department quickly reverses its stance. -
The White House
After arriving at the White House for a meeting in which President Bill Clinton sought to reach out to homosexuals, a delegation of gay elected officials are faced with White House police officers wearing rubber gloves. Officials say the officers were worried about catching AIDS -
gay rights approved
The Pentagon decides to offer new benefits to the spouses of gay personnel.
Students in that state to compete on sports teams and use facilities based on their gender identity rather than their sex.
same-sex married couples will now be allowed to file joint federal tax returns.
The Obama administration announces that the Department of Veterans Affairs will immediately begin providing spousal benefits to gay men and lesbians.