Timeline of LGBT history
Encyclopedia
The following is a timeline of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT
) related history.
Romans, like the Greeks, tolerated love and sex amongst men. Two Roman Emperors publicly married men, some had gay lovers themselves, and homosexual prostitution was taxed. However, like the Greeks, passivity and effeminacy were not tolerated, and an adult male freeborn Roman could lose his citizen status if caught performing fellatio or being penetrated.
Israel recognizes same-sex relations for immigration purposes for a foreign partner of an Israeli resident.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
) related history.
9660 to 5000 BC
- MesolithicMesolithicThe Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
rock artRock artRock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...
in SicilySicilySicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
depicts phallic male figures in pairs that have been interpreted variously, including as depictions of homosexual intercourse.
7000 to 1700 BC
- Among the sexual depictions in NeolithicNeolithicThe Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
and Bronze AgeBronze AgeThe Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
drawings and figurines from the Mediterranean are "third sex" human figures having female breasts and male genitals or without distinguishing sex characteristics. In Neolithic Italy, female images are found in a domestic context, while images that combine sexual characteristics appear in burials or religious settings; in Neolithic Greece and Cyprus, figures are often dual-sexed or without identifying sexual characteristics.
25th century BC
- The tomb of the EgyptianAncient EgyptAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
royal servants Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum is built during the Fifth DynastyFifth dynasty of EgyptThe fifth dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with Dynasties III, IV and VI under the group title the Old Kingdom. Dynasty V dates approximately from 2494 to 2345 BC.-Rulers:...
. The two have sometimes been seen as a homosexual couple, and if so are the first same-sex couple to be recorded by name.
7th century BC
- ca. 630 BC – Dorian aristocrats in CreteCreteCrete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
adopt formal relations between adult aristocrats and adolescent boys; an inscription from Crete is the oldest record of the social institution of paiderasteia among the GreeksPederasty in ancient GreecePederasty in ancient Greece was a socially acknowledged relationship between an adult and a younger male usually in his teens. It was characteristic of the Archaic and Classical periods...
(see Cretan pederastyCretan pederastyCretan pederasty was an archaic form of pederasty that involved the ritual kidnapping of a noble boy by an adult male of the aristocratic class, with the consent of the boy's father....
). Marriage between men in Greece was not legally recognized, but men might form life-long relationships originating in paiderasteia ("pederasty," without the pejorative connotations of the English word). These partnerships were not dissimilar to heterosexual marriages except that the older person served as educator or mentor. - 600 BC – SapphoSapphoSappho was an Ancient Greek poet, born on the island of Lesbos. Later Greeks included her in the list of nine lyric poets. Her birth was sometime between 630 and 612 BC, and it is said that she died around 570 BC, but little is known for certain about her life...
of Lesbos writes love poetry addressing other women, providing the eventual inspiration for the word lesbianLesbianLesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
.
6th century BC
- ca. 540–530 BC – Wall paintings from the Etruscan Tomb of the Bulls (ItalianTomba dei Tori), found in 1892 in the Monterozzi necropolisNecropolisA necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
, TarquiniaTarquiniaTarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy.- History :Tarquinii is said to have been already a flourishing city when Demaratus of Corinth brought in Greek workmen...
, depict homosexual intercourse. The tomb is named for the pair of bulls who watch human sex scenes, one between a man and a woman, and the other between two men; these may be apotropaic, or embody aspects of the cycle of regeneration and the afterlife. The three-chamber tomb was inscribed with the name of the deceased for whom it was originally built, Aranth Spurianas or Arath Spuriana, and also depicts AchillesAchillesIn Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
killing the Trojan prince TroilusTroilusTroilus is a legendary character associated with the story of the Trojan War...
, along with indications of ApolloApolloApollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
cult.
4th century BC
- 385 BC – Plato publishes SymposiumSymposium (Plato)The Symposium is a philosophical text by Plato dated c. 385–380 BCE. It concerns itself at one level with the genesis, purpose and nature of love....
in which Phaedrus, Eryixmachus, Aristophanes and other Greek intellectuals argue that love between males is the highest form, while sex with women is lustful and utilitarian. Socrates, however, differs. He demonstrates extreme self-control when seduced by the beautiful Alcibiades. - 350 BC – Plato publishes LawsLaws (dialogue)The Laws is Plato's last and longest dialogue. The question asked at the beginning is not "What is law?" as one would expect. That is the question of the Minos...
in which the Athenian stranger and his companions criticize homosexuality as being lustful and wrong for society because it does not further the species and may lead to irresponsible citizenry. - 338 BC – The Sacred Band of ThebesSacred Band of ThebesThe Sacred Band of Thebes was a troop of picked soldiers, consisting of 150 male couples which formed the elite force of the Theban army in the 4th century BC. It was organised by the Theban commander Gorgidas in 378 BC and played a crucial role in the Battle of Leuctra...
, an undefeated elite battalion made up of one hundred and fifty pederastic couples, is destroyed by the forces of Philip II of MacedonPhilip II of MacedonPhilip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
who bemoans their loss and praises their honour. - 326 BC – Military leader Alexander the Great, who was bisexual (as was considered the norm in Ancient Greek culture ), completes conquestHegemonyHegemony is an indirect form of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules sub-ordinate states by the implied means of power rather than direct military force. In Ancient Greece , hegemony denoted the politico–military dominance of a city-state over other city-states...
of most of the then known Western worldWestern worldThe Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, launching the Hellenistic Age in which millions of people are converted to a Hellenistic culture that views homosexual relationships positively.
2nd century BC
- 149 BC or earlier – During the Roman RepublicRoman RepublicThe Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
, the Lex ScantiniaLex ScantiniaThe Lex Scantinia is a poorly documented ancient Roman law that penalized a sex crime against a freeborn male minor . The law may also have been used to prosecute adult male citizens who willingly took a passive role in having sex with other men...
imposed penalties on those who committed a sex crime (stuprum) against a freeborn youth; infrequently mentioned or enforced, it may also have been used to prosecute male citizens who willingly took the passive role in homosexual relationsHomosexuality in Ancient RomeSame-sex attitudes and behaviors in ancient Rome often differ markedly from those of the contemporary West. Latin lacks words that would precisely translate "homosexual" and "heterosexual." The primary dichotomy of ancient Roman sexuality was active/dominant/masculine and...
. It is unclear whether the penalty was death or a fine. For an adult male citizen to desire and engage in same-sex relations was considered natural and socially acceptable, as long as his partner was a male prostituteProstitution in ancient RomeProstitution in ancient Rome reflects the ambivalent attitudes of Romans toward pleasure and sexuality. Prostitution was legal and licensed. Some large brothels in the 4th century, when Rome was becoming officially Christianized, seem to have been counted as tourist attractions and were possibly...
, slave or infamis, a person excluded from the legal protections accorded a citizen. In the Imperial periodRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, the Lex Scantinia was revived by DomitianDomitianDomitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
as part of his program of judicial and moral reform. - ca. 90s–80s BC - The Roman consulRoman consulA consul served in the highest elected political office of the Roman Republic.Each year, two consuls were elected together, to serve for a one-year term. Each consul was given veto power over his colleague and the officials would alternate each month...
Quintus Lutatius CatulusQuintus Lutatius CatulusQuintus Lutatius Catulus was consul of the Roman Republic in 102 BC, and the leading public figure of the gens Lutatia of the time. His colleague in the consulship was Gaius Marius, but the two feuded and Catulus sided with Sulla in the civil war of 88–87 BC...
was among a circle of poets who made short, light Hellenistic poems fashionable in the late Republic. Both his surviving epigramEpigramAn epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
s address a male as an object of desire, signaling a new homoerotic aesthetic in Roman culture.
1st century BC
- 80 BC – Julius CaesarJulius CaesarGaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general and statesman and a distinguished writer of Latin prose. He played a critical role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire....
allegedly has a love affair with king Nicomedes IV of BithyniaNicomedes IV of BithyniaNicomedes IV Philopator, was the king of Bithynia, from c. 94 BC to 74 BC. He was the first son and successor of the Monarchs Nicomedes III of Bithynia and Nysa and had a sister called Nysa....
. - 57 BC – 54 BC – CatullusCatullusGaius Valerius Catullus was a Latin poet of the Republican period. His surviving works are still read widely, and continue to influence poetry and other forms of art.-Biography:...
writes the Carmina, including love poems to Juventius, boasting of sexual prowess with youth and violent invectives against passive sodomites. - 42 BC – 39 BC – VirgilVirgilPublius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
writes the Eclogæ Vel Bucolica, with many references to homosexual love and relationship. - 27 BC – The Roman EmpireRoman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
begins with the reign of AugustusAugustusAugustus ;23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.The dates of his rule are contemporary dates; Augustus lived under two calendars, the Roman Republican until 45 BC, and the Julian...
. The first recorded same-sex marriageSame-sex marriageSame-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
s occur during this period. - 26, 25 and 18 BC – TibullusTibullusAlbius Tibullus was a Latin poet and writer of elegies.Little is known about his life. His first and second books of poetry are extant; many other texts attributed to Tibullus are of questionable origins. There are only a few references to him in later writers and a short Life of doubtful authority...
writes the Carmina, with references to homosexuality.
Romans, like the Greeks, tolerated love and sex amongst men. Two Roman Emperors publicly married men, some had gay lovers themselves, and homosexual prostitution was taxed. However, like the Greeks, passivity and effeminacy were not tolerated, and an adult male freeborn Roman could lose his citizen status if caught performing fellatio or being penetrated.
1st century CE
- 54 – NeroNeroNero , was Roman Emperor from 54 to 68, and the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. Nero was adopted by his great-uncle Claudius to become his heir and successor, and succeeded to the throne in 54 following Claudius' death....
becomes Emperor of Rome. Nero married two men in legal ceremonies, with at least one accorded the regalia worn by the wives of the Caesars.
- 79 – The eruption of Mount VesuviusMount VesuviusMount Vesuvius is a stratovolcano in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is the only volcano on the European mainland to have erupted within the last hundred years, although it is not currently erupting...
buries the coastal resorts of PompeiiPompeiiThe city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory of the comune of Pompei. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was destroyed and completely buried during a long catastrophic eruption of the volcano Mount Vesuvius spanning...
and HerculaneumHerculaneumHerculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in AD 79, located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano, in the Italian region of Campania in the shadow of Mt...
, preserving a rich collection of Roman erotic artErotic art in Pompeii and HerculaneumErotic art in Pompeii and Herculaneum was discovered in the ancient cities around the bay of Naples after extensive excavations began in the 18th century. The city was found to be full of erotic art and frescoes, symbols, and inscriptions regarded by its excavators as pornographic. Even many...
, including representations of male-male, female-female, and group sex acts.
- 98 – TrajanTrajanTrajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
, one of the most beloved of Roman emperors, begins his reign. Trajan was well known for his homosexuality and fondness for young males. This was used to advantage by the king of EdessaOsroeneOsroene, also spelled Osrohene and Osrhoene and sometimes known by the name of its capital city, Edessa , was a historic Syriac kingdom located in Mesopotamia, which enjoyed semi-autonomy to complete independence from the years of 132 BC to AD 244.It was a Syriac-speaking kingdom.Osroene, or...
, Abgar VII, who, after incurring the anger of Trajan for some misdeed, sent his handsome young son to make his apologies, thereby obtaining pardon.
2nd century
- 130 -- AntinousAntinousAntinoüs or Antinoös was a beautiful Bithynian youth and the favourite of the Roman emperor Hadrian...
, a 19 year old boy who was the Roman Emperor HadrianHadrianHadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
's favorite, dies under mysterious circumstances in AegyptusAegyptus (Roman province)The Roman province of Egypt was established in 30 BC after Octavian defeated his rival Mark Antony, deposed his lover Queen Cleopatra VII and annexed the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt to the Roman Empire. The province encompassed most of modern-day Egypt except for the Sinai Peninsula...
and Hadrian creates a cult giving Antinous the status of a godGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, commissioning numerous sculptures of him throughout the Roman Empire. - 165 – Christian martyr Giustino writes: "We have learned that is an evil thing to show newborns, since we see that almost everyone, not only the girls but boys too, are forced into prostitution".
3rd century
- 218 – The emperor ElagabalusElagabalusElagabalus , also known as Heliogabalus, was Roman Emperor from 218 to 222. A member of the Severan Dynasty, he was Syrian on his mother's side, the son of Julia Soaemias and Sextus Varius Marcellus. Early in his youth he served as a priest of the god El-Gabal at his hometown, Emesa...
begins his reign. He marries a man named Zoticus, an athlete from SmyrnaSmyrnaSmyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
, in a lavish public ceremony at Rome amid the rejoicings of the public. - 244–249 – Emperor Philip the ArabPhilip the ArabPhilip the Arab , also known as Philip or Philippus Arabs, was Roman Emperor from 244 to 249. He came from Syria, and rose to become a major figure in the Roman Empire. He achieved power after the death of Gordian III, quickly negotiating peace with the Sassanid Empire...
tries and fails to outlaw homosexual prostitutionMale prostitutionMale prostitution is the practice of engaging in sexual acts for money. Compared to female sex workers, male sex workers have been far less studied by researchers, and while studies suggest that there are differences between the ways these two groups look at their work, more research is needed.Male...
.
4th century
- 305- 306 – Council of Elvira (now GranadaGranadaGranada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea...
, Spain). This council was representative of the Western European Church and among other things, it barred pederasts the right to Communion. - 314 – Council of Ancyra (now AnkaraAnkaraAnkara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey). This council was representative of the Eastern European Church and it excluded the Sacraments for 15 years to unmarried men under the age of 20 who were caught in homosexual acts, and excluded the man for life if he was married and over the age of 50. - 342 – The first law against same-sex marriage was promulgated by the Christian emperors Constantius IIConstantius IIConstantius II , was Roman Emperor from 337 to 361. The second son of Constantine I and Fausta, he ascended to the throne with his brothers Constantine II and Constans upon their father's death....
and ConstansConstansConstans , was Roman Emperor from 337 to 350. He defeated his brother Constantine II in 340, but anger in the army over his personal life and preference for his barbarian bodyguards saw the general Magnentius rebel, resulting in Constans’ assassination in 350.-Career:Constans was the third and...
. - 390 – In the year 390, the Christian emperors Valentinian IIValentinian IIFlavius Valentinianus , commonly known as Valentinian II, was Roman Emperor from 375 to 392.-Early Life and Accession :...
, Theodosius ITheodosius ITheodosius I , also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman Emperor from 379 to 395. Theodosius was the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire. During his reign, the Goths secured control of Illyricum after the Gothic War, establishing their homeland...
and ArcadiusArcadiusArcadius was the Byzantine Emperor from 395 to his death. He was the eldest son of Theodosius I and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and brother of the Western Emperor Honorius...
declared homosexual sex to be illegal and those who were guilty of it were condemned to be burned alive in front of the public. - 390- 405 – Nonnus' DionysiacaDionysiacaThe Dionysiaca is an ancient epic poem and the principal work of Nonnus. It is an epic in 48 books, the longest surviving poem from antiquity at 20,426 lines, composed in Homeric dialect and dactylic hexameters, the main subject of which is the life of Dionysus, his expedition to India, and his...
is the last known piece of literature for nearly 1,000 years to celebrate homosexual passion.
5th century
- 498 – In spite of the laws against gay sex, the Christian emperors continued to collect taxes on male prostitutes until the reign of Anastasius IAnastasius I (emperor)Anastasius I was Byzantine Emperor from 491 to 518. During his reign the Roman eastern frontier underwent extensive re-fortification, including the construction of Dara, a stronghold intended to counter the Persian fortress of Nisibis....
, who finally abolishes the tax in favor of sampling of the best men.
6th century
- 529 – The Christian emperor Justinian IJustinian IJustinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
(527–565) made homosexuals a scapegoat for problems such as "famines, earthquakes, and pestilences." - 589 – The Visigothic kingdom in SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, is converted from ArianismArianismArianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
to CatholicismCatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. This conversion leads to a revision of the law to conform to those of CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
countries. These revisions include provisions for the persecution of gays and JewsJewsThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
.
7th Century
- 693 – In Iberia, Visigothic ruler Egica of Hispania and Septimania, demanded that a Church council confront the occurence of homosexuality in the Kingdom. The Sixteenth Council of ToledoSixteenth Council of ToledoThe Sixteenth Council of Toledo first met on 25 April 693, the second of Egica's three councils.In 692, the archbishop of Toledo, Sisebert, led a rebellion with many nobles to install one Suniefred as king...
issued a statement in response, which was adopted by Egica, stating that homosexual acts be punished by castrationCastrationCastration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
, exclusion from CommunionCommunion (Christian)The term communion is derived from Latin communio . The corresponding term in Greek is κοινωνία, which is often translated as "fellowship". In Christianity, the basic meaning of the term communion is an especially close relationship of Christians, as individuals or as a Church, with God and with...
, hair shearing, one hundred stripes of the lash, and banishment into exileExileExile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
.
9th century
- 800–900 – During the Carolingian RenaissanceCarolingian RenaissanceIn the history of ideas the Carolingian Renaissance stands out as a period of intellectual and cultural revival in Europe occurring from the late eighth century, in the generation of Alcuin, to the 9th century, and the generation of Heiric of Auxerre, with the peak of the activities coordinated...
, Alcuin of York, an abbotAbbotThe word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
, wrote love poems to other monkMonkA monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s in spite of numerous Church laws condemning homosexuality.
10th century
- 966 – Foundation of PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, which never criminalized homosexuality throughout its history (see 1835 and 1932).
11th Century
- In ScandinaviaScandinaviaScandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, the cult of transvestism persists for centuries. In the same way, only the sons who inherit their father's land can marry; the other ones must leave these lands and associate with military companies. Within military groups, pederasty is practiced as an institutionalized way of life. - 1007 – The Decretum of Burchard of WormsBurchard of WormsBurchard of Worms was the Roman Catholic bishop of Worms in the Holy Roman Empire, and author of a Canon law collection in twenty books, the "Collectarium canonum" or "Decretum".-Life:...
equates homosexual acts with other sexual transgressions such as adulteryAdulteryAdultery is sexual infidelity to one's spouse, and is a form of extramarital sex. It originally referred only to sex between a woman who was married and a person other than her spouse. Even in cases of separation from one's spouse, an extramarital affair is still considered adultery.Adultery is...
and argues, therefore, that it should have the same penancePenancePenance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
(generally fastingFastingFasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
). - 1051 – Peter DamianPeter DamianSaint Peter Damian, O.S.B. was a reforming monk in the circle of Pope Gregory VII and a cardinal. In 1823, he was declared a Doctor of the Church...
writes the treatise Liber GomorrhianusLiber GomorrhianusThe Liber Gomorrhianus is a book published by Saint Peter Damian around 1051 AD. It is scathing treatise on the vices of the clergy, and is dedicated to the Pope.-Attack on various sexual practices:...
, in which he argues for stricter punishments for clerics failing their duty against "vices of nature." - 1100 – Ivo of ChartresIvo of ChartresSaint Ivo ' of Chartres was the Bishop of Chartres from 1090 until his death and an important canon lawyer during the Investiture Crisis....
tries to convince Pope Urban IIPope Urban IIPope Urban II , born Otho de Lagery , was Pope from 12 March 1088 until his death on July 29 1099...
about homosexuality risks. Ivo accused Rodolfo, archbishop of ToursToursTours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, of convincing the King of France to appoint a certain Giovanni as bishop of OrléansOrléans-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
. Giovanni was well known as Rodolfo's lover and had relations with the king himself, a fact of which the king openly boasted. Pope Urban, however, didn't consider this as a decisive fact: Giovanni ruled as bishop for almost forty years, and Rodolfo continued to be well known and respected.
12th century
- 1102 – The Council of LondonCouncil of London (1102)The Council of London in 1102 was a Roman Catholic church council of the church in England convened by Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, to debate and pass decrees to reform the clergy. The council made several decisions, including confirming homosexuality as a sin in the English and wider church,...
took measures to ensure that the English public knew that homosexuality was sinSinIn religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
ful. - 1120 – Baldwin IIBaldwin II of JerusalemBaldwin II of Jerusalem , formerly Baldwin II of Edessa, also called Baldwin of Bourcq, born Baldwin of Rethel was the second count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and the third king of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death.-Ancestry:Baldwin was the son of Hugh, count of Rethel, and his wife Melisende,...
of the Kingdom of JerusalemKingdom of JerusalemThe Kingdom of Jerusalem was a Catholic kingdom established in the Levant in 1099 after the First Crusade. The kingdom lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when the last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks, but its history is divided into two distinct periods....
, convenes the Council of NablusCouncil of NablusThe Council of Nablus was a council of ecclesiastic and secular lords in the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, held on January 16, 1120. It established the first written laws for the kingdom.-History:...
to address the vices within the Kingdom. The Council calls for the burning of individuals who perpetually commit sodomy. - 1140 – The Italian Monk Gratian compiles his work Concordia discordantium canonum in which he argues that sodomy is the worst of all the sexual sins because it involves using the member in an unnatural way.
- 1179 – The Third Lateran Council of Rome issues a decree for the excommunicationExcommunicationExcommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
of sodomites.
13th century
- 1232 – Pope Gregory IXPope Gregory IXPope Gregory IX, born Ugolino di Conti, was pope from March 19, 1227 to August 22, 1241.The successor of Pope Honorius III , he fully inherited the traditions of Pope Gregory VII and of his uncle Pope Innocent III , and zealously continued their policy of Papal supremacy.-Early life:Ugolino was...
starts the InquisitionInquisitionThe Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
in the Italian City-States. Some cities called for banishment and/or amputationAmputationAmputation is the removal of a body extremity by trauma, prolonged constriction, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on individuals as a preventative surgery for...
as punishments for 1st- and 2nd-offending sodomites and burning for the 3rd or habitual offenders. - 1250–1300 – Homosexual activity radically passes from being completely legal in the most of Europe to incurring the death penalty in most european states.
- 1260 – In FranceFrance in the Middle AgesFrance in the Middle Ages covers an area roughly corresponding to modern day France, from the death of Louis the Pious in 840 to the middle of the 15th century...
, first-offending sodomites lost their testicles, second offenders lost their member, and third offenders were burned. Women caught in same-sex acts could be mutilated and executed as well. - 1265 – Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
argues that sodomy is second only to murder in the ranking of sins. - 1283 – The French Civil Code dictated that convicted sodomites not only were burned but that their property was forfeited.
14th century
- 1321 – Dante's InfernoInferno (Dante)Inferno is the first part of Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. It is followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso. It is an allegory telling of the journey of Dante through what is largely the medieval concept of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. In the poem, Hell is depicted as...
places sodomites in the Seventh Circle. - 1327 – The deposed King Edward II of EnglandEdward II of EnglandEdward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
is killed, allegedly by forcing a red-hot poker through his rectum. Edward II had a history of conflict with the nobility, who repeatedly banished his former lover Piers GavestonPiers GavestonPiers Gaveston, 1st Earl of Cornwall was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of King Edward II of England. At a young age he made a good impression on King Edward I of England, and was assigned to the household of the King's son, Edward of Carnarvon...
, the Earl of CornwallEarl of CornwallThe title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne.-Earl of Cornwall:...
. - 1347 – Rolandino Roncaglia is trialed for sodomy, an event that caused a sensation in Italy. He confessed he "had not ever had sexual intercourses neither with his wife nor with any other woman because he didn't ever felt any carnal appetite, nor he couldn't ever have an erection of his virile member". After his wife died of plague, Rolandino started to prostitute himself, wearing female dresses because "since he has female look, voice and movements – although he hasn't the female orifice but has male member and testicles – many persons considered him to be a woman because of his appearance".
- 1370s – Jan van Aersdone and Willem Case were two men executed in Antwerp in the 1370s. The charge against them was gay sex, which was illegal and strenuously vilified in medieval Europe. Aersdone and Case stand out because records of their names have survived. One other couple still known by name from the 14th century were Giovanni Braganza and Nicoleto Marmagna of VeniceVeniceVenice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. - 1395 — John RykenerJohn RykenerJohn Rykener, known also as Johannes Richer and Eleanor, was a 14th-century transvestite prostitute working mainly in London , but also active in Oxford. He was arrested in 1395 for cross-dressing and interrogated...
, known also as Johannes Richer and Eleanor, was a transvestite prostitute working mainly in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
(near CheapsideCheapsideCheapside is a street in the City of London that links Newgate Street with the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Mansion House Street. To the east is Mansion House, the Bank of England, and the major road junction above Bank tube station. To the west is St. Paul's Cathedral, St...
), but also active in OxfordOxfordThe city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. He was arrested in 1395 for cross-dressingCross-dressingCross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
and interrogated.
15th Century
- 1476 – Florentine court records of 1476 show that Leonardo Da VinciLeonardo da VinciLeonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
and three other young men were charged with sodomySodomySodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
, and acquitted. - 1483 – The Spanish InquisitionSpanish InquisitionThe Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
begins. Sodomites were stoned, castrated, and burned. Between 1540 and 1700, more than 1,600 people were prosecuted for sodomy.
16th century
- 1532 – Holy Roman EmpireHoly Roman EmpireThe Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
makes sodomy punishable by death. - 1533 – King Henry VIIIHenry VIII of EnglandHenry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
passes the Buggery Act 1533Buggery Act 1533The Buggery Act 1533, formally An Acte for the punysshement of the vice of Buggerie , was an Act of the Parliament of England that was passed during the reign of Henry VIII...
making all male-male sexual activity punishable by death. - 1553 – Mary TudorMary I of EnglandMary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
ascends the English throne and removes all of the laws passed by Henry VIII. - 1558 – Elizabeth IElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
ascends the English throne and reinstates the sodomy laws.
17th century
- 1620 – Brandenburg-PrussiaBrandenburg-PrussiaBrandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
criminalizes sodomy, making it punishable by death. - 1624 – Richard CornishRichard CornishRichard R Cornish A.E.S.T.C. National Art School , Australia 1967. Dip Ed. I.T.A.T.E Sydney 1989. M.A. Art History Flinders University SA 1983....
of the Virginia ColonyColony and Dominion of VirginiaThe Colony of Virginia was the English colony in North America that existed briefly during the 16th century, and then continuously from 1607 until the American Revolution...
is tried and hanged for sodomy. - 1649 – The first known conviction for lesbian activity in North America occurs in March when Sarah White Norman is charged with "Lewd behaviourLascivious"Lascivious" is a word synonymous with lustful or lewd or unruly .- Legal usage :In American legal jargon, lascivious is a semi-technical term indicating immoral sexual thoughts or actions. It is often used in the legal description of criminal acts in which some sort of sexual activity is...
each with other upon a bed" with Mary Vincent Hammon in Plymouth, MassachusettsPlymouth (town), MassachusettsPlymouth is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Plymouth holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore and culture, and is known as "America's Hometown." Plymouth was the site of the colony founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, passengers of the famous ship the...
. Hammon was under 16 and not prosecuted. - 1655 – The Connecticut ColonyConnecticut ColonyThe Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English...
passes a law against sodomy including women.
18th century
- 1721 – Catherina Margaretha Linck is executed for female sodomy in Germany.
- 1726 – Mother Clap'sMargaret ClapMargaret Clap , better known as Mother Clap, ran a coffee house from 1724 to 1726 in Holborn, London. Notable for running a molly house, an inn or tavern primarily frequented by homosexual men, she was also heavily involved in the ensuing legal battles after her premise was raided and shut down...
molly houseMolly houseA Molly house is an archaic 18th century English term for a tavern or private room where homosexual and cross-dressing men could meet each other and possible sexual partners. Molly houses were one precursor to some types of gay bars....
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
is raided by police, resulting in the execution of three men. - Between 1730 and 1811, a widespread panic in the Dutch RepublicDutch RepublicThe Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
leads to a spectacular series of trials for sodomy, with persecutions at their most severe from 1730 to 1737, 1764, 1776, and from 1795 to 1798.
- 1785 – Jeremy BenthamJeremy BenthamJeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
is one of the first people to argue for the decriminalization of sodomy in England. - 1791 – RevolutionaryFrench RevolutionThe French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(and AndorraAndorraAndorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
) adopts a new penal codeFrench Penal Code of 1791The French Penal Code of 1791 was a penal code adopted during the French Revolution by the Constituent Assembly, between 25 September and 6 October 1791. It was France's first penal code, and was influenced by the Enlightenment thinking of Beccaria and Montesquieu.The principle of legality was...
which no longer criminalizes sodomy. France thus becomes the first West European country to decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults .
- 1794 – The Kingdom of PrussiaKingdom of PrussiaThe Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
abolishes the death penalty for sodomy.
19th century
- 1811 – NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
decriminalizes homosexual acts - 1828 – The term "Crime against natureCrime against natureCrime against nature is a legal term used in published cases in the United States since 1814 and normally defined as a form of sexual behavior that is not considered natural and is seen as a punishable offense in dozens of countries and several U.S. states...
" first used in the Criminal codeCriminal CodeA criminal code is a document which compiles all, or a significant amount of, a particular jurisdiction's criminal law...
in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. - 1830 – BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
decriminalizes homosexual acts; The word asexual is used as a term for the first time in biologyBiologyBiology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
. - 1832 – RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
criminalizes homosexual acts making them punishable by up to five years exile in Siberia under Article 995 of its new criminal code. - 1835 – For the first time in history, homosexuality becomes illegal in PolandCongress PolandThe Kingdom of Poland , informally known as Congress Poland , created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna, was a personal union of the Russian parcel of Poland with the Russian Empire...
after the occupying Russian Empire imposes repressive laws. - 1836 – The last known execution for homosexuality in Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. - 1852 – PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
decriminalizes homosexual acts. - 1858 – The Ottoman EmpireOttoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(predecessor of TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
) decriminalizes homosexuality; Timor-Leste legalises homosexuality. - 1861 – In EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the Offences against the Person Act 1861Offences Against The Person Act 1861The Offences against the Person Act 1861 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It consolidated provisions related to offences against the person from a number of earlier statutes into a single Act...
is amended to remove the death sentenceDeath SentenceDeath Sentence is a short story by the American science-fiction writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the November 1943 issue of Astounding Science Fiction and reprinted in the 1972 collection The Early Asimov.-Plot summary:...
for "buggerBuggerBugger is a slang word used in the vernacular British English, Australian English, Canadian English, New Zealand English, South African English, Caribbean English, Sri Lankan English and occasionally also in Malaysian English and Singaporean English, and rarely American English...
y" (which had not been used since 1836). The penalty became imprisonment from 10 years to life. - 1865 – San MarinoSan MarinoSan Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
decriminalizes sodomy. - 1867 – On August 29, 1867, Karl Heinrich UlrichsKarl Heinrich Ulrichsfor the periodical directory, see Ulrich's Periodicals DirectoryKarl-Heinrich Ulrichs , is seen today as the pioneer of the modern gay rights movement.-Early life:...
became the first self-proclaimed homosexual to speak out publicly for homosexual rights when he pleaded at the Congress of German Jurists in MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
for a resolution urging the repeal of anti-homosexual laws. - 1869 – The term "homosexualityHomosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
" appears in print for the first time in a GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-HungarianHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
pamphlet written by Karl-Maria KertbenyKarl-Maria KertbenyKarl-Maria Kertbeny or Károly Mária Kertbeny was an Austrian-born Hungarian journalist, memoirist, and human rights campaigner...
(1824–1882). - 1870 – Joseph and His Friend: A Story of PennsylvaniaJoseph and His Friend: A Story of PennsylvaniaJoseph and His Friend: A Story of Pennsylvania is an 1870 novel by American author Bayard Taylor.-Plot introduction:Joseph, a young man, marries Madeline, to his friend Philip's dismay...
is published, possibly the first American novel about a homosexual relationship. - 18711871 in LGBT rights-1813:* Bavaria abolishes laws criminalizing homosexual conduct between consenting adults.-1824:* October 28 — The Marquis de Custine is beaten and left for dead after propositioning a male soldier in Saint-Denis. The scandal forces him out of the closet, but he recovers and lives the rest of his...
– Homosexuality is criminalized throughout the German EmpireGerman EmpireThe German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
by Paragraph 175Paragraph 175Paragraph 175 was a provision of the German Criminal Code from 15 May 1871 to 10 March 1994. It made homosexual acts between males a crime, and in early revisions the provision also criminalized bestiality. All in all, around 140,000 men were convicted under the law.The statute was amended several...
of the Reich Criminal Code; GuatemalaGuatemalaGuatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
decriminalize homosexual acts. - 1880 – The Empire of JapanEmpire of JapanThe Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
decrimiminalized homosexual acts, having only made them illegal during the Meiji RestorationMeiji RestorationThe , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
. - 1886 — In England, the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 , or "An Act to make further provision for the Protection of Women and Girls, the suppression of brothels, and other purposes", was the latest in a 25-year series of legislation in the United Kingdom beginning with the Offences against the Person Act 1861 that...
, outlawing sexual relations between men (but not between women) is given Royal AssentRoyal AssentThe granting of royal assent refers to the method by which any constitutional monarch formally approves and promulgates an act of his or her nation's parliament, thus making it a law...
by Queen VictoriaVictoria of the United KingdomVictoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
decriminalizes homosexuality, while Portugal re-criminalizes homosexual acts. - 1889 – In ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, homosexuality is legalised; the Cleveland Street ScandalCleveland Street scandalThe Cleveland Street scandal occurred in 1889, when a homosexual male brothel in Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, London, was discovered by police. At the time, sexual acts between men were illegal in Britain, and the brothel's clients faced possible prosecution and certain social ostracism if discovered...
erupts in England. - 1892 – The words "bisexual" and "heterosexual" are first used in their current senses in Charles Gilbert Chaddock's translation of Kraft-Ebing's Psychopathia SexualisPsychopathia SexualisPsychopathia Sexualis may refer to:* Psychopathia Sexualis, an 1886 book about human sexuality by Richard von Krafft-Ebing* Psychopathia Sexualis , an 1843 moral psychology book about human sexuality by Heinrich Kaan...
. - 1892 – Popular openly bisexual poet Edna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent MillayEdna St. Vincent Millay was an American lyrical poet, playwright and feminist. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, and was known for her activism and her many love affairs. She used the pseudonym Nancy Boyd for her prose work...
is born on 22nd February. - 1894 – Biologist and pioneer of human sexuality Alfred KinseyAlfred KinseyAlfred Charles Kinsey was an American biologist and professor of entomology and zoology, who in 1947 founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction, as well as producing the Kinsey Reports and the Kinsey...
is born on 23rd June.
- 1895 – The trial of Oscar WildeOscar WildeOscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
results in his being prosecuted under the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 for "gross indecencyDecencyDecency is the quality or state of conforming to social or moral standards of taste and propriety.-See also:*Taste *Communications Decency Act*Public indecency*Indecent exposure*Sodomy law*Norm *Grotesque body...
" and sentenced to two years hard labor in prison. - 1895 – Earl LindEarl LindEarl Lind was one of the earliest intersex individuals to publish their own autobiography in the United States.-Biography:Earl Lind was born in 1874 in Connecticut...
forms Cercle Hermaphroditos which is the 1st group to announce a political agenda to fight against the persecution of homosexuals. - 1897 – Magnus HirschfeldMagnus HirschfeldMagnus Hirschfeld was a German physician and sexologist. An outspoken advocate for sexual minorities, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, which Dustin Goltz called "the first advocacy for homosexual and transgender rights."-Early life:Hirschfeld was born in Kolberg in a...
founds the Scientific Humanitarian Committee on May 14 to organize for homosexual rights and the repeal of Paragraph 175. - 1897 – George Cecil IvesGeorge Cecil IvesGeorge Ives was a German-English poet, writer, penal reformer and early gay rights campaigner.-Life and career:...
organizes the first homosexual rights group in England, the Order of ChaeroneaOrder of ChaeroneaThe Order of Chaeronea was a secret society for the cultivation of a homosexual moral, ethical, cultural and spiritual ethos. It was founded by George Cecil Ives in 1897, as a result of his realisation that homosexuals would not be accepted openly in society and must therefore have a means of...
.
1901–1909
- 1903 – In New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on February 21, 1903, New York policeNew York City Police DepartmentThe New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
conducted the first United States recorded raid on a gay bathhouseGay bathhouseGay bathhouses, also known as gay saunas or steam baths, are commercial bathhouses for men to have sex with other men. In gay slang in some regions these venues are also known colloquially as "the baths" or "the tubs," and should not be confused with public bathing.Not all men who visit gay...
, the Ariston Hotel Baths. 26 men were arrested and 12 brought to trial on sodomy charges; 7 men received sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison. - 1906 – Potentially the first openly gay American novel, ImreImre: A MemorandumImre: A Memorandum, is a novel about the homosexual relationship between two men. It was written in Europe by the expatriate American-born author, Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson, who originally published it under the pseudonym of Xavier Mayne in a limited-edition imprint of 500 copies Naples,...
, is published. - 1907 – Adolf BrandAdolf BrandAdolf Brand was a German writer, individualist anarchist and pioneering campaigner for the acceptance of male bisexuality and homosexuality.-Biography:...
, the activist leader of the Gemeinschaft der Eigenen, working to overturn Paragraph 175, publishes a piece "outing" the imperial chancellor of Germany, Prince Bernhard von BülowBernhard von BülowBernhard Heinrich Karl Martin von Bülow , named in 1905 Prince von Bülow, was a German statesman who served as Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for three years and then as Chancellor of the German Empire from 1900 to 1909.Bülow was described as possessing every quality except greatness...
. The Prince sues Brand for libel and clears his name; Brand is sentenced to 18 months in prison. - 1907–1909 – Harden-Eulenburg AffairHarden-Eulenburg AffairThe Harden-Eulenburg affair, often simply Eulenburg affair, was the controversy surrounding a series of courts-martial and five civil trials regarding accusations of homosexual conduct, and accompanying libel trials, among prominent members of Kaiser Wilhelm II's cabinet and entourage during...
in Germany
1910s
- 1910 – Emma GoldmanEmma GoldmanEmma Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
first begins speaking publicly in favor of homosexual rights. Magnus Hirschfeld later wrote "she was the first and only woman, indeed the first and only American, to take up the defense of homosexual love before the general public."
- 1913 – The word faggot is first used in print in reference to gays in a vocabulary of criminal slang published in Portland, OregonPortland, OregonPortland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
: "All the fagots [sic] (sissies) will be dressed in drag at the ball tonight". - Marcel ProustMarcel ProustValentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust was a French novelist, critic, and essayist best known for his monumental À la recherche du temps perdu...
's In Search of Lost TimeIn Search of Lost TimeIn Search of Lost Time or Remembrance of Things Past is a novel in seven volumes by Marcel Proust. His most prominent work, it is popularly known for its considerable length and the notion of involuntary memory, the most famous example being the "episode of the madeleine." The novel is widely...
is published in France, marking the first time a modern Western author treats homosexuality openly in literature. - 1917 – The October RevolutionOctober RevolutionThe October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
in Russia repeals the previous criminal code in its entirety — including Article 995. Bolshevik leaders boast that "homosexual relationships and heterosexual relationships are treated exactly the same by the law." - 1919 – In Berlin, Germany, Doctor Magnus HirschfeldMagnus HirschfeldMagnus Hirschfeld was a German physician and sexologist. An outspoken advocate for sexual minorities, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, which Dustin Goltz called "the first advocacy for homosexual and transgender rights."-Early life:Hirschfeld was born in Kolberg in a...
co-founds the Institut für SexualwissenschaftInstitut für SexualwissenschaftThe Institut für Sexualwissenschaft was an early private sexology research institute in Germany from 1919 to 1933. The name is variously translated as Institute of Sex Research, Institute for Sexology or Institute for the Science of Sexuality...
(Institute for Sex Research), a pioneering private research institute and counseling office. Its library of thousands of books was destroyed by Nazis in May, 1933. - 1919 - Different From the OthersDifferent From The OthersDifferent From The Others is a German film produced during the Weimar Republic. It was first released in 1919 and stars Conrad Veidt and Reinhold Schünzel.The story for Anders als die Andern was written by Richard Oswald with the assistance of Dr...
, one of the first explicitly gay films, is released. Magnus HirschfeldMagnus HirschfeldMagnus Hirschfeld was a German physician and sexologist. An outspoken advocate for sexual minorities, Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, which Dustin Goltz called "the first advocacy for homosexual and transgender rights."-Early life:Hirschfeld was born in Kolberg in a...
has a cameo in the film and partially funded its production.
1920s
- 1920 – The word Gay is used for the first time in reference to homosexuality.
- 1921 – In England an attempt to make lesbianism illegal for the first time in Britain's history fails.
- 1922 – A new criminal code comes into force in the USSR officially decriminalizing homosexual acts.
- 1923 – The word fag is first used in print in reference to gays in Nels Anderson's The Hobo: "Fairies or Fags are men or boys who exploit sex for profit."
- 1924 – The first homosexual rights organization in America is founded by Henry GerberHenry GerberHenry Gerber was an early homosexual rights activist in the United States. Inspired by the work of Germany's Magnus Hirschfeld and his Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights in 1924, the nation's first known homosexual organization, and Friendship and...
in ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
— The Society for Human RightsThe Society for Human RightsThe Society for Human Rights was an American homosexual rights organization established in Chicago in 1924. Society founder Henry Gerber was inspired to create the society by Germany's Doctor Magnus Hirschfeld and his work with the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee...
. The group exists for a few months before disbanding under police pressure. PanamaPanamaPanama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, ParaguayParaguayParaguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
and PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
legalize homosexuality. - 1926 – The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
is the first major publication to use the word "homosexuality". - 1927 - Karol SzymanowskiKarol SzymanowskiKarol Maciej Szymanowski was a Polish composer and pianist.-Life:Szymanowski was born into a wealthy land-owning Polish gentry family in Tymoszówka, then in the Russian Empire, now in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine. He studied music privately with his father before going to Gustav Neuhaus'...
, Poland's openly gay composer, is appointed chief of Poland's state-owned national music school, the Fryderyk Chopin Music AcademyFryderyk Chopin Music AcademyThe Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw is located at ulica Okólnik 2 in central Warsaw, Poland...
. - 1928 – The Well of LonelinessThe Well of LonelinessThe Well of Loneliness is a 1928 lesbian novel by the British author Radclyffe Hall. It follows the life of Stephen Gordon, an Englishwoman from an upper-class family whose "sexual inversion" is apparent from an early age...
by Radclyffe HallRadclyffe HallRadclyffe Hall was an English poet and author, best known for the lesbian classic The Well of Loneliness.- Life :...
is published in the UK and later in the United States. This sparks great legal controversy and brings the topic of homosexuality to public conversation. - 1929 – On May 22, Katharine Lee BatesKatharine Lee BatesKatharine Lee Bates was an American songwriter. She is remembered as the author of the words to the anthem "America the Beautiful". She popularized "Mrs. Santa Claus" through her poem Goody Santa Claus on a Sleigh Ride .-Life and career:Bates was born in Falmouth, Massachusetts, the daughter of a...
, author of America the BeautifulAmerica the Beautiful"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....
dies. On October 16, a ReichstagReichstag (Weimar Republic)The Reichstag was the parliament of Weimar Republic .German constitution commentators consider only the Reichstag and now the Bundestag the German parliament. Another organ deals with legislation too: in 1867-1918 the Bundesrat, in 1919–1933 the Reichsrat and from 1949 on the Bundesrat...
Committee votes to repeal Paragraph 175; the Nazis'NazismNazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
rise to power prevents the implementation of the vote.
1930s
- 1931 - Mädchen in UniformMädchen in UniformMädchen in Uniform is a 1931 German feature-length film based on the novel and play Gestern und heute by Christa Winsloe and directed by Leontine Sagan with significant artistic direction from Carl Froelich, who funded the film...
, one of the first explicitly lesbian films and the first pro-lesbian film, is released. - 1932 – PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
codifies the homosexual and heterosexual age of consent equally at 15. Polish law had never criminalized homosexuality, although occupying powers had outlawed it in 1835. - 1933 – New Danish penalty lawDanish penalty lawThe Danish Penal Code also known as The Danish Criminal Code is the codification of the central legal text and makes up the foundation of criminal law in Denmark.-History:The Penal Code is law number 126 of April 15, 1930 with later amendments...
decriminalizes homosexuality. - 1933 – The National Socialist German Workers PartyNational Socialist German Workers PartyThe National Socialist German Workers' Party , commonly known in English as the Nazi Party, was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. Its predecessor, the German Workers' Party , existed from 1919 to 1920...
bans homosexual groups. Homosexuals are sent to concentration camps. Nazis burn the library of Magnus Hirschfeld's Institute for Sexual ResearchInstitut für SexualwissenschaftThe Institut für Sexualwissenschaft was an early private sexology research institute in Germany from 1919 to 1933. The name is variously translated as Institute of Sex Research, Institute for Sexology or Institute for the Science of Sexuality...
, and destroy the Institute; DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
decriminalizes homosexuality. Homosexual acts are recriminalized in the USSR. - 1934 – UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
decriminalizes homosexuality. The USSR once again criminalizes muzhelozhstvo (specific Russian definition of “male sexual intercourse with male”, literally “man lying with man”), punishable by up to 5 years in prison – more for the coercion or involvement of minors. - 1936 – Federico García LorcaFederico García LorcaFederico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca was a Spanish poet, dramatist and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblematic member of the Generation of '27. He is believed to be one of thousands who were summarily shot by anti-communist death squads...
, SpanishSpanish peopleThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
poet, is shot at the beginning of the civil war. - 1937 – The first use of the pink trianglePink triangleThe pink triangle was one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, used to identify male prisoners who were sent there because of their homosexuality. Every prisoner had to wear a downward-pointing triangle on his or her jacket, the colour of which was to categorise him or her by "kind"...
for gay men in Nazi concentration campsNazi concentration campsNazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
.
1940s
- 1940 – IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
decriminalizes homosexuality. - 1941 – Transsexuality was first used in reference to homosexuality and bisexuality.
- 1942 – SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
decriminalizes homosexuality, with the age of consent set at 20. - 1944 – SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
decriminalizes homosexuality, with the age of consent set at 20 and SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
legalizes homosexuality.
- 1945 – Upon the liberation of Nazi concentration camps by Allied forces, those interned for homosexuality are not freed, but required to serve out the full term of their sentences under Paragraph 175; Portugal decriminalises homosexuality for the second time in its history.
- Four honourably discharged gay veterans form the Veterans Benevolent AssociationVeterans Benevolent AssociationThe Veterans Benevolent Association was an organization for LGBT veterans of the United States armed forces. The VBA was founded in New York City in 1945 by four honorably discharged gay veterans....
, the first LGBT veterans' group. - 1946 – "COCCOC NederlandCOC Nederland is a Dutch organization for LGBT men and women. COC originally stood for Cultuur en Ontspanningscentrum , which was intended as a "cover" name for its real purpose...
" (Dutch acronym for "Center for Culture and Recreation"), one of the earliest homophileHomophileThe word homophile is an alternative to the word for homosexual or gay. The homophile movement also refers to the gay rights movement of the 1950s and '60s....
organizations, is founded in the Netherlands. It is the oldest surviving LGBT organization. - 1947 – Vice Versa, the first North American LGBT publication, is written and self-published by Lisa Ben in Los Angeles.
- 1948 – "Forbundet af 1948Danish National Association of Gays and LesbiansLGBT Danmark – Landsforeningen for bøsser, lesbiske, biseksuelle og transpersoner is a lobby for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transsexuals. The association was founded in 1948 as Circle of 1948...
" ("League of 1948"), a homosexual group, is formed in Denmark. - 1948 – The communist authorities of Poland make 15 the age of consent for all sexual acts, homosexual or heterosexual.
1950s
- 1950 – The Organization for Sexual Equality, now Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender RightsSwedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender RightsSwedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights is a Swedish organization working for LGBT rights.It was founded in 1950, which makes it one of the oldest LGBT rights organizations in the world...
(RFSL), is formed in Sweden; East Germany partially abrogates the Nazis' emendations to Paragraph 175; The Mattachine SocietyMattachine SocietyThe Mattachine Society, founded in 1950, was one of the earliest homophile organizations in the United States, probably second only to Chicago’s Society for Human Rights . Harry Hay and a group of Los Angeles male friends formed the group to protect and improve the rights of homosexuals...
, the first sustained American homosexual group, is founded in Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(November 11); 190 individuals in the United States are dismissed from government employment for their sexual orientation, commencing the Lavender scareLavender scareThe Lavender Scare refers to the fear and persecution of homosexuals in the 1950s in the United States, which paralleled the anti-communist campaign known as McCarthyism....
. - 1951 – GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
decriminalizes homosexuality. - 1952 – In the spring of 1952, Dale Jennings was arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly soliciting a police officer in a bathroom in Westlake Park, now known as MacArthur ParkMacArthur ParkMacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.- Geography :...
. His trial drew national attention to the Mattachine Society, and membership increased drastically after Jennings contested the charges, resulting in a hung jury. - 1952 – Christine JorgensenChristine JorgensenChristine Jorgensen was the first widely known person to have sex reassignment surgery—in this case, male to female.-Early life:...
becomes the first widely-publicized person to have undergone sex reassignment surgerySex reassignment surgerySex reassignment surgery is a term for the surgical procedures by which a person's physical appearance and function of their existing sexual characteristics are altered to resemble...
, in this case, male to female, creating a world-wide sensation. - 1954 – June 7–Mathematical and computer geniusGeniusGenius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
Alan TuringAlan TuringAlan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
commits suicideSuicideSuicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
by cyanideCyanideA cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
poisoning, 18 months after being given a choice between two years in prison or libido-reducing hormone treatment for a year as a punishment for homosexuality. A succession of well-known men, including Lord MontaguEdward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of BeaulieuEdward John Barrington Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu is a British Conservative politician well known in Britain for founding the National Motor Museum, as well as for a pivotal cause célèbre in British gay history, his 1954 conviction and imprisonment for homosexual sex, a...
, Michael Pitt-RiversMichael Pitt-RiversMajor Michael Augustus Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers was a West Country landowner who gained notoriety in Britain in the 1950s when he was put on trial charged with buggery...
and Peter WildebloodPeter WildebloodPeter Wildeblood was a British-Canadian journalist, novelist, playwright, and gay rights campaigner. He was one of the first men in the UK to publicly declare his homosexuality.-Career:...
, were convicted of homosexual offences as British police pursued a McCarthy-likeMcCarthyismMcCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by...
purge of SocietyHigh society (group)High society refers to a category of people deemed to have greater social status or prestige, and their related affiliations, social events and practices which together define a group variously referred to as "Society" or high society. Such groups are defined by certain key events and cultural...
homosexuals. Arcadie, the first homosexual group in France, is formed. - 1955 – Daughters of BilitisDaughters of BilitisThe Daughters of Bilitis , was the first lesbian rights organization in the United States. It was formed in San Francisco in 1955, conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were considered illegal and thus subject to raids and police harassment...
founded in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
; Mattachine Society New YorkNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
chapter founded. - 1956 – ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
decriminalizes homosexual acts. - 1957 – The word "Transsexual" is coined by U.S. physician Harry BenjaminHarry BenjaminHarry Benjamin was a German endocrinologist, widely known for his clinical work with transsexualism. He was raised in an observant Ashkenazy Jewish home.- Early life and career :...
; The Wolfenden Committee'sWolfenden reportThe Report of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution was published in Britain on 4 September 1957 after a succession of well-known men, including Lord Montagu, Michael Pitt-Rivers and Peter Wildeblood, were convicted of homosexual offences.-The committee:The...
report recommends decriminalizing consensual homosexual behaviour between adults in the United Kingdom; Psychologist Evelyn HookerEvelyn HookerEvelyn Hooker was a North American psychologist most notable for her 1957 paper "The Adjustment of the Male Overt Homosexual" in which she administered psychological tests to groups of self-identified homosexuals and heterosexuals and asked experts, based on those tests alone, to select the...
publishes a study showing that homosexual men are as well adjusted as non-homosexual men, which becomes a major factor in the American Psychiatric AssociationAmerican Psychiatric AssociationThe American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...
removing homosexuality from its handbook of disorders in 1973. - 1958 – The Homosexual Law Reform SocietyHomosexual Law Reform SocietyThe Homosexual Law Reform Society was an organisation that campaigned in the United Kingdom for changes in the laws that criminalised homosexual relations between men.- History :...
is founded in the United Kingdom; Barbara GittingsBarbara GittingsBarbara Gittings was a prominent American activist for gay equality. She organized the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis from 1958 to 1963, edited the national DOB magazine The Ladder from 1963 to 1966, and worked closely with Frank Kameny in the 1960s on the first picket lines that...
founds the New York chapter of Daughters of Bilitis. - 1958 – The United States Supreme Court rules in favor of the First Amendment rights of a gay and lesbian magazine, marking the first time the United States Supreme Court had ruled on a case involving homosexuality.
1960s
- 1961 – CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and Hungary decriminalize sodomy; the VaticanHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
declares that anyone who is "affected by the perverse inclination" towards homosexuality should not be allowed to take religious vows or be ordained within the Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
; The RejectedThe RejectedThe Rejected is a documentary film about homosexuality, produced for KQED in San Francisco by John W. Reavis,The Rejected was the first documentary program on homosexuality broadcast on American television. It initially ran on September 11, 1961, and was later syndicated to National Educational...
, the first documentaryDocumentaryA documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
on homosexuality, is broadcast on KQED TV in San Francisco on 11 September 1961; José SarriaJosé SarriaJosé Julio Sarria is an American political activist from San Francisco, California. Known for his years of performing at the historic Black Cat Bar in that city from the 1950s and 1960s, Sarria entertained patrons with satirical versions of popular songs and operas while encouraging them to live...
becomes the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States when he runs for the San Francisco Board of SupervisorsSan Francisco Board of SupervisorsThe San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
. - 1961 – IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
becomes first U.S. stateU.S. stateA U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
to remove sodomy law from its criminal code (effective 1962). - 1963 – IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
de-facto decriminalizes sodomy and sexual acts between men by judicial decision against the enforcement of the relevant section in the old British-mandate law from 1936 (which in fact was never enforced). - 1964 – CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sees its first gay-positive organization, ASK, and first gay magazines: ASK Newsletter (in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
), and Gay (by Gay Publishing Company of TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
). Gay was the first periodical to use the term 'Gay' in the title and expanded quickly, including outstripping the distribution of American publications under the name Gay International. These were quickly followed by Two (by Gayboy (later Kamp) Publishing Company of Toronto). - 1965 – Everett George KlippertGeorge KlippertEverett George Klippert was the last person in Canada to be arrested, charged, prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned for homosexuality before its legalization in 1969; the reforms which led to Canadian legalization of homosexuality were a direct result of the Klippert case.Klippert, a mechanic in...
, the last person imprisoned in Canada for homosexuality, is arrested for private, consensual sex with men. After being assessed "incurably homosexual", he is sentenced to an indefinite "preventive detention" as a dangerous sexual offender. This was considered by many Canadians to be extremely homophobic, and prompted sympathetic articles in Maclean'sMaclean'sMaclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
and The Toronto Star, eventually leading to increased calls for legal reformCriminal Law Amendment Act, 1968-69The Criminal Law Amendment Act, 1968-69 was an omnibus bill that introduced major changes to the Criminal Code of Canada. It was introduced as Bill C-150 by then Minister of Justice Pierre Trudeau in the second session of the 27th Canadian Parliament on December 21, 1967...
in Canada which passed in 1969. Conservatively dressed gays and lesbians demonstrate outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4, 1965. This was the first in a series of Annual ReminderAnnual ReminderThe Annual Reminders were a series of early pickets organized by homophile organizations. The Reminder took place each July 4 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia beginning in 1965 and were among the earliest LGBT demonstrations in the United States...
s that took place through 1969. - 1966 – The Mattachine Society stages a "Sip-In" at Julius BarJulius (New York City)Julius is a tavern in the New York City Greenwich Village neighborhood. It is often called the oldest continuously operating gay bar in New York; however, its management was actively unwilling to operate as such and harassed gay customers until 1966...
in New York City challenging a New York State Liquor Authority prohibiting serving alcohol to gays; the National Planning Conference of Homophile Organizations is established (to became NACHO — North American Conference of Homophile OrganizationsNorth American Conference of Homophile OrganizationsThe North American Conference of Homophile Organizations was an umbrella organization for a number of homophile organizations. Founded in 1966, the goal of NACHO was to expand coordination among homophile organizations throughout the Americas. Homophile activists were motivated in part by an...
later that year); the Compton's Cafeteria RiotCompton's cafeteria riotThe Compton's Cafeteria Riot occurred in August 1966 in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. This incident was one of the first recorded transgender riots in United States history, preceding the more famous 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York City.A smaller-scale riot broke out in 1959 in Los...
occurred in August 1966 in the TenderloinTenderloin, San Francisco, CaliforniaThe Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, California, in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill, nestled between the Union Square shopping district to the northeast and the Civic Center office district to the southwest...
district of San Francisco. This incident was the first recorded transgenderTransgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
riot in United States history, preceding the more famous 1969 Stonewall RiotsStonewall riotsThe Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
in New York City by three years. - 1967 – ChadChadChad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
decriminalizes homosexuality; The Sexual Offences Act 1967Sexual Offences Act 1967The Sexual Offences Act 1967 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom . It decriminalised homosexual acts in private between two men, both of whom had to have attained the age of 21. The Act applied only to England and Wales and did not cover the Merchant Navy or the Armed Forces...
decriminalizes male homosexual behaviour in England and WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
; The book Homosexual Behavior Among Males by Wainwright Churchill breaks ground as a scientific study approaching homosexuality as a fact of life and introduces the term "homoerotophobia", a possible precursor to "homophobia"; The Oscar Wilde BookshopOscar Wilde BookshopThe Oscar Wilde Bookshop was the first bookstore devoted to gay and lesbian authors. It was founded by Craig Rodwell in 1967 as the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop. Initially located at 291 Mercer Street, it moved in 1973 to Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, New York, United States...
, the world's first homosexual-oriented bookstore, opens in New York City; "Our World" ("Nuestro Mundo"), the first Latino-American homosexual group, is created in Argentina; A raid on the Black Cat TavernBlack Cat TavernThe Black Cat Tavern was an LGBT bar formerly located at 3909 W. Sunset Blvd. in the Silverlake section of Los Angeles, California.-History:The bar was established in November of 1966. Two months later, on the night of New Year's 1967, several plain-clothes police officers infiltrated the Black Cat...
in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
promotes homosexual rights activity. The Student Homophile League at Columbia University is the first institutionally recognized gay student group in the United States. - 1968 – Paragraph 175 is eased in East Germany decriminalizing homosexual acts over the age of 18; BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
decriminalizes adult homosexual relations.
- 1969 – The Stonewall riotsStonewall riotsThe Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
occur in New York; Paragraph 175Paragraph 175Paragraph 175 was a provision of the German Criminal Code from 15 May 1871 to 10 March 1994. It made homosexual acts between males a crime, and in early revisions the provision also criminalized bestiality. All in all, around 140,000 men were convicted under the law.The statute was amended several...
is eased in West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
; Homosexual behaviour legalized in Canada with an Age of ConsentAge of consentWhile the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
of 21 for sodomy, and 14 for non-sodomy; The Canadian Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
is quoted as saying: "The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation."; Poland decriminalizes homosexual prostitutionProstitutionProstitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
; An Australian arm of the Daughters of Bilitis forms in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and is considered Australia's first homosexual rights organisation. - 1969 – On 31 December 1969, the Cockettes perform for the first time at the Palace Theatre on Union and Columbus in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco.
1970s
- 1970 – The first Gay Liberation Day March is held in New York City; The first LGBT Pride Parade is held in Los Angeles; The first "Gay-in" held in San Francisco; Carl WittmanCarl WittmanCarl Wittman was a member of the national council of Students for a Democratic Society and later an activist for LGBT rights. He co-authored "An Interracial Movement of the Poor?" with Tom Hayden and wrote "A Gay Manifesto"...
writes A Gay Manifesto; CAMP (Campaign Against Moral Persecution) is formed in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
- 1971 – Society FiveSociety FiveSociety Five was a gay rights organisation formed in Melbourne, Australia, in January 1971, as the local branch of the national Campaign Against Moral Persecution network. The name referred to the believed percentage of the population who were homosexual. It was a 'closeted' organisation, in that...
(a homosexual rights organization) is formed in Melbourne, Australia; Homosexuality is decriminalized in AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
; ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
and OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
repeal sodomy laws; IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
repeals the sodomy law — Then re-instates the repealed sodomy law because of outrage among MormonsMormonsThe Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, a religion started by Joseph Smith during the American Second Great Awakening. A vast majority of Mormons are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints while a minority are members of other independent churches....
and Catholics. The Netherlands changes the homosexual age of consent to 16, the same as the straight age of consent; The U.S. Libertarian PartyLibertarian Party (United States)The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
calls for the repeal of all victimless crime laws, including the sodomy laws; Dr. Frank KamenyFranklin E. KamenyFranklin Edward "Frank" Kameny was "one of the most significant figures" in the American gay rights movement. In 1957, Kameny was dismissed from his position as an astronomer in the Army Map Service in Washington, D.C...
becomes the first openly gay candidate for the United States CongressUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
; The University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
establishes the first collegiate LGBT programs office, then known as the "Gay Advocate's Office." The UK Gay Liberation FrontGay Liberation FrontGay Liberation Front was the name of a number of Gay Liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots, in which police clashed with gay demonstrators.-The Gay Liberation Front:...
(GLF) was recognized as a political movement in the national press and was holding weekly meetings of 200 to 300 people.
- 1972 – Sweden becomes first country in the world to allow transsexuals to legally change their sex, and provides free hormone therapy; Hawaii legalizes homosexuality; In South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, a consenting adults in private-type legal defence was introduced; NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
decriminalizes homosexuality; East Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
and Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
and San Francisco, California become the first cities in United States to pass a homosexual rights ordinance. Jim FosterJim Foster (activist)James M. "Jim" Foster was an American LGBT rights and Democratic activist. Foster became active in the early gay rights movement when he moved to San Francisco following his undesirable discharge from the United States Army in 1959 for being homosexual...
, San Francisco and Madeline Davis, Buffalo, New YorkBuffalo, New YorkBuffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, first gay and lesbian delegates to the Democratic Convention, Miami, McGovern; give the first speeches advocating a gay rights plank in the Democratic Party Platform. "Stonewall Nation" first gay anthem is written and recorded by Madeline Davis and is produced on 45 rpm record by the Mattachine Society of the Niagara FrontierNiagara FrontierThe Niagara Frontier refers to the stretch of land south of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie and extending westward to Cleveland, Ohio. The term dates to the War of 1812. This only includes the land east of the Niagara River and south of Lake Erie within the United States...
. Lesbianism 101, first lesbianism course in the U.S. taught at the University of Buffalo by Margaret Small and Madeline Davis.Jeanne Manford marched with her gay son in New York's Pride Day parade. This was the beginning of PFLAG Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.http://community.pflag.org/Page.aspx?pid=267 - 1973 – The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersThe Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is published by the American Psychiatric Association and provides a common language and standard criteria for the classification of mental disorders...
(DSM-II), based largely on the research and advocacy of Evelyn Hooker; MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
legalizes homosexuality; In West Germany, the age of consent is reduced for homosexuals to 18 (though it is 14 for heterosexuals).
- 1974 – Kathy KozachenkoKathy KozachenkoIn April 1974, Kathy Kozachenkos successful bid for a seat on the Ann Arbor, Michigan city council made her the first openly gay or lesbian candidate to run successfully for political office in the United States....
becomes the first openly gay American elected to public office when she wins a seat on the Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
city council; In New York City Dr. Fritz KleinFritz KleinFred "Fritz" Klein was an American sex researcher, psychiatrist, inventor of the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid and author. He was also a pioneering bisexual rights activist, who was an important figure in the modern LGBT rights movement.- Life and career :Klein was born in Vienna, Austria, to...
founds the Bisexual Forum, the first support groupSupport groupIn a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic...
for the Bisexual CommunityBisexual communityBisexual community is a term used to describe members of the LGBT community who identify as bisexual, pansexual, "fluid", and queer-identified, as well as their allies...
; OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
repeals sodomy laws. Robert GrantRobert Grant (Christian Leader)Dr. Robert G. Grant is one of the early leaders of the Christian Right in America. He served as the chairman of Christian Voice and the American Freedom Coalition....
founds American Christian Cause to oppose the "gay agenda", the beginning of modern Christian politics in America. In London, the first openly LGBT telephone help lineLondon Lesbian and Gay SwitchboardThe London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard is the oldest gay and lesbian telephone help line in the UK, based in London.LLGS was founded in March 1974, providing help and information to London's gay community...
opens, followed one year later by the Brighton Lesbian and Gay Switchboard; the Brunswick FourBrunswick FourThe Brunswick Four were four lesbians involved in a historic incident in Toronto, Ontario in 1974. The four were evicted from the Brunswick Tavern, a working-class beer hall on Bloor Street, subsequently arrested, and three were later tried in Ontario Court for obstruction of justice.-Importance of...
are arrested on January 5, 1974, in Toronto, Ontario. This incident of LesbophobiaLesbophobiaLesbophobia comprises various forms of negativity toward lesbian women as individuals, as a couple or as a social group...
galvanizes the Toronto Lesbian and Gay community; the National Socialist LeagueNational Socialist League (United States)The National Socialist League, was a Neo-Nazi political party in the United States that existed from 1974 until the mid 1980s. It was founded by Russell Veh in Los Angeles in 1974. Veh financed the party using the profits from his printing business...
(The Gay Nazi Party) is founded in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
- 1975 – Homosexuality is legalized in CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
due to bill authored by and successfully lobbied for in the state legislature by State Assemblyman from San Francisco Max GabouryWillie Brown (politician)Willie Lewis Brown, Jr. is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He served over 30 years in the California State Assembly, spending 15 years as its Speaker, and afterward served as the 41st mayor of San Francisco, the first African American to do so...
; Elaine NobleElaine NobleElaine Noble is an American politician and LGBT activist who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for two terms starting in January 1975. She was the first openly lesbian or gay candidate elected to a state legislature...
becomes the second openly gay American elected to public office when she wins a seat in the Massachusetts State HouseMassachusetts State HouseThe Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the "New" State House, is the state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is located in Boston in the neighborhood Beacon Hill...
; South Australia becomes the first state in Australia to make homosexuality legal between consenting adults in private. Panama is the second country in the world to allow transsexuals who have gone through gender reassignment surgery to get their personal documents reflecting their new sex; UK journal Gay LeftGay LeftGay Left was a collective of gay men who produced a journal of the same name published every six months in London, England between the years 1975 and 1980...
begins publication.
- 1976 – Robert Grant founds the Christian VoiceChristian Voice (USA)Christian Voice is an American conservative Christian right advocacy group. In 1980, this group had 107,000 members including 37,000 pastors from 45 denominations. It is a project of the American Service Council...
to take his anti-homosexual-rights crusade national in United States; the Homosexual Law Reform Coalition and the Gay Teachers Group are started in Australia; the Australian Capital TerritoryAustralian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
decriminalizes homosexuality between consenting adults in private and equalizes the age of consent; and Denmark equalizes the age of consent.
- 1977 – Harvey MilkHarvey MilkHarvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
is elected city-county supervisor in San Francisco, becoming the third out American elected to public office. Dade County, Florida enacts a Human Rights Ordinance; it is repealed the same year after a militant anti-homosexual-rights campaign led by Anita BryantAnita BryantAnita Jane Bryant is an American singer, former Miss Oklahoma beauty pageant winner, and gay rights opponent. She scored four Top 40 hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses", which reached #5...
. QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
becomes the first jurisdiction larger than a city or county in the world to prohibit discriminationDiscriminationDiscrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
based on sexual orientationSexual orientationSexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
in the public and private sectors; CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, MontenegroMontenegroMontenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
and VojvodinaVojvodinaVojvodina, officially called Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an autonomous province of Serbia. Its capital and largest city is Novi Sad...
; legalise homosexuality. Welsh author Jeffrey WeeksJeffrey Weeks (sociologist)Jeffrey Weeks is a historian and sociologist specialising in work on sexuality, and is also a gay activist.-Career:...
publishes Coming Out;Publication of the first issue of Gaysweek
GaysweekGaysweek was New York City's first mainstream weekly lesbian and gay newspaper. It was founded by Alan Bell in 1977. Gaysweek began as an 8-page single-color tabloid and when it ceased publication in 1979 after 104 issues, it had grown to a 24-page two-color publication. Its monthly arts...
, NYC's first mainstream gay weekly. Police raid a house outside of Boston outraging the gay community. In response the Boston-Boise Committee is formed, which would lead to the founding of NAMBLA.
- 1978 – San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George MosconeGeorge MosconeGeorge Richard Moscone was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California, US from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. Moscone served in the California State Senate from 1967 until becoming Mayor. In the Senate, he served as...
are assassinatedMoscone-Milk assassinationsThe Moscone–Milk assassinations were the killings of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, who were shot and killed in San Francisco City Hall by former Supervisor Dan White on November 27, 1978...
by former Supervisor Dan WhiteDan WhiteDaniel James "Dan" White was a San Francisco supervisor who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall...
; the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi GrasSydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi GrasThe Sydney Mardi Gras is an annual LGBTQI pride parade and festival in Sydney, Australia, and draws in thousands of visitors from around Australia and overseas...
is held, with 2000 people attending and 53 subsequently arrested and some seriously beaten by police. ; The rainbow flag is first used as a symbol of homosexual pride; Sweden establishes a uniform age of consent. SamoisSamoisSamois was a lesbian-feminist BDSM organization based in San Francisco that existed from 1978 to 1983. It took its name from the fictional estate of Anne-Marie, a lesbian dominatrix character in Story of O, who pierces and brands O...
the earliest known lesbian-feminist BDSMBDSMBDSM is an erotic preference and a form of sexual expression involving the consensual use of restraint, intense sensory stimulation, and fantasy power role-play. The compound acronym BDSM is derived from the terms bondage and discipline , dominance and submission , and sadism and masochism...
organization is founded in San Francisco; well-known members of the group include Patrick CalifiaPatrick CalifiaPatrick Califia , born 1954 near Corpus Christi, Texas is a writer of nonfiction essays about sexuality and of erotic fiction and poetry. Califia is a bisexual trans man.-Biography:...
and Gayle RubinGayle RubinGayle S. Rubin is a cultural anthropologist best known as an activist and influential theorist of sex and gender politics. She has written on a range of subjects including feminism, sadomasochism, prostitution, pedophilia, pornography and lesbian literature, as well as anthropological studies and...
; the group is among the very earliest advocates of what came to be known as sex-positive feminismSex-positive feminismSex-positive feminism, also known as pro-sex feminism, sex-radical feminism, or sexually liberal feminism is a movement that began in the early 1980s...
; The International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) is established.
- 1979 – The first national homosexual rights march on Washington, DC is held; The White Night riotsWhite Night RiotsThe White Night riots were a series of violent events sparked by an announcement of the lenient sentencing of Dan White, for the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. The events took place on the night of May 21, 1979 in San Francisco...
occur, Harry HayHarry HayHenry "Harry" Hay, Jr. was a labor advocate, teacher and early leader in the American LGBT rights movement. He is known for his roles in helping to found several gay organizations, including the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States.Hay was exposed early in...
issues the first call for a Radical Faerie gathering in ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and CubaCubaThe Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Spain decriminalize homosexuality. - 1979 A number of people in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
called in sick with a case of being homosexual, in protest of homosexuality being classified as an illnessHomosexuality and psychologyPsychology was one of the first disciplines to study homosexuality as a discrete phenomenon. Prior to and throughout most of the 20th century, common standard psychology viewed homosexuality in terms of pathological models as a mental illness...
. This was followed by an activist occupation of the main office of the National Board of Health and Welfare. Within a few months, Sweden became the first country in the world to remove homosexuality as an illness.
1980s
- 1980 – The United States Democratic Party becomes the first major political party in the U.S. to endorse a homosexual rights platform plank; ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
decriminalizes homosexuality; David McReynoldsDavid McReynoldsDavid McReynolds is an American democratic socialist and pacifist activist who described himself as "a peace movement bureaucrat" during his 40-year career with Liberation magazine and the War Resisters League...
becomes the first openly LGBT individual to run for President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, appearing on the Socialist Party U S A ticket; The Human Rights CampaignHuman Rights CampaignThe Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
Fund is founded by Steve EndeanSteve EndeanStephen Robert Endean was an early gay rights activist, first in Minnesota, then nationally.He was born in Davenport, Iowa, and came to Minnesota to attend the University of Minnesota from 1968-1972, majoring in political science.Some of the visionary items he worked on:* 1971: founded Minnesota's...
; The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. - 1981 – The European Court of Human RightsEuropean Court of Human RightsThe European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
in Dudgeon v. United KingdomDudgeon v. United KingdomDudgeon v the United Kingdom was a European Court of Human Rights case, which held that legislation passed in the nineteenth century to criminalise male homosexual acts in England, Wales and Ireland - in 1980, still in force in Northern Ireland - violated the European Convention on Human Rights...
strikes down Northern Ireland's criminalisation of homosexual acts between consenting adults, leading to Northern Ireland decriminalising homosexual sex the following year; Victoria (Australia)Victoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
and ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
decriminalize homosexuality with a uniform age of consent; The Moral MajorityMoral MajorityThe Moral Majority was a political organization of the United States which had an agenda of evangelical Christian-oriented political lobbying...
starts its anti-homosexual crusade; Norway becomes the first country in the world to enact a law to prevent discrimination against homosexuals; Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
's first sex-change operation is performed. The first official documentation of the condition to be known as AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
was published by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Centers for Disease Control and PreventionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
on 5 June 1981. - 1982 – Laguna Beach, CA elects the first openly gay mayor in United States history; France equalizes the age of consent; The first Gay GamesGay GamesThe Gay Games is the world's largest sporting and cultural event organized by and specifically for LGBT athletes, artists, musicians, and others. It welcomes participants of every sexual orientation and every skill level...
is held in San Francisco, attracting 1,600 participants; Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
decriminalizes homosexuality; WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
becomes the first US state to ban discrimination against homosexuals; New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
becomes the first Australian state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived homosexuality. The condition to be known as AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
had acquired a number of names – GRID5 (gay-related immune deficiency), ‘gay cancer’, ‘community-acquired immune dysfunction’ and ‘gay compromise syndrome’ The CDC used the term AIDS for the first time in September 1982, when it reported that an average of one to two cases of AIDS were being diagnosed in America every day. - 1983 – MassachusettsMassachusettsThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Representative Gerry StuddsGerry StuddsGerry Eastman Studds was an American Democratic Congressman from Massachusetts who served from 1973 until 1997. He was the first openly gay member of Congress in the U.S. In 1983 he was censured by the House of Representatives after he admitted to having had an affair with a 17-year-old page in...
reveals he is a homosexual on the floor of the House, becoming the first openly gay member of Congress; GuernseyGuernseyGuernsey, officially the Bailiwick of Guernsey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy.The Bailiwick, as a governing entity, embraces not only all 10 parishes on the Island of Guernsey, but also the islands of Herm, Jethou, Burhou, and Lihou and their islet...
(Including AlderneyAlderneyAlderney is the most northerly of the Channel Islands. It is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency. It is long and wide. The area is , making it the third-largest island of the Channel Islands, and the second largest in the Bailiwick...
, HermHermHerm is the smallest of the Channel Islands that is open to the public and is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Cars are banned from the small island just like its Channel Island neighbour, Sark. Unlike Sark, bicycles are also banned...
and SarkSarkSark is a small island in the Channel Islands in southwestern English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. It is a royal fief, geographically located in the Channel Islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It has a population...
) decriminalizes homosexuality; Portugal decriminalizes homosexuality for the third time in its history; AIDS is described as a "gay plague" by Reverend Jerry FalwellJerry FalwellJerry Lamon Falwell, Sr. was an evangelical fundamentalist Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, and a conservative commentator from the United States. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch in Lynchburg, Virginia...
. - 1984 – The lesbian and gay association "Ten Percent Club" is formed in Hong Kong; Massachusetts voters reelect representative Gerry Studds, despite his revealing himself as homosexual the year before; New South Wales and the Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
in Australia make homosexual acts legal; Chris SmithChris Smith, Baron Smith of FinsburyChristopher "Chris" Robert Smith, Baron Smith of Finsbury PC is a British Labour Party politician, and a former Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister...
, newly elected to the UK parliament declares: "My name is Chris Smith. I'm the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury, and I'm gay", making him the first openly out homosexual politician in the UK parliament. The Argentine Homosexual Community (Comunidad Homosexual Argentina, CHA) is formed uniting several different and preexisting groups. Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
becomes the first city in the U.S. to adopt a program of domestic partnership health benefits for city employees; West Hollywood, CA is founded and becomes the first known city to elect a city council where a majority of the members are openly gay or lesbian. - 1985 – France prohibits discrimination based on lifestyle (moeurs) in employment and services; the first memorial to gay Holocaust victimsHistory of gay people in Nazi Germany and the HolocaustIn the 1920s, homosexual people in Germany, particularly in Berlin, enjoyed a higher level of freedom and acceptance than anywhere else in the world. However, upon the rise of Adolf Hitler, gay men and, to a lesser extent, lesbians, were two of the numerous groups targeted by the Nazi Party and...
is dedicated; BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
equalizes the age of consent; the Restoration Church of Jesus ChristRestoration Church of Jesus ChristThe former Restoration Church of Jesus Christ , based in the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah, was a church in the Latter Day Saint movement that catered primarily to the spiritual needs of Latter Day Saints who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered .The RCJC was sometimes informally...
(the Gay Mormon Church) is founded by Antonio A. FelizAntonio A. FelizAntonio A. Feliz was the founder and first president of the Restoration Church of Jesus Christ, a denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement that was founded to serve the spiritual needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and intersexual Latter Day Saints.Prior to the founding of the...
. Bisexual actor Rock HudsonRock HudsonRoy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
died of AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. He was the first major public figure known to have died from an AIDS-related illness. - 1986 – Homosexual Law Reform ActHomosexual Law Reform ActThe New Zealand Homosexual Law Reform Act 1986 is a law that legalised consensual sex between men aged 16 and older. It removed the provisions of the Crimes Act 1961 that criminalised this behaviour.-Background:...
passed in New ZealandNew ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, legalizing sex between males over 16; HaitiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
decriminalizes homosexuality, June in Bowers v. HardwickBowers v. HardwickBowers v. Hardwick, , is a United States Supreme Court decision that upheld, in a 5-4 ruling, the constitutionality of a Georgia sodomy law criminalizing oral and anal sex in private between consenting adults when applied to homosexuals. Seventeen years after Bowers v. Hardwick, the Supreme Court...
case, U.S. Supreme Court upholds Georgia law forbidding oral or anal sex, ruling that the constitutional right to privacy does not extend to homosexual relations, but it did not state whether the law could be enforced against heterosexuals. - 1987 – AIDS Coalition to Unleash PowerAIDS Coalition to Unleash PowerAIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and...
(ACT-UP) founded in the US in response to the US government’s slow response in dealing with the AIDS crisis. ACT UPAIDS Coalition to Unleash PowerAIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and...
stages its first major demonstration, seventeen protesters are arrested; U.S. Congressman Barney FrankBarney FrankBarney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...
comes out; In New York City a group of Bisexual LGBT rights activist including Brenda HowardBrenda HowardBrenda Howard was an American bisexual rights activist and sex-positive feminist. Howard was an important figure in the modern LGBT rights movement.- Biography :...
found the New York Area Bisexual Network (NYABN)New York Area Bisexual NetworkNew York Area Bisexual Network is a central communications network for bisexual & bi-friendly groups and resources in the five boroughs of New York City and the surrounding Tri-State area....
; HomomonumentHomomonumentThe Homomonument is a memorial in the centre of Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. It commemorates all gay men and lesbians who have been subjected to persecution because of their homosexuality...
, a memorial to persecuted homosexuals, opens in AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. David Norris is the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in the Republic of IrelandRepublic of IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. - 1988 – Sweden is the first country to pass laws protecting homosexual regarding social services, taxes, and inheritances. The anti-gay Section 28Section 28Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
passes in England and Wales; Scotland enacts almost identical legislation; Canadian MP Svend RobinsonSvend RobinsonSvend Robinson is a former Canadian politician. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 to 2004, representing the suburban Vancouver-area constituency of Burnaby for the New Democratic Party...
comes out; Canada lowers the age of consent for sodomy to 18; BelizeBelizeBelize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
and Israel decriminalize (de jureDe jureDe jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".De jure = 'Legally', De facto = 'In fact'....
) sodomy and sexual acts between men (the relevant section in the old British-mandate law from 1936 was never enforced in Israel). After losing an Irish High Court case (1980) and an Irish Supreme Court case (1983), David Norris takes his case (Norris v. IrelandNorris v. IrelandNorris v. Ireland was a 1988 case decided by the European Court of Human Rights. The case was brought against the Republic of Ireland by Senator David Norris, and his Senior Counsel was fellow member of the Campaign for Homosexual Law Reform, Mary Robinson, who later became the first female...
) to the European Court of Human Rights. The European Court strikes down the Irish law criminalising male-to-male sex on the grounds of privacy. - 1989 – Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
decriminalizes male homosexuality (but the age of consent is set at 21); LiechtensteinLiechtensteinThe Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
legalizes homosexuality; Denmark is the first country in the world to enact registered partnership laws (like a civil unionCivil unionA civil union, also referred to as a civil partnership, is a legally recognized form of partnership similar to marriage. Beginning with Denmark in 1989, civil unions under one name or another have been established by law in many developed countries in order to provide same-sex couples rights,...
) for same-sex couples, with most of the same rights as marriage (excluding the right to adoption (until June 2010) and the right to marriage in a church).
1990s
(See individual year page for more info)- 1990
- Equalization of age of consent: Czechoslovakia (see Czech Republic, Slovakia)
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: UK Crown Dependency of JerseyJerseyJersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
and the Australian state of QueenslandLGBT rights in QueenslandSame-sex sexual activity was decriminalized on 29 November 1990. The bill which decriminalized sodomy was assented on 7 December 1990... - LGBT Organizations founded: BiNet USABiNet USABiNet USA is a national bisexual/pansexual civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. It was founded to formalize communication between U.S...
(USA), OutRage!OutRage!OutRage! is a British LGBT rights group that was formed to fight for equal rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in comparison to heterosexual people. It is a group which has at times been criticised for outing individuals who wanted to keep their homosexuality secret and for being...
(UK) and Queer NationQueer NationQueer Nation was an organization founded in March 1990 in New York City, USA by AIDS activists from ACT UP. The four founders were outraged at the escalation of anti-gay and lesbian violence on the streets and prejudice in the arts and media...
(USA) - Other: Justin FashanuJustin FashanuJustinus Soni "Justin" Fashanu was an English footballer who played for a variety of clubs between 1978 and 1997. He was known by his early clubs to be homosexual, and came out to the press later in his career, to become the first professional footballer to be openly gay...
is the first professional footballer to come out in the press.
- 1991
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Bahamas, Hong KongLGBT rights in Hong KongHomosexuality is legal in Hong Kong and public opinion shows increased awareness about and tolerance for LGBT people. However, there are only limited anti-discrimination laws and no legal recognition of same-sex couples.- Criminal law :...
and Ukraine - AIDS Related: The red ribbonRed ribbonThe red ribbon, as an awareness ribbon colored red, has several different meanings in different contexts. Foremost, it is the symbol of solidarity of people living with HIV/AIDS.-Awareness symbol:...
is first used as a symbol of the campaign against HIV/AIDS.
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Bahamas, Hong Kong
- 1992
- Equalization of age of consent: Iceland, Luxembourg and Switzerland
- Homosexuality no longer an illness: The World Health OrganizationWorld Health OrganizationThe World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Estonia and Latvia
- Repeal of Sodomy laws: UK Crown Dependency of Isle of ManLGBT rights in the Isle of ManLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in the Isle of Man over the past couple of years have become more liberal after years of lobbying, LGBT people have made progress in getting legal recognition Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Isle of Man over the past...
(homosexuality still illegal until 1994) - End to ban on gay people in the military: Australia, Canada
- Recriminalisation of homosexuality: NicaraguaLGBT rights in NicaraguaLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Nicaragua may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Nicaragua, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal...
(until Mar 2008).
- 1993
- Jan Waterman wins precedent setting human rights victory, some refer to as the beginning of G & L history in Canada. Included in the Human Rights code and in Teaching Human Rights:
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: NorwaySame-sex marriage in NorwaySame-sex marriage became legal in Norway on January 1, 2009 when a gender neutral marriage bill was enacted after being passed by the Norwegian legislature in June 2008...
(without adoption until 2002, replaced with same-sex marriage in 2008/09)
- Passed and Comes into effect: Norway
- Repeal of Sodomy laws: Australian Territory of Norfolk IslandNorfolk IslandNorfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Belarus, UK Crown Dependency of GibraltarLGBT rights in GibraltarIn Gibraltar, the age of consent is 16 for heterosexuals and lesbians, while the age of consent for gay males was maintained at 18, while anal sex among heterosexuals is illegal under statute, until April 2011 when under Supreme Court order the law was found to be unconstitutional and so the age of...
, Ireland, Lithuania, Russia (with the exception of the Chechen Republic); - Anti-discrimination legislation: US state of MinnesotaMinnesotaMinnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
(gender identity) - Ban on gays serving openly in the military: USA (see Don't ask, don't tellDon't ask, don't tell"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
, repealed 2010) - End to ban on gay people in the military: New Zealand
- Significant LGBT Murders: Brandon TeenaBrandon TeenaBrandon Teena was an American trans man who was raped and murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska. His life and death were the subject of the Academy Award-winning 1999 film Boys Don't Cry, which was based on the documentary film The Brandon Teena Story.-Life:Teena was born Teena Renae Brandon in Lincoln,...
- 1994
- Unregistered Cohabitation recognition:
- Passed and Comes into effect: Israel (without adoption, without step-adoption until 2005)
- Anti-discrimination legislation: South Africa (sexual orientation, interim constitution)
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: BermudaLGBT rights in BermudaLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Bermuda face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT persons. Homosexuality is legal in Bermuda, but the country has long held a reputation for being anti-gay, and discrimination on the grounds of sexuality and gender identity is also...
, Germany, UK Crown Dependency of Isle of ManLGBT rights in the Isle of ManLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in the Isle of Man over the past couple of years have become more liberal after years of lobbying, LGBT people have made progress in getting legal recognition Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Isle of Man over the past...
and Serbia - Equalization of age of consent:
- Partial: UK reduces the age of consent for homosexual men to 18;
- Homosexuality no longer an illness: American Medical AssociationAmerican Medical AssociationThe American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
- LGBT Organizations founded: National Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality (South Africa)
- Other : Canada grants refugee status to homosexuals fearing for their well-being in their native country; Toonen v. AustraliaToonen v. AustraliaToonen v. Australia was a landmark human rights complaint brought before the United Nations Human Rights Committee by Tasmanian resident Nicholas Toonen in 1994...
decided by UN Human Rights Committee.
- Unregistered Cohabitation recognition:
- 1995
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: SwedenSame-sex marriage in SwedenSame-sex marriage in Sweden has been legal since 1 May 2009, following the adoption of a new, gender-neutral law on marriage by the Swedish parliament on 1 April 2009, making Sweden the seventh country in the world to open marriage to same sex couples nationwide...
(with adoption, replaced with same-sex marriage in Apr 2009)
- Passed and Comes into effect: Sweden
- Anti-discrimination legislation: Canada (sexual orientation)
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Albania and Moldova
- AIDS Related: Triple combination therapy of drugs such as 3TCLamivudineLamivudine is a potent nucleoside analog reverse transcriptase inhibitor .It is marketed by GlaxoSmithKline with the brand names Zeffix, Heptovir, Epivir, and Epivir-HBV.Lamivudine has been used for treatment of chronic hepatitis B at a lower dose than for treatment of HIV...
, AZTZidovudineZidovudine or azidothymidine is a nucleoside analog reverse-transcriptase inhibitor , a type of antiretroviral drug used for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. It is an analog of thymidine....
and ddC shown to be effective in treating HIVHIVHuman immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
, the virus responsible for AIDSAIDSAcquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus... - Other : The Human Rights CampaignHuman Rights CampaignThe Human Rights Campaign is the United States' largest LGBT advocacy group and lobbying organization; according to the HRC, it has more than one million members and supporters...
drops the word "Fund" from their title and broadens their mission to promote "an America where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are ensured equality and embraced as full members of the American family at home, at work and in every community;"
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- 1996
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: Iceland (with step-adoption, without joint adoption until 2006, replaced with same-sex marriage in 2010)
- Unregistered Cohabitation recognition:
- Passed and Comes into effect: HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(replaced with registered partnerships in 2009)
- Passed and Comes into effect: Hungary
- Restriction of LGBT partnership rights: USA, (federal, see DOMADoma- Places :* Domah, a mandal in Ranga Reddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India* Doma, Nigeria, a local government are in Nasarawa State, Nigeria* Duma , a Palestinian town in the West Bank- Other uses :...
) - Equalization of age of consent: Burkina Faso
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Romania, Macedonia, Macau
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- 1997
- Anti-discrimination legislation: Fiji (sexual orientation, constitution) and South Africa (sexual orientation, constitution)
- Equalization of age of consent: Russia
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Ecuador and the Australian state of Tasmania
- Other : The UK extends immigration rights to same-sex couples akin to marriage;
- 1998
- Anti-discrimination legislation: Ecuador (sexual orientation, constitution), Ireland (sexual orientation) and the Canadian province of Alberta
- Significant LGBT Murders: Rita HesterRita HesterRita Hester was a transgender African American woman who was murdered in Allston, MA on November 28, 1998. In response to her murder, an outpouring of community grief and anger led to a candlelight vigil held the following Friday in which about 250 people participated...
, Matthew ShepardMatthew ShepardMatthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998... - Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, KazakhstanLGBT rights in KazakhstanLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Kazakhstan may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Kazakhstan, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal...
, KyrgyzstanLGBT rights in KyrgyzstanLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Kyrgyzstan may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Kyrgyzstan, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal...
, South Africa (retroactive to 1994), Southern Cyprus and TajikistanLGBT rights in TajikistanLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Tajikistan may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Tajikistan, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal... - Equalization of age of consent: Croatia and Latvia
- End to ban on gay people in the military: Romania, South Africa
- 1999
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: US State of California (without adoption, without step adoption until 2001, same-sex marriage in Jun 2008-Nov 2008)
- Passed and Comes into effect: FrancePacte civil de solidaritéIn France, a pacte civil de solidarité commonly known as a PACS /paks/ , is a form of civil union between two adults for organising their joint life. It brings rights and responsibilities, but less so than marriage...
- Equalization of age of consent: Finland (without adoption)
- LGBT Organizations founded: "Queer Youth AllianceQueer Youth AllianceThe Queer Youth Network is a national non-profit-making organisation that is run by and for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people and is based in the United Kingdom...
" (UK) - Other: Israel’s supreme court recognizes a lesbian partner as another legal mother of her partner’s biological son; South Africa grants spousal immigration benefits to same-sex partners.
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
2000
- 2000
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passes and Comes into effect: US State of Vermont
- Anti-discrimination legislation: South Africa (discrimination, hate speech, harassment; see PEPUDA)
- Revoking of discrimination legislation: UK subdivision of ScotlandLGBT rights in ScotlandLGBT rights in Scotland have advanced in the late 20th and in the early years of the 21st century, though less quickly than in England and Wales....
(Section 28Section 28Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
) - End to ban on gay people in the military: United Kingdom. See also: Sexual orientation and military serviceSexual orientation and military serviceThe military forces of the world have differing approaches to the enlistment of homosexual and bisexual individuals. The armed forces of most developed countries have now removed policies excluding non-heterosexual individuals...
and StonewallStonewall (UK)Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the... - Equalization of age of consent: Belarus, Israel, United Kingdom (passed eff. 2001)
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Azerbaijan, Gabon and Georgia
- Other: In Germany the BundestagBundestagThe Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
officially apologizes to gays and lesbians persecuted under the Nazi regime, and for "harm done to homosexual citizens up to 1969";
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
Israel recognizes same-sex relations for immigration purposes for a foreign partner of an Israeli resident.
2001–2009
(See individual year page for more info)- 2001
- Same sex marriages laws:
- Come into effect: The NetherlandsSame-sex marriage in the NetherlandsSame-sex marriage has been legal in the Netherlands since 1 April 2001...
(with joint adoption)
- Come into effect: The Netherlands
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Comes into effect: Germany (without joint adoption until Oct 2004, then with step-adoption)
- Passed: Finland (without joint adoption until May 2009, then with step-adoption)
- Limited Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: Portugal (without joint adoption) (replaced with marriage 2009)
- Comes into effect: Swiss canton of GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
(without joint adoption)
- Anti-discrimination legislation: US states of Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
(private sector, gender identity) and MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
(private sector, sexual orientation) - Equalization of age of consent: Albania, Estonia and Liechtenstein
- Repeal of Sodomy laws: US state of ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: the rest of the United Kingdom's territories
- Homosexuality no longer an illness: ChinaHomosexuality in ChinaHomosexuality in China refers to homosexuality in Chinese culture; which, as a term, is relatively ambiguous in the contemporary context, although many instances have been recorded in the dynastic histories.-Terminology in China:...
- Marches and Prides: Protesters disrupt the first Pride march in the Serbian ciy of BelgradeBelgradeBelgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
- Same sex marriages laws:
- 2002
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: Canadian province of QuebecCivil unions in QuebecCivil unions in Quebec are available in Quebec to both opposite-sex and same-sex couples and generally creates the same rights for the partners as a traditional marriage.As a result of a range of activism and to the M. v...
(with joint adoption) - Comes into effect: Finland (without joint adoption until May 2009, then with step-adoption)
- Passed: Argentinian city of Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(without joint adoption)
- Passed and Comes into effect: Canadian province of Quebec
- Limited Partnerships laws:
- Passed: Swiss canton of ZurichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
(without joint adoption)
- Passed: Swiss canton of Zurich
- Same-sex couple adoption legalisation: South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
(joint and step adoption), SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
(step adoption) - Anti-discrimination legislation: US states of AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
(public sector, sexual orientation) and New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(private sector, sexual orientation) - Equalization of age of consent: Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Moldova, Romania and the Australian state of Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
- Repeal of Sodomy laws: RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, Costa RicaCosta RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and the US State of ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River... - Decriminalisation of homosexuality: ChinaHomosexuality in ChinaHomosexuality in China refers to homosexuality in Chinese culture; which, as a term, is relatively ambiguous in the contemporary context, although many instances have been recorded in the dynastic histories.-Terminology in China:...
, MongoliaLGBT rights in MongoliaHomosexuality was decriminalized in Mongolia in 2002.There are a couple of known LGBT-rights organizations active in Mongolia, most notably one called "Tavilan" .- Recognition of same-sex relationships :... - Other: openly gay Dutch politician Pim FortuynPim FortuynWilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn was a Dutch politician, civil servant, sociologist, author and professor who formed his own party, Pim Fortuyn List ....
is assassinated by Volkert van der GraafVolkert van der GraafVolkert van der Graaf is known for assassinating the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn on 6 May 2002 during the political campaign. Van der Graaf was an animal rights and environmental activist, founder of a group that worked through litigation...
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- 2003
- Same sex marriages laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: BelgiumSame-sex marriage in BelgiumOn June 1, 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage, with some restrictions. Originally, Belgium allowed the marriages of foreign same-sex couples only if their country of origin also allowed these unions...
(without joint adoption until Apr 2006) and the Canadian provinces of OntarioSame-sex marriage in OntarioThe first legal same-sex marriages performed in Ontario were of Kevin Bourassa to Joe Varnell, and Elaine Vautour to Anne Vautour, by Rev. Brent Hawkes on January 14, 2001....
, British ColumbiaSame-sex marriage in British ColumbiaSame-sex marriage in British Columbia became legal on July 8, 2003, becoming the second region in Canada to legalize same-sex marriage, behind Ontario, after a series of court rulings which ultimately landed in favour of same-sex couples seeking marriage licenses.Canada became the fourth country in...
- Passed and Comes into effect: Belgium
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Comes into effect: Argentinian city of Buenos AiresBuenos AiresBuenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
(without joint adoption) - Passed:: Australian state of TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
(step adoption only)
- Comes into effect: Argentinian city of Buenos Aires
- Limited Partnerships laws:
- Comes into effect: Austria (without joint adoption)(replaced with registed partnerships 2010), Croatia (without joint adoption)
- Anti-discrimination legislation:BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
( all sectors, sexual orientation), United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(excluding religious organisations, sexual orientation), US states of ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
(public sector, sexual orientation), KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
(public sector, sexual orientation and gender identity), MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
(executive branch of the state government, sexual orientation), New MexicoNew MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
(private sector, sexual orientation and gender identity), PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
(public sector, gender identity) - Equalization of age of consent: Australian state and territory (resp.) of New South WalesLGBT rights in New South Wales-Activism and decriminalization:The Campaign Against Moral Persecution, also known as C.A.M.P., was founded in Sydney in September 1970 and was one of Australia's fist gay rights organisations. C.A.M.P...
and Northern TerritoryNorthern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions... - Repeal of Sodomy laws: ArmeniaArmeniaArmenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, USA (Lawrence v. TexasLawrence v. TexasLawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 , is a landmark United States Supreme Court case. In the 6-3 ruling, the Court struck down the sodomy law in Texas and, by proxy, invalidated sodomy laws in the thirteen other states where they remained in existence, thereby making same-sex sexual activity legal in...
) - Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Iraq
- Recriminalisation of homosexuality: BelizeLGBT rights in BelizeLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Belize face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT citizens. Male same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Belize, with a penalty of 10 years imprisonment...
- Other: Section 28Section 28Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
is repealed in England and WalesEngland and WalesEngland and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
and Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Gene RobinsonGene RobinsonVicki Gene Robinson is the ninth bishop of the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Robinson was elected bishop in 2003 and entered office in March 2004...
becomes the first openly gay Bishop in the Episcopal church in the USA.
- Same sex marriages laws:
- 2004
- Same sex marriage laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: Canadian provinces of ManitobaSame-sex marriage in ManitobaSame-sex marriage in Manitoba began on September 16, 2004, when Manitoba became the fifth jurisdiction in Canada to legalize same-sex marriage, after the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec, and Yukon Territory....
(with adoption), Newfoundland and LabradorSame-sex marriage in Newfoundland and LabradorSame-sex marriage in Newfoundland and Labrador: Newfoundland and Labrador has issued marriage licences to same-sex couples since December 21, 2004....
, Nova ScotiaSame-sex marriage in Nova ScotiaSame-sex marriage in Nova Scotia dates from August 2004, when three couples in Nova Scotia brought the suit Boutilier et al. v. Canada and Nova Scotia against the provincial and federal governments requesting that it issue same-sex marriage licences.The partners who brought suit were:*Brian...
, QuebecSame-sex marriage in QuebecOn March 19, 2004, the Quebec Court of Appeals ruled similarly to the Ontario and B.C. courts, upholding Hendricks and Leboeuf v. Quebec and ordering that it take effect immediately...
(with adoption), SaskatchewanSame-sex marriage in SaskatchewanSaskatchewan has recognized same-sex marriage, as of November 5, 2004.On September 27, 2004, Saskatchewan Justice Minister Frank Quennell told CBC News that neither he nor the province will take a stand on the issue of same-sex marriage....
and YukonSame-sex marriage in YukonSame-sex marriage in Yukon began on July 14, 2004, when Yukon Territory became the fourth jurisdiction in Canada to legalize same-sex marriage, after the provinces of Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec....
, US State of MassachusettsSame-sex marriage in MassachusettsSame-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Massachusetts began on May 17, 2004, as a result of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts constitution to allow only heterosexual couples to marry...
- Passed and Comes into effect: Canadian provinces of Manitoba
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: Brazilian State of Rio Grande do SulRio Grande do SulRio Grande do Sul is the southernmost state in Brazil, and the state with the fifth highest Human Development Index in the country. In this state is located the southernmost city in the country, Chuí, on the border with Uruguay. In the region of Bento Gonçalves and Caxias do Sul, the largest wine...
, Luxembourg (without joint adoption) and US state of MaineDomestic partnership in MaineDomestic partnerships were established in the state of Maine by statute in April 2004, taking effect on 30 July 2004. This placed Maine in the category of U.S. states that offer limited recognition of same-sex relationships, but not all of the legal protections of marriage... - Comes into effect:: Australian state of TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
(step adoption only) - Passed: New ZealandCivil unions in New ZealandCivil union has been legal in New Zealand since 26 April 2005. The Civil Union Act to establish the institution of civil union for same-sex and opposite-sex couples was passed by the Parliament on 9 December 2004. The Act has been described as very similar to the Marriage Act with references to...
(without joint adoption)
- Passed and Comes into effect: Brazilian State of Rio Grande do Sul
- Limited Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: New Jersey
- Same-sex couple adoption legalisation: GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(Step Adoption) - Banning of Same-sex marriage: AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, US states of MississippiMississippiMississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, MontanaMontanaMontana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, OregonOregonOregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and UtahUtahUtah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the... - Banning of Same-sex marriage and civil unions: US states of ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, GeorgiaGeorgia (U.S. state)Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, North DakotaNorth DakotaNorth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... - Anti-discrimination legislation: PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, US States of IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
(public sector, gender identity), LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
(public sector, sexual orientation) and MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost... - Equalization of age of consent: LithuaniaLithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Cape VerdeLGBT rights in Cape VerdeLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Cape Verde may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Cape Verde, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal...
, Marshall IslandsLGBT rights in the Marshall IslandsLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in the Marshall Islands may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.-Law regarding same-sex sexual...
and San Marino - Other: UK Gender Recognition Bill, James McGreevey becomes the first openly gay Governor in U.S. history.
- Same sex marriage laws:
- 2005
- Same sex marriage laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: CanadaSame-sex marriage in CanadaOn July 20, 2005, Canada became the fourth country in the world and the first country in the Americas to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide with the enactment of the Civil Marriage Act which provided a gender-neutral marriage definition...
, SpainSame-sex marriage in SpainSame-sex marriage in Spain has been legal since July 3, 2005. In 2004, the nation's newly elected social democratic government, led by President José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, began a campaign for its legalization, including the right of adoption by same-sex couples...
(with joint adoption)
- Passed and Comes into effect: Canada
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passes and Comes into effect: AndorraRecognition of same-sex unions in AndorraIn March 2005, the Principality of Andorra legalised the stable union of a couple.This new law took effect without the signature of the episcopal co-prince Joan Enric, the current Bishop of Urgell...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(without joint adoption (England and Wales) until Dec 2005, without joint adoption (Scotland) until Sep 2009, without joint adoption (Northern Ireland)), US state of ConnecticutSame-sex marriage in ConnecticutConnecticut joined Massachusetts as one of two states in the U.S. to perform marriages of same-sex couples on November 12, 2008. Connecticut was the third state to do so, but only the second where the decision was not repealed.-Civil union:... - Comes into effect: New ZealandCivil unions in New ZealandCivil union has been legal in New Zealand since 26 April 2005. The Civil Union Act to establish the institution of civil union for same-sex and opposite-sex couples was passed by the Parliament on 9 December 2004. The Act has been described as very similar to the Marriage Act with references to...
(without joint adoption), US state of California - Passed: Switzerland (without adoption), Slovenia
- Passes and Comes into effect: Andorra
- Same-sex couple adoption legalisation: UK Subdivisions of EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... - Banning of Same-sex marriage: LatviaSame-sex marriage in LatviaIn December 2005, Latvia decided to constitutionally ban same-sex marriage.On 23 September 1999 the Latvian National Human Rights Office presented registered partnership bill. On 28 September 1999 the proposal was sent to the Human Rights and Public Affairs Commission of the Saeima of the Republic...
and UgandaUgandaUganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by... - Banning of Same-sex marriage and civil unions: US states of KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in... - Anti-discrimination legislation: US States of IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
(private sector, sexual orientation and gender identity) and MaineMaineMaine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
(private sector, sexual orientation and gender identity) - Repeal of Sodomy laws: Puerto RicoLGBT rights in Puerto RicoLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender persons in Puerto Rico face some legal issues. Public discussion and debate about sexual orientation and gender identity issues have increased, and some legal changes have been made. Currently, both supporters and opponents of legislation protecting the rights...
- Other: two gay male teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz MarhoniMahmoud Asgari and Ayaz MarhoniMahmoud Asgari, 16, and Ayaz Marhoni, 18, were Iranian teenagers from the province of Khorasan who were publicly hanged in Edalat Square in Mashhad, northeast Iran, on July 19, 2005. They were executed after being convicted by the court of having raped a 13-year old boy. The case attracted...
, are executed in IranIranIran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, André BoisclairAndré BoisclairAndré Boisclair is a politician in Quebec, Canada. He was the leader of the Parti Québécois, a social democratic and separatist party in Quebec....
is chosen leader of the Parti QuébécoisParti QuébécoisThe Parti Québécois is a centre-left political party that advocates national sovereignty for the province of Quebec and secession from Canada. The Party traditionally has support from the labour movement. Unlike many other social-democratic parties, its ties with the labour movement are informal...
, becoming the first openly gay man elected as the leader of a major political party in North America.
- Same sex marriage laws:
- 2006
- Same sex marriages laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: South AfricaSame-sex marriage in South AfricaSame-sex marriage has been legal in South Africa since 30 November 2006, when the Civil Union Act, 2006 came into force, having been passed by Parliament earlier that month. A ruling by the Constitutional Court on 1 December 2005 had given Parliament one year to make same-sex marriage legal...
(with joint adoption)
- Passed and Comes into effect: South Africa
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: Czech Republic (without joint adoption)
- Comes into effect: Slovenia
- Passed: Mexican City of Mexico CityRecognition of same-sex unions in MexicoIn Mexico, only civil marriages are recognized by the law and all its proceedings fall under local state legislation. Same-sex marriages are legally performed in Mexico City and same-sex civil unions are legally performed in Mexico City and the northern state of Coahuila , whose legal residents...
and US state of New Jersey
- Limited Partnership laws:
- Passed: Australian State of South AustraliaLGBT rights in South AustraliaSame-sex couples in South Australia have access to many spousal rights and can easily prove that a relationship exists through a domestic partnership agreement...
- Passed: Australian State of South Australia
- Abroad Union recognition: IsraelSame-sex marriage in IsraelSame-sex marriage cannot legally be performed in Israel, because only government-recognized religious authorities — all of whom disallow same-sex marriage — may officiate marriages. There are no provisions for civil or secular marriages in Israel. However, foreign marriages, including same-sex...
- Banning of Same-sex marriage: US State of TennesseeTennesseeTennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
- Banning of Same-sex marriage and civil unions: US States of AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, IdahoIdahoIdaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, South DakotaSouth DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, WisconsinWisconsinWisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... - Same-sex couple adoption legalisation: BelgiumSame-sex marriage in BelgiumOn June 1, 2003, Belgium became the second country in the world to legally recognize same-sex marriage, with some restrictions. Originally, Belgium allowed the marriages of foreign same-sex couples only if their country of origin also allowed these unions...
- Anti-discrimination legislation: Faroe IslandsLGBT rights in the Faroe IslandsLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in the Faroe Islands may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents...
, Germany (sexual orientation and gender identity), New Zealand (gender identity) and US States and Districts of IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
(sexual orientation), New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
(private sector, gender identity), Washington (sexual orientation and gender identity) and Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
(private sector, gender identity) - Voiding of Anti-discrimination legislation: KentuckyKentuckyThe Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
- Equalization of age of consent: Hong KongLGBT rights in Hong KongHomosexuality is legal in Hong Kong and public opinion shows increased awareness about and tolerance for LGBT people. However, there are only limited anti-discrimination laws and no legal recognition of same-sex couples.- Criminal law :...
, Isle of ManLGBT rights in the Isle of ManLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in the Isle of Man over the past couple of years have become more liberal after years of lobbying, LGBT people have made progress in getting legal recognition Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in the Isle of Man over the past...
, Serbia - Marches and Prides: the first homosexual pride march in MoscowMoscowMoscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
ends with violence, the first regional Eastern European Pride is held in ZagrebZagrebZagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, Croatia - Other: Springfield, MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
repeals gay soliciting laws, the United States SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
fails to pass the Federal Marriage AmendmentFederal Marriage AmendmentThe Federal Marriage Amendment H.J. Res. 56 was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited marriage in the United States to unions of one man and one woman...
, the International Conference on LGBT Human Rights is held in MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, another section 28 "successfully repealed" in Isle of Man
- Same sex marriages laws:
- 20072007 in LGBT rightsThis is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2007.-January:* 1** Registered partnerships begin in Switzerland.** Equality Act Regulations comes into effect in Northern Ireland....
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: Mexian state of CoahuilaRecognition of same-sex unions in MexicoIn Mexico, only civil marriages are recognized by the law and all its proceedings fall under local state legislation. Same-sex marriages are legally performed in Mexico City and same-sex civil unions are legally performed in Mexico City and the northern state of Coahuila , whose legal residents...
- Comes into effect: Mexican City of Mexico CityRecognition of same-sex unions in MexicoIn Mexico, only civil marriages are recognized by the law and all its proceedings fall under local state legislation. Same-sex marriages are legally performed in Mexico City and same-sex civil unions are legally performed in Mexico City and the northern state of Coahuila , whose legal residents...
, Switzerland (without adoption), US state of New Jersey - Passed: HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(with adoption), US state of New Hampshire, UruguayCivil unions in UruguayOn January 1, 2008, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to have a national civil union law, titled Ley de Unión Concubinaria.The bill for legalization, proposed by Senator Margarita Percovich of the Broad Front, was passed in Chamber of Deputies on 29 November 2007 after having been...
(without adoption until Sep 2008)
- Passed and Comes into effect: Mexian state of Coahuila
- Limited Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: US state of WashingtonDomestic partnership in WashingtonState Registered Domestic Partnerships in Washington were created in the aftermath of the Andersen v. King County decision. Subsequent legislation has made a SRDP the equivalent of marriage under state law.-Beginnings:...
- Comes into effect: Australian state of South AustraliaLGBT rights in South AustraliaSame-sex couples in South Australia have access to many spousal rights and can easily prove that a relationship exists through a domestic partnership agreement...
, US state of OregonDomestic partnership in OregonIn April and May 2007, following a previous attempt in 2005, the Oregon state legislature passed legislation to make virtually all of the rights afforded to married couples available to same-sex couples. The new status will be referred to in Oregon law as a domestic partnership, avoiding the use...
- Passed and Comes into effect: US state of Washington
- Anti-discrimination legislation: United KingdomEquality Act (Sexual Orientation) RegulationsThe Equality Act Regulations are secondary legislation in the United Kingdom, outlawing discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities, services, education and public functions on the grounds of sexual orientation....
(sexual orientation) and US states of Colorado (private sector, sexual orientation and gender identity), Iowa (private sector, sexual orientation and gender identity), Kansas (public sector, sexual orientation and gender identity), Michigan (public sector, gender identity), OhioLGBT rights in Ohio- Recognition of same-sex relationships :In 2004, voters approved a constitutional amendment, Ohio State Issue 1, that banned same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state. It passed with 62% of the vote. Domestic partnership registries were not affected, and several claims from supporters of...
(public sector, sexual orientation and gender identity), Oregon (private sector, sexual orientation and gender identity) and Vermont (private sector, gender identity) - Equalization of age of consent: Portugal, South Africa, UK territory of JerseyJerseyJersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, VanuatuLGBT rights in VanuatuLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Vanuatu may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.-Law regarding same-sex sexual... - Decriminalisation of homosexuality: NepalLGBT rights in NepalThe Nepalese government, following the monarchy that ended in 2007, legalised homosexuality in 2007 along with the introduction of several new law sets. Based on the ruling of the Supreme Court of Nepal in late 2008, the government is looking into legalising same-sex marriage...
and New Zealand territories of NiueLGBT rights in NiueLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Niue may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Niue, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections...
and TokelauLGBT rights in TokelauLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Tokelau may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Tokelau, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal... - Marches and Prides: the first ever gay pride parade in a MuslimMuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
country is held in IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey; - Other: on August 9, 2007, the Logo cable channelLogo (TV channel)Logo is an American digital cable television channel owned by Viacom's MTV Networks division. Launched in June 2005, the channel's programs are geared towards the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community...
hosts the first presidential forum in the United States focusing specifically on LGBT issues. Six Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidates participate in the event. GOP candidates were asked to attend but turned it down. On November 29, the first foreign gay wedding was held in HanoiHanoiHanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
between a Japanese and an Irish national. The wedding raised much attention in the gay and lesbian community in Vietnam.
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- 20082008 in LGBT rightsThis is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2008.-January:* 1 — Civil unions begin in Uruguay and in the U.S. state of New Hampshire.-February:* 4 — Domestic partnerships begin in U.S...
- Same sex marriages laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: US states of CaliforniaSame-sex marriage in CaliforniaThe status of same-sex marriage in California is unique among the 50 U.S. states, in that the state formerly granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but has discontinued doing so...
(May–Nov 2008) and ConnecticutSame-sex marriage in ConnecticutConnecticut joined Massachusetts as one of two states in the U.S. to perform marriages of same-sex couples on November 12, 2008. Connecticut was the third state to do so, but only the second where the decision was not repealed.-Civil union:... - Passed: NorwaySame-sex marriage in NorwaySame-sex marriage became legal in Norway on January 1, 2009 when a gender neutral marriage bill was enacted after being passed by the Norwegian legislature in June 2008...
(with joint adoption)
- Passed and Comes into effect: US states of California
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and comes into effect: The Australian Capital TerritoryRecognition of same-sex unions in the Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory was the first jurisdiction in Australia to legally recognise same-sex couples in 1994. It was the second to allow joint adoption petitions by same-sex couples in 2003, following Western Australia...
, Ecuador (without joint adoption), US state of WashingtonDomestic partnership in WashingtonState Registered Domestic Partnerships in Washington were created in the aftermath of the Andersen v. King County decision. Subsequent legislation has made a SRDP the equivalent of marriage under state law.-Beginnings:...
(expansion of previous legislation) - Comes into effect: US state of New Hampshire, UruguayCivil unions in UruguayOn January 1, 2008, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to have a national civil union law, titled Ley de Unión Concubinaria.The bill for legalization, proposed by Senator Margarita Percovich of the Broad Front, was passed in Chamber of Deputies on 29 November 2007 after having been...
(without joint adoption until Sep 2008)
- Passed and comes into effect: The Australian Capital Territory
- Limited Partnership laws:
- Comes into effect: Australian state of VictoriaLGBT rights in Victoria (Australia)While Victoria was at the forefront of the gay rights movement in the 1960s and 1970s, it has never taken the lead in gay rights legislation. Gay sex between men was legalised in 1980. Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation was outlawed in 2000. Victoria has a Domestic Partnership...
, US state of OregonDomestic partnership in OregonIn April and May 2007, following a previous attempt in 2005, the Oregon state legislature passed legislation to make virtually all of the rights afforded to married couples available to same-sex couples. The new status will be referred to in Oregon law as a domestic partnership, avoiding the use...
- Comes into effect: Australian state of Victoria
- Banning of Same-sex marriage: US states of ArizonaSame-sex marriage legislation in the United StatesIn response to court action in a number of states, the United States federal government and a number of state legislatures passed or attempted to pass legislation either prohibiting or allowing same-sex marriage or other types of same-sex unions.-Federal level:...
and CaliforniaSame-sex marriage in CaliforniaThe status of same-sex marriage in California is unique among the 50 U.S. states, in that the state formerly granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but has discontinued doing so... - Banning of Same-sex marriage and civil unions: US state of FloridaSame-sex marriage legislation in the United StatesIn response to court action in a number of states, the United States federal government and a number of state legislatures passed or attempted to pass legislation either prohibiting or allowing same-sex marriage or other types of same-sex unions.-Federal level:...
- Same-sex couple adoption legalisation: UruguayCivil unions in UruguayOn January 1, 2008, Uruguay became the first Latin American country to have a national civil union law, titled Ley de Unión Concubinaria.The bill for legalization, proposed by Senator Margarita Percovich of the Broad Front, was passed in Chamber of Deputies on 29 November 2007 after having been...
- Banning of Same-sex adoption: Arkansas (struck down by the Arkansas Supreme Court in 2011)
- Anti-discrimination legislation: California
- Equalization of age of consent: NicaraguaLGBT rights in NicaraguaLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Nicaragua may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Nicaragua, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal...
, PanamaLGBT rights in PanamaLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Panama may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Panama, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal... - Decriminalisation of homosexuality: NicaraguaLGBT rights in NicaraguaLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Nicaragua may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Nicaragua, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal...
and PanamaLGBT rights in PanamaLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in Panama may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Panama, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal... - Marches and Prides: the first ever gay pride parade in BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
- Other: Kosovo declares itself to be an independent country with a new constitution that includes mention of "sexual orientation", the first of its kind in Eastern Europe,, Portland voters elect Sam Adams (Oregon politician) mayor, making it the largest city in the US with an openly-gay mayor (the next largest is Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode IslandProvidence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
), June 3 the first two same sex civil marriages (two men and two women)take place in Greece on the island of TilosTilosTílos is a small Greek island and municipality located in the Aegean Sea. It is part of the Dodecanese group of islands, and lies midway between Kos and Rhodes. It has a population of 533 inhabitants . Along with the uninhabited offshore islets of Antitilos and Gaidaros, it forms the Municipality...
, the supreme court prosecutor and the minister of Justice claim the marriages are null and void
- Same sex marriages laws:
- 20092009 in LGBT rightsThis is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2009.-February:* 1 — Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes prime minister of Iceland, the first openly gay head of government in the modern world....
- Same sex marriages laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: SwedenSame-sex marriage in SwedenSame-sex marriage in Sweden has been legal since 1 May 2009, following the adoption of a new, gender-neutral law on marriage by the Swedish parliament on 1 April 2009, making Sweden the seventh country in the world to open marriage to same sex couples nationwide...
(with joint adoption), US states of IowaSame-sex marriage in IowaSame-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Iowa became legal on April 3, 2009.Iowa's first dealings with same-sex marriage came in 1998, after recent court cases on same-sex unions, starting in Hawaii, found that denying the right to marry to same-sex couples was incompatible with the Equal Protection...
and Vermont - Comes into effect: NorwaySame-sex marriage in NorwaySame-sex marriage became legal in Norway on January 1, 2009 when a gender neutral marriage bill was enacted after being passed by the Norwegian legislature in June 2008...
(with joint adoption) - Passed: Mexican City of Mexico CitySame-sex marriage in Mexico CitySame-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City —the Federal District of Mexico— having been approved by its Legislative Assembly on 21 December 2009, and signed into law by Head of Government Marcelo Ebrard on 29 December 2009...
(with joint adoption), US states and districts of New Hampshire (step adoption only), MaineSame-sex marriage in MaineSame-sex marriage in Maine is currently unrecognized. A bill to allow same-sex marriages in Maine was signed into law on May 6, 2009, by Governor Baldacci following legislative approval, but opponents successfully petitioned for a referendum on the issue, putting the law on hold before it went into...
(never came into effect), Washington, D.C.
- Passed and Comes into effect: Sweden
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Passed and comes into effect: HungaryRecognition of same-sex unions in HungaryHungary provides registered partnerships to same-sex couples since 1 July 2009. This institution offers nearly all the benefits of marriage. The unregistered cohabitation of same-sex couples was recognised and placed on equal footing with the unregistered cohabitation of different-sex couples in...
(without joint adoption), US states of NevadaRecognition of same-sex unions in NevadaSame-sex marriage in Nevada was banned in 2002 through Question 2, an amendment to the Constitution of Nevada, which passed with almost 67 percent of the vote. In 2009, the Nevada Legislature passed a bill to create legal recognition of same-sex unions in Nevada...
and WashingtonDomestic partnership in WashingtonState Registered Domestic Partnerships in Washington were created in the aftermath of the Andersen v. King County decision. Subsequent legislation has made a SRDP the equivalent of marriage under state law.-Beginnings:...
(expansion of previous rights) - Passed: Austria (without joint adoption)
- Passed and comes into effect: Hungary
- Limited Partnership laws:
- Passed and Comes into effect: US states of ColoradoRecognition of same-sex unions in ColoradoRecognition of same-sex unions in Colorado occurs within the framework of designated beneficiary agreements, effectual since July 1, 2009. These agreements grant limited rights, such as funeral arrangements and death benefits for same-sex partners...
and WisconsinRecognition of same-sex unions in WisconsinDomestic partnerships for same-sex couples have been recognized in Wisconsin since August 3, 2009 despite same-sex marriage and "a legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals" being banned by Wisconsin statutes and a constitutional amendment in...
- Passed and Comes into effect: US states of Colorado
- Abroad Union recognition: Japan, US district of Washington, D.C.
- Same-sex couple adoption legalisation: Finland (step adoption), UK Subdivision of ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- Banning of Same-sex marriage: MaineSame-sex marriage in MaineSame-sex marriage in Maine is currently unrecognized. A bill to allow same-sex marriages in Maine was signed into law on May 6, 2009, by Governor Baldacci following legislative approval, but opponents successfully petitioned for a referendum on the issue, putting the law on hold before it went into...
- Anti-discrimination legislation: Serbia, US state of DelawareLGBT rights in DelawareLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in the U.S. state of Delaware have many legal protections, though transgender persons lack certain protections. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Delaware...
(private sector, sexual orientation), USA Matthew Shepard ActMatthew Shepard ActThe Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, also known as the Matthew Shepard Act, is an American Act of Congress, passed on October 22, 2009, and signed into law by President Barack Obama on October 28, 2009, as a rider to the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010...
. - End to ban on gay people in the military: Argentina, Philippines, UruguayLGBT rights in UruguayLGBT rights in Uruguay are among the most advanced in South America. Same-sex sexual activity is legal, anti-discrimination laws are in place, and gays and lesbians are allowed to serve openly in the military...
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: IndiaHomosexuality in IndiaHomosexuality is generally considered a taboo subject by both Indian civil society and the government. Public discussion of homosexuality in India has been inhibited by the fact that sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly. In recent years, however, attitudes towards homosexuality have...
- Other: Iceland elects the first openly gay head of governmentHead of governmentHead of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
in the world, Jóhanna SigurðardóttirJóhanna SigurðardóttirJóhanna Sigurðardóttir , , is the Prime Minister of Iceland. Many years a politician, she was previously Iceland's Minister of Social Affairs and Social Security from 1987–1994 and 2007–2009. She has been a member of the Althing for Reykjavík constituencies since 1978, winning re-election on eight...
; On March 10, 2009, in Tel Aviv, Uzi Even and his life partner was the first same-sex male couple in Israel whose right of adoption has been legally acknowledged.; (26 May), the California Supreme Court upholds Proposition 8, the ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in November 2008, with a 6–1 vote; the Canadian province of Alberta becomes the last province to include the words "sexual orientation" in the Human Rights Act; Washington state voters approve keeping same-sex relationship rights as Domestic Partnerships by 51 percent; (12 Dec), Annise ParkerAnnise ParkerAnnise Danette Parker is an American politician and the mayor of Houston since January 2, 2010. She served as an at-large member of the Houston City Council from 1998 to 2003 and city controller from 2004 to 2009...
is elected mayor of Houston, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, which becomes the largest city in the United States with an openly-gay mayor Welsh rugby star Gareth ThomasGareth Thomas (rugby player)Gareth Thomas , known as Alfie, is a retired Welsh professional rugby footballer who played rugby league for the Crusaders RL in the Super League. He also previously played rugby union for the Cardiff Blues and as a fullback, wing or centre.On 26 May 2007, Thomas surpassed Gareth Llewellyn as the...
becomes the first known top-level professional male athlete in a team sport to come out while still active.
- Same sex marriages laws:
2010s
(See individual year page for more info)- 20102010 in LGBT rightsThis is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2010.-February:* 2 – The United States Tax Court ruled in O'Donnabhain v. Commissioner that taxpayers may deduct the medical costs associated with treating gender identity disorder from their federal...
- Same sex marriages laws:
- Passed and comes into effect: PortugalSame-sex marriage in PortugalSame-sex marriage has been legal in Portugal since June 5, 2010. The government of Prime Minister José Sócrates introduced a bill for legalization in December 2009; it was passed by the Assembly of the Republic in February 2010. The bill was declared legally valid by the Portuguese Constitutional...
(without joint adoption), Iceland (with joint adoption), Argentina (with adoption) - Comes into effect: Mexican City of Mexico CitySame-sex marriage in Mexico CitySame-sex marriage is legal in Mexico City —the Federal District of Mexico— having been approved by its Legislative Assembly on 21 December 2009, and signed into law by Head of Government Marcelo Ebrard on 29 December 2009...
(with joint adoption). US state of New Hampshire (step adoption only) and Washington, D.C. - Recognition: The Mexican Supreme Court rules that marriages contracted in Mexico City are valid throughout the country, although no other jurisdiction is required to perform them. Australian State of TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
recognises same-marriages performed in other jurisdictions. - Other: U.S. state of CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States District Judge Vaughn Walker strikes down California's Proposition 8 as violative of the United States Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses.
- Passed and comes into effect: Portugal
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Comes into effect: Austria (without adoption and IVF access rights)
- Passed: Ireland (without adoption rights)
- Limited Partnership laws:
- Passed and comes into effect: Australian state of New South WalesLGBT rights in New South Wales-Activism and decriminalization:The Campaign Against Moral Persecution, also known as C.A.M.P., was founded in Sydney in September 1970 and was one of Australia's fist gay rights organisations. C.A.M.P...
(without joint adoption until Sep 2010)
- Passed and comes into effect: Australian state of New South Wales
- Same-sex couple adoption legislation: Australian state of New South WalesLGBT rights in New South Wales-Activism and decriminalization:The Campaign Against Moral Persecution, also known as C.A.M.P., was founded in Sydney in September 1970 and was one of Australia's fist gay rights organisations. C.A.M.P...
, Denmark - End to ban of same-sex couple adoption: US states of ArkansasArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it... - Trans Rights: AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
becomes the first country in the world to recognise a 'non-specified' gender, when the New South Wales Government recognises Norrie May-WelbyNorrie May-WelbyNorrie May-Welby , also known as norrie mAy-Welby, is a Scottish-Australian who became the first person in the world officially declared to be neither a man nor a woman, making Australia the first country in the world to recognise a 'non-specified' gender.-History:May-Welby was born in Paisley,...
as being neither male or female. Norrie has since been forced to choose a gender. - End to ban of gay people in the military: Serbia
- Passed: USA (See Don't Ask Don't Tell)
- End to ban of trans people in the military: AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: Fiji
- Marches and Prides: the first ever legal gay pride parade in RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, held in St. Petersburg
- Same sex marriages laws:
- 20112011 in LGBT rightsThis is a list of events in 2011 that affected LGBT rights.-January:* 1 — The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 comes into effect in Ireland, allowing same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships....
- Same sex marriages laws:
- Passed and comes into effect: New YorkSame-sex marriage in New YorkSame-sex marriage in the U.S. state of New York became legal on July 24, 2011, under the Marriage Equality Act, which was passed on June 24, 2011, by the New York State Legislature and signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo on the same day...
- India's first married lesbian couple: LGBT rights in IndiaLGBT rights in India-Overview:Homosexual intercourse was a criminal offence until 2009 under Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. This made it an offence for a person to voluntarily have "carnal intercourse against the order of nature." This law was struck down by the 2009 Supreme Court decision Naz Foundation...
(July 2011)
- Passed and comes into effect: New York
- Civil Union/Registered Partnership laws:
- Comes into effect: Ireland (without adoption rights)
- Passed and comes into effect: Isle of ManRecognition of same-sex unions in the Isle of ManThe Isle of Man allows civil partnership.The bill for legalization was signed into law on March 15, 2011. It took effect on April 6, 2011.Since 2005, couples who have entered into a civil partnership in the United Kingdom are recognised by the Isle of Man Department of Health and Social Security...
(with joint adoption), US State of Illinois (with joint adoption rights), Liechtenstein, Rhode Island - Passed: US State of DelawareLGBT rights in DelawareLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in the U.S. state of Delaware have many legal protections, though transgender persons lack certain protections. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Delaware...
(comes into effect Jan 2012) and HawaiiRecognition of same-sex unions in HawaiiThe U.S. state of Hawaii currently recognizes same-sex couples in reciprocal beneficiary relationships, which provide limited rights and benefits. Civil unions that provide benefits similar to marriage were legalized in 2011, and will become available in 2012...
(comes into effect Jan 2012)
- Decriminalisation of homosexuality: MozambiqueLGBT rights in MozambiqueThe legal status of same-sex sexual activity is ambiguous in Mozambique. There are no explicit laws against homosexual sex, and on March 2011, the Minister of Justice declared during the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review that homosexuality is not an offence in Mozambique. However,...
, São Tomé and PríncipeLGBT rights in São Tomé and PríncipeLesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons in São Tomé and Príncipe face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is illegal in São Tomé and Príncipe... - End to ban on gay people in the military: USA (see Don't Ask, Don't TellDon't ask, don't tell"Don't ask, don't tell" was the official United States policy on homosexuals serving in the military from December 21, 1993 to September 20, 2011. The policy prohibited military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closeted homosexual or bisexual service members or applicants, while...
)
- Same sex marriages laws:
See also
- LGBT historyLGBT historyLGBT history refers to the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender peoples and cultures around the world, dating back to the first recorded instances of same-sex love and sexuality of ancient civilizations. What survives of many centuries' persecution– resulting in shame, suppression,...
- Table of years in LGBT rightsTable of years in LGBT rights-See also:*LGBT rights by country or territory — current legal status around the world*LGBT social movements — historical and contemporary movements...
- Timeline of sexual orientation and medicineTimeline of sexual orientation and medicineTimeline of events related to sexual orientation and medicine-19th century:1886*Dr. Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing, a German psychiatrist, publishes a study of sexual perversity.-20th century:1948...
- History of human sexualityHistory of human sexualityThe social construction of sexual behavior—its taboos, regulation and social and political impact—has had a profound effect on the various cultures of the world since prehistoric times.- Sources :...
- List of pre-Stonewall LGBT actions in the United States
- Timeline of LGBT history in BritainTimeline of LGBT history in BritainThis is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in the United Kingdom.- 16th century :...
- Timeline of LGBT history in CanadaTimeline of LGBT history in CanadaThis is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in Canada.-19th century:* 1810: Alexander Wood, a merchant and magistrate in Toronto, is embroiled in a sex scandal when he investigates a rape case by personally inspecting the penises of...
External links
- Our Story (Another Timeline)
- 365gay History on this day...
- LGBT History Month, United Kingdom
- The Development of Homosexuality in Australia