The Trump administration finalises a policy that protects health care workers from denying care to LGBTQ+ individuals if it goes against their religious or moral beliefs. Beginning in the 2020 school year, the Naval Academy will no longer accept transgender students.Ī record number of over 150 LGBT politicians are elected to public office. The Trump administration attempts to reinstate the military ban on transgender soldiers, and is met with preliminary injunctions from multiple U.S. The Obama administration lifted the ban on openly transgender citizens serving in the military. The first national monument to LGBTQ+ rights is erected – the Stonewall National Monument in NYC’s Christopher Park. Nearly 50 people were killed, classifying the crime as the deadliest shooting in US history. Supreme Court eliminates all state bans on same-sex marriage, legalizing it in all 50 states.Ī mass shooting occurs at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Supreme Court abolishes a section of the Defense of Marriage Act that prevented legally married same-sex couples from receiving certain marriage rights and benefits, ruling it unconstitutional. military, which had permitted gay men and women to serve only on the basis that they do not disclose their sexual orientation.ĭuring an ABC News interview Obama became the first sitting US president to openly support gay marriage. The Obama administration repeals the Clinton administration’s “ Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for the U.S.
President Barack Obama signs a bill declaring that assaulting a person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity is a federal crime. Supporters classified this as the first major federal gay rights legislation. The Clinton administration enacts the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. To this day, there are no explicit laws protecting LGBT people from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations in 28 U.S. Wisconsin becomes the first state to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. The original flag had eight colours before it was cut down to six a few years later, with each colour carrying a meaning: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blue for harmony and violet for spirit. The Gay Pride Flag makes its first appearance in San Francisco after being designed and created by veteran Gilbert Baker.
The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. They would fight for the LGBT community by setting historic precedents, eliminating sodomy laws, and protecting civil rights initiatives.
The nonprofit group Lambda Legal is founded by Bill Thom as the U.S.’s first legal organisation dedicated to achieving full equality for lesbian and gay people. Stonewall resulted in the formation of several LGBT organisations and publications, and motivated the LGBTQ+ community to organise and end their oppression.Īctivists organise the first gay pride parade in the US, called the "Christopher Street Liberation March," which sparked Pride parades for years to come. The riots are dubbed The Stonewall Uprising, and are known as one of the most notable events in the history of gay rights. The event is credited as the initial launch of the fight for equal rights. Police raid a popular New York City gay bar named the Stonewall Inn and conduct arrests of the customers, resulting in riots that last several days. The United States’ first documented gay rights group, The Society for Human Rights, is founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago.