2000
Information From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_in_LGBT_rights
January
- 12 — the ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the United Kingdom armed forces is lifted.
February
- 14 — Jerrold Nadler, congressman from New York, introduces the Permanent Partners Immigration Act (H.R 3650) in the United States Congress.
March
- 7 — California voters approve Proposition 22, a preemptive measure stating that California will not recognize same-sex marriages, even if the marriages took place in states that permitted them.
- 15 — Equality Mississippi is formed in response to a hate-crime murder and attempts in the U.S. state to ban adoption by same-sex couples.
April
- 28—30 — Millennium March on Washington in the United States.
May
- 21 — The parliament of Scotland repeals Section 28, the law that banned local authorities from "promoting homosexuality". It is the first part of the United Kingdom to do so.
June
- Montana governor Marc Racicot issues an executive order banning sexual orientation discrimination in the public sector.
- The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, in In re John/Jane Doe, rules that gender identity discrimination is included in the existing ban on sex discrimination in the private sector.
July
- In the U.S. state of Vermont, civil union law goes into effect, granting most state-level marriage rights to registered same-sex couples.
- Mississippi becomes the third U.S. state to ban adoption by same-sex couples.
November
- Montana governor Marc Racicot issues an executive order banning sexual orientation discrimination in the public sector.
- The Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, in In re John/Jane Doe, rules that gender identity discrimination is included in the existing ban on sex discrimination in the private sector.
December
- The age of consent across the United Kingdom is equalised at 16. Previously, the age of consent was 18 for homosexual acts and 16 for heterosexual acts. The equalisation took place after a long struggle, in which the Labour party eventually invoked the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 after the House of Lords repeatedly blocked the bill.
- Tom Vilsack, governor of the U.S. state of Iowa, rescinds an executive order he issued in 1999 banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the public sector. Vilsack would later reinstate the order for sexual orientation only.
- 15 — Delaware governor Thomas Carper issues an executive order banning sexual orientation discrimination in the public sector.
2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_in_LGBT_rights
January
January
- 1 — The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 comes into effect in Ireland, allowing same-sex couples to entercivil partnerships.
- 2 — A criminal court in Bursa, Turkey orders that LGBT rights organization Rainbow Association shut down following allegations that members engaged in prostitution.
- 3 — Ugandan High Court Justice V.F. Kibuuka Musoke rules that Rolling Stone violated the civil rights of homosexuals when it printed their pictures on the front page with the headline "Hang Them". The court orders the newspaper to pay each of the three lead plaintiffs $1.5 million Ugandan shillings.
- 4
- The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issues two rulings in the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, which seeks to overturn California's constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. In the first, the court rules that Imperial County does not have standing to intervene in the suit. In the second, the court asks the California Supreme Court to rule on whether proponents of the amendment have standing to appeal.
- New Mexico Attorney General Gary King issues an opinion stating that legal same-sex marriages performed outside the state would likely be recognized within the state.
- 7 — The 3rd Court of Appeals based in Austin, Texas rules that the Texas Attorney General does not have standing to intervene in a same-sex divorce case. The ruling, which conflicts with a ruling issued in 2010 by the 5th Court of Appeals, means that a Texas divorce granted to two women who married in Massachusetts stands. The state's ban on same-sex marriage is unaffected.
- 10
- The Appeals Court of Saskatchewan rules that marriage commissioners in Saskatchewan cannot refuse to marry same-sex couples due to religious objections. The decision is in response to a proposed law, which had two versions: One would allow any marriage commissioner to not perform a same-sex wedding because of his or her religion; the other version would allow commissioners to opt out of performing a same-sex ceremony only if they were commissioners before Canada enacted marriage equality in 2004.
- Newly sworn-in Ohio governor John Kasich allows a previous executive order prohibiting discrimination in state employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity to expire.
- 12 — The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council bans the Dire Straits song "Money for Nothing" from the Council's member stations after the board finds the word "faggot" in the lyrics offensive.
- 14 — A Virginia circuit court judge reverses his earlier ruling and allows one half of a lesbian couple to change her last name legally to that of her partner. The judge had initially denied the name change, stating that since same-sex marriage is illegal in Virginia and the couple "hold themselves out as a married couple" the name change was for "fraudulent purposes".
- 18
- In what is being described as a landmark case, a Bristol County Court judge rules that the owners of a bed and breakfast in Cornwall, England violated the rights of a gay couple in a civil partnership when they refused to rent them a double room because of the owners' Christian beliefs.
- The Supreme Court of the United States without comment rejects an appeal in Jackson v. The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics, which sought to overturn the law allowing same-sex marriage in the District of Columbia. The suit contended that the legalization of same-sex marriage should have been put to a vote in the district.
- United States District Court Judge Claudia Ann Wilken denies a request by the Obama administration to dismiss a lawsuit filed by California state employees who were denied enrollment in the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) under the Defense of Marriage Act.
- 20 — The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development proposes new regulations designed to eliminate discrimination in housing based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
- 21 — Ohio governor John Kasich signs an executive order that prohibits discrimination in state employment on the basis of sexual orientation. However, unlike the executive order it replaced, it does not include gender identity.
- 24 — The Wyoming House of Representatives passes a bill that would bar the state from recognizing legal same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions. Current Wyoming law bars same-sex marriage within the state but also requires the state to recognize all legal marriages performed elsewhere.
- 27 — The Wyoming Senate approves a resolution that, if approved by voters, would amend the state constitution to bar recognition of same-sex marriage in the state.
- 28
- The Constitutional Council of France rules that French laws which restrict marriage to unions between men and women do not violate the French Constitution.
- The Pentagon releases its outline for training military personnel on the policy and protocol regulations that will be implemented to repeal don't ask, don't tell. Officials estimate that training will take approximately three months.
- A UK judge grants a temporary injunction to halt the deportation of Brenda Namiggade to Uganda. Namiggade has said she fled Uganda because she was beaten and harassed for being a lesbian. Her requests for asylum were denied when a court ruled that there was "no evidence" she is a lesbian.
- In Indiana, the Gary Community School Corporation, as part of the settlement of a lawsuit filed in 2007 by a transgender former student, announces a new anti-discrimination policy that includes specific protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.[23]
- 31
- Following its passage in December 2010, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signs the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union Act. This act allows all couples, regardless of gender, to enter into civil unions which provide some but not all of the state benefits of marriage. The law is scheduled to take effect June 1.
- Because same-sex marriage is constitutionally prohibited in the state of Nebraska, an Otoe County judge refuses to grant a divorce to two women legally married in Vermont eight years ago. The judge did, however, rule on child support and visitation issues.
- The United States Department of State begins issuing passport applications that ask applicants for "Mother or parent one" and "Father or parent two" instead of for "Father" and "Mother". The change, announced in December 2010, is "in recognition of different types of families".
- The Iowa House of Representatives passes House Joint Resolution 6, which would submit a ballot initiative to amend the Iowa constitution to restrict marriage to mixed-sex couples. The measure now goes to the Iowa Senate, whose leadership has promised to block the measure.
- 14 — Representatives at São Tomé and Príncipe's United Nations Universal Periodic Review announce that upcoming revisions to its Criminal Code will decriminalise gay sex in the country. The new code would come into effect in 4 months time.
- 17
- Social networking site Facebook adds "in a civil union" and "in a domestic partnership" to its choices for American members' relationship status.
- The Arkansas Supreme Court upholds a lower court ruling giving a woman visitation rights with the child of her former partner. The court rules that even though same-sex marriage is not legally recognized in Arkansas, the woman stood in loco parentis to the child.
- 18
- Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick signs an executive order banning discrimination against state employees based on gender identity or expression.
- The Alaska Board of Regents votes to add sexual orientation to its anti-discrimination policy.
- 23
- In response to two lawsuits, Pederson v. Office of Personnel Management and Windsor v. United States, the Justice Department announces that it will no longer defend the constitutionality of section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act although the department will "remain parties to the cases and continue to represent the interests of the United States throughout the litigation". That section had been ruled unconstitutional in two District court cases, Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. United States Department of Health and Human Services and Gill v. Office of Personnel Management.
- Hawaii governor Neil Abercrombie signs the state's civil unions bill. The law will take effect on January 1, 2012.