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The Society for Human Rights was an American gay rights organization established by World War I veteran Henry Gerber in Chicago in 1924. The group published a newsletter, “Friendship and Freedom,” the country’s first documented gay civil-rights publication. -
In 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a bar located in New York City’s Greenwich Village that served as a haven for the city’s gay, lesbian and transgender community. The raid ensued a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents and prompted gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people across the nation to organize to fight for their rights. -
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. 5,854 psychiatrists voted to remove homosexuality from the DSM, and 3,810 to retain it. -
Gilbert Baker creates the first pride flag from strips of fabric dyed in trash cans in the attic of San Francisco’s Gay Community Center before the city’s 1978 pride parade. Each of the flag’s original eight colors had a meaning: pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for peace, and purple for spirit. -
The Democratic Rules Committee states that it will not discriminate against homosexuals. At their National Convention on August 11-14, the Democrats become the first major political party to endorse a homosexual rights platform. -
President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act into law — expanded crimes that were motivated by actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability as hate crimes to strengthen the nation's response to bias-motivated offenses. -
The U.S. Defense Secretary, Ashton Carter, announced that the military would lift a ban that prevents transgender Americans from serving in the country’s armed forces. (Rescinded by Donald Trump in 2019 which was then recently repealed by President Joe Biden) -
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. -
With a 5-4 decision in Oberegefell v. Hodges, The Supreme Court officially declares same-sex marriage a Constitutional right nationwide, meaning all states must allow Americans to get married, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation. -
More than 150 LGBTQ candidates were elected into office in the 2018 midterm elections, putting a historic number of queer or transgender politicians in positions of power.