History


 * ||  || Date: || Event: ||
 * ||  || 1610 || A Virginia Colony passed the first anti-sodomy law in America. ||
 * ||  || 1786 || Pennsylvania is the first of 13 states to drop the death penalty for committing sodomy. ||
 * ||  || 1924 || The Society for Human Rights is founded in Chicago, it is the first gay rights group located in the United States. Founded by Henry Gerber. ||
 * ||  || 1948 || The book "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" by Alfred Kinsely is published, it is a groundbreaking study of male sexuality. ||
 * ||  || 1950 || U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy blackmails communists and some homosexuals. ||
 * ||  || 1951 || Mattachine Society, first national gay rights organization (in United States). It was founded by Henry Hay. ||
 * ||  || 1952 || The McCarran-Walters act is created to ban "sexual deviates" from immigrating to the U.S. The 1967 Supreme Court says this applies to lesbians and gays who are considering immigrating. ||
 * ||  || 1955 || The first U.S. lesbian organization called "the Daughters of Bilitis' is founded by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon in San Francisco. ||
 * ||  || 1961 || Illinois is the first state to stop calling acts between gay and lesbian adults a crime. ||
 * ||  || 1969 || Stonewall Riots takes place. ||
 * ||  || 1972 || East Lansing, Michigan, became the very first U.S. city to adopt nondiscrimination towards lesbians and gays. ||
 * ||  || 1972 || The U.S. Supreme Court decides not to support the right to refuse employment because of homosexuality. ||
 * ||  || 1973 || The American Psychiatric Association drops homosexual behavior from the list of disorders. ||
 * ||  || 1974 || Elaine Nobel of Massachusetts became the first openly gay person elected to a state legislature. ||
 * ||  || 1976 || The U.S. Supreme Court votes six to three to uphold the state of Virginia's sodomy laws. ||
 * ||  || 1977 || Ordinances that prohibit discrimination in hiring gay and lesbians are overturned in Florida, Kansas, Oregon, and Minnesota. ||
 * ||  || 1977 || Oklahoma passes a law requiring the dismissal of gay and lesbian teachers, prohibiting the favorable mention of homosexual behavior in schools. ||
 * ||  || 1978 || Harvey Milk, San Francisco's first openly gay supervisor and the mayor, George Moscone, are shot to death because they are gay by Supervisor Dan White in San Francisco, California. ||
 * ||  || 1980 || In Providence Rhode Island, Aaron Fricke sues his high school becuase he wants to take a male date to prom. ||
 * ||  || 1981 || U.S. DOD creates a new ban against gays and lesbians, which leads to an increased number of discharges. Many gays remain in the military secretly. ||
 * ||  || 1981 || AIDs is first reported in the U.S. in a CDC. The report was about five gay men. ||
 * ||  || 1982 || Wisconsin out laws discrimination based on sexual orientation. It is the first state to do so. ||
 * ||  || 1985 || The U.S. Supreme Court votes 4-4 to invalidate the Oklahoma's state law that was passed in 1977. ||
 * ||  || 2004 || Same sex marriage becomes legal in Massachusetts. ||
 * ||  || 2005 || Civil unions become legal in Connecticut. ||
 * ||  || 2006 || Civil unions become legal in New Jersey. ||

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