Gay+Rights

"info please." __www.infoplease.com__. 2007. infoplease. 27 Feb 2009 . Bidstrup, Scott. "gay marriage." __bidstrup__. 1998. bidstrup. 27 Feb 2009 . Nash, Carl. "encyclopedia." __www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org__. 1976. encyclopedia. 27 Feb 2009 .
 * 1 924:  The Society for Human Rights in Chicago becomes the country's earliest known gay rights organization. T.R
 * 1948: Alfred Kinsey publishes Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, revealing to the public that homosexuality is far more widespread than was commonly believed. T.R
 * 1951: The Mattachine Society, the first national gay rights organization, is formed by Harry Hay, considered by many to be the founder of the gay rights movement. T.R
 * 1956: The Daughters of Bilitis, a pioneering national lesbian organization, is founded. T.R
 * 1962: Illinois becomes the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults in private. T.R
 * 1969: The Stonewall riots transform the gay rights movement from one limited to a small number of activists into a widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance. Patrons of a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, the Stonewall Inn, fight back during a police raid on June 27, sparking three days of riots. T.R
 * 1973: The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its official list of mental disorders. T.R
 * 1982: Wisconsin becomes the first state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. T.R
 * 1993: The “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy is instituted for the U.S. military, permitting gays to serve in the military but banning homosexual activity. President Clinton's original intention to revoke the prohibition against gays in the military was met with stiff opposition; this compromise, which has led to the discharge of thousands of men and women in the armed forces, was the result. T.R
 * 1996: In //Romer// v. //Evans//, the Supreme Court strikes down Colorado's Amendment 2, which denied gays and lesbians protections against discrimination, calling them “special rights.” According to Justice Anthony Kennedy, “We find nothing special in the protections Amendment 2 withholds. These protections . . . constitute ordinary civil life in a free society.” T.R
 * 2000: Vermont becomes the first state in the country to legally recognize civil unionsbetween gay or lesbian couples. T.R
 * 2003: The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawerence v. Texas that sodomy laws in the U.S. are unconstitutional. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, “Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct.” T.R
 * 2004: On May 17, same-sex marriages become legal in Massachusetts. T.R
 * 2005: Civil unions become legal in Connecticut in Oct. 2005. T.R
 * 2006: Civil unions become legal in New Jersey in December. T.R
 * 2007: In November, the House of Representatives approves a bill ensuring equal rights in the workplace for gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals. T.R
 * Ask just about anyone. They'll all tell you they're in favor of equal rights for homosexuals. T.R
 * More than half of all people in the United States oppose gay marriage, even though three fourths are otherwise supportive of gay rights. This means that many of the same people who are even passionately in favor of gay rights oppose gays on this one issue.T.R
 * The stereotype has it that gays are promiscuous, unable to form lasting relationships, and the relationships that do form are shallow and uncommitted. And gays do have such relationships! T.R
 * But the important fact to note is that just like in straight society, where such relationships //also// exist, they are a small minority, and exist primarily among the very young. Indeed, one of the most frequent complaints of older gay men is that it is almost impossible to find quality single men to get into a relationship with, because they're already all 'taken! 'T.R
 * If you attend any gay event, such as a Pride festival or a PFLAG convention, you'll find this to be true. As gays age and mature, just like their straight cohorts, they begin to appreciate and find their way into long-term committed relationships. T.R
 * They're loyal to their mates, are monogamous, devoted partners. They value and participate in family life, are committed to making their neighborhoods and communities safer and better places to live, and honor and abide by the law. Many make valuable contributions to their communities, serving on school boards, volunteering in community charities, and trying to be good citizens. T.R
 * Many of the reasons offered for opposing gay marriage are based on the assumption that gays have a choice in who they can feel attracted to, and the reality is quite different. Many people actually believe that gays could simply choose to be heterosexual if they wished. But the reality is that very few do have a choice -- any more than very few heterosexuals could choose which sex to find themselves attracted to. T.R
 * The reality is that homosexuality is multidimensional, and is much more about love and affection than it is about sex. And this is what gay relationships are based on -- mutual attraction, love and affection. Sex, in a committed gay relationship, is merely a means of expressing that love, just the same as it is for heterosexuals. T.R
 * Being gay is much more profound than simply a sexual relationship; being gay is part of that person's core indentity, and goes right the very center of his being. It's like being black in a society of whites, or a blonde European in a nation of black-haired Asians. T.R
 * Yes, being gay is just that profound to the person who is. This is something that few heterosexuals can understand unless they are part of a minority themselves. T.R
 * The first known organization working for gay rights in the United States was founded in Chicago to bring homosexuals together as well as educate legal authorities and legislators. Henry Gerber applied on December 10, 1924. T.R
 * While serving with the army in Europe following World War I, Gerber had subscribed to German homophile publications and experienced the relative freedom for gay men in Weimar Germany. T.R
 * But in 1925 the police raided Gerber's home and arrested members of the small organization. T.R
 * In the early 1950s, lesbians and gay men created groups such as the Daughters of Bilitis and the Mattachine Society—collectively referred to as “homophile” organizations. T.R
 * in 1964, several gay men and lesbians, led by Robert Basker and attorney Pearl Hart, reconstituted the organization as a more politically active group in response to escalating police harassment at gay bars. T.R
 * Inspired by the Stonewall riots in New York, Henry Weimhoff, a former Universtity of Chicago student, spearheaded the organization of the University of Chicago Gay Liberation Front. T.R
 * By February of 1970, Chicago Gay Liberation had absorbed the campus organization, organized a dance with over six hundred participants, and marched in an antiwar demonstration giving the group important media exposure. T.R
 * In the late 1980s, a group of lesbian and gay business owners and activists—including Jon-Henri Damski, Lana Hostetler, Art Johnston, Rick Garcia, and Kit Duffy—led a successful lobbying effort which persuaded the city council in 1988 to pass the Chicago Human Rights Ordinance protecting lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation. T.R
 * In 1997, Evanston became the first city in Illinois to provide this protection to transgender individuals, signaling new directions for civil rights movements based on sexual identity. T.R