2005 in LGBT rights

Events

January

* January 1
** United States:
*** California law AB 205, which extends many rights and responsibilities of marriage to registered domestic partners, goes into effect. The new law expands domestic partnership statutes to include most marriage rights available under state law. California domestic partnership is available to opposite-sex couples age 62 and older who meet certain Social Security qualifications, and to all same-sex couples age 18 and older without further qualification.
** Germany Stepchild adoption and some more rights (but not taxes) for gay civil unions goes into effect
* January 21
** United States:
*** Illinois bans discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the private sector. [http://www.genderadvocates.org/newsltrs/IGA_05-02.pdf (Adobe Acrobat format)]
* January 25
** United States:
*** The Alameda County, California Board of Supervisors votes 4-0 to prohibit discrimination in public-sector employment, services and facilities based on gender identity.

February

* February 1
** Canada:
*** The federal government introduces Bill C-38, the "Civil Marriage Act", which would legalize same-sex marriage in all provinces and territories.
* February 4
** United States:
*** New York Supreme Court Judge Doris Ling-Cohan rules in favor of a lawsuit by five same-sex couples, stating that a ban on gay marriage violates the State's constitution.

March

* March 14
** United States:
*** San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer rules that the State's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.
* March 31
** United States:
*** The Maine Human Rights Act is amended to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation (which is defined to include gender identity) in the private sector. The act would be the subject of a referendum in November 8, in which it is endorsed by voters. [ [http://www.pierceatwood.com/showarticle.asp?Show=317 Pierce Atwood :: Alert - New Maine Human Rights Act Orientation Protection Takes Effect; Includes Gender Identity and Expression ] ]

April

* April 5
** United States:
*** Kansas voters approve an amendment to the state constitution banning same-sex marriages and civil unions.
* April 20
** United States:
*** The Connecticut legislature approves a law to allow same-sex civil unions in the state effective October 1.
* April 21
** Spain:
*** The Spanish Congress of Deputies passes legislation to legalize same-sex marriage.
** United States:
*** Microsoft withdraws support for Washington bill H.B. 1515, "Expanding the jurisdiction of the human rights commission", at the pressuring of evangelical Ken Hutcherson. H.B. 1515 would have made it illegal to fire an employee based on sexual orientation. Hutcherson had threatened Microsoft with a nation-wide boycott.
* April 22
** United States:
*** Washington bill H.B. 1515 is defeated in the state senate by a single vote. Two Democrats join all 23 Republicans to defeat the bill. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002249302_gayvote22m.html]
* April 25
** Canada:
*** Four gay couples in New Brunswick ask their Court of Appeal to redefine marriage to include same-sex unions.
* April 26
** New Zealand
*** Civil union legislation comes into effect. The first couples apply for licenses on the same day.

May

* May 9
** Canada:
*** The Anglican Church of Canada puts off its decision on same-sex marriage until 2007.
* May 20
** Canada:
*** A same-sex couple from the Northwest Territories sue the government over the right to be married.
* May 23
** United States:
*** At its annual convention in Atlanta, Georgia, the American Psychiatric Association votes to support government-recognized marriages between same-sex partners.

June

* June 5
** Switzerland
*** Fifty-eight percent of voters in Switzerland voted in favor of extending rights for registered civil unions for same-sex couples. This is the first time that the topic has been put to a national referendum. Same-sex couples will be treated in the same way as opposite-sex married couples in terms of pension and taxes. However, they will not be able to marry, to adopt children or undergo fertility treatment. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4610729.stm (BBC News)]
* June 21
** Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) reintroduces the Permanent Partners Immigration Act/Uniting American Families Act (H.R. 3006) in the U.S. House of Representatives. [U.S. House. 109th Congress, 1st Session. H.R. 3006, Permanent Partners Immigration Act/Uniting American Families Act. ONLINE. Thomas. Available: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR03006:/ [21 June 2005] ]
** Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) reintroduces the Permanent Partners Immigration Act/Uniting American Families Act (S. 1278) in the U.S. Senate. [U.S. Senate. 109th Congress, 1st Session. S. 1278, Permanent Partners Immigration Act/Uniting American Families Act. ONLINE. Thomas. Available: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:S01278:/ [21 June 2005] ]
* June 26
** United States:
*** Muncie, Indiana holds its first gay pride event. [http://abclocal.go.com/wls/news/062605_ap_ns_muncie_gay.html]
* June 28
** Canada:
*** The Canadian House of Commons passes Bill C-38, a proposed law to legalize same-sex marriage on a national basis, by a vote of 158-133.
* June 30
** Israel:
*** 5,000 attend and 1,000 protest Jerusalem's gay pride parade. An anti-gay protester stabs three marchers. [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1120098357408] [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4653655.stm]
** Spain:
*** The Spanish Congress passes legislation to legalize same-sex marriage.
** United Kingdom:
*** The Methodist Church of Great Britain becomes the first major Christian denomination in Britain to offer blessings for same-sex unions.
** United States:
*** LOGO, the first commercial-supported LGBT-themed television network, debuts on U.S. digital cable television in 10 million homes. It is owned and operated by MTV Networks.
*** Legislation is introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to ban discrimination based upon sexual orientation in hiring practices among the federal workforce.

July

* July 1
** United States:
*** California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer asks the California Supreme Court to decide whether gay marriage is permitted under the state's constitution. (See Same-sex marriage in California)
*** A group of gay veterans rallied in Austin, Texas to protest Gov. Rick Perry's comments that LGBT military veterans should leave Texas. [ [http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A278507 The Austin Chronicle: News: Naked City ] ] An estimated 65,000 LGBT veterans live in Texas. [http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411069_GayLesbianMilitary.pdf Gay Men and Lesbians in the U.S. Military: Estimates from Census 2000 (PDF document)]
* July 2
** United Kingdom:
*** 30,000 people attend London's gay pride parade, which was led by celebrity Bob Geldof.
*** Police officers from Hampshire and Dyfed-Powys are told by local municipal governments not to wear their police uniforms if they march in the London gay pride parade.
** United States:
*** The United Church of Christ opens its convention in Atlanta. Among the issues to be decided is whether the church will accept and celebrate same-sex marriages among its congregation.
* July 3
** Spain:
*** The national law legalizing same-sex marriage comes into effect.
* July 5
** Uganda:
*** Uganda amends its constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage. [ [http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/07/12/uganda11307.htm Uganda: Same-Sex Marriage Ban Deepens Repression (Human Rights Watch, 12-7-2005) ] ]
* July 19
** Canada:
*** The Canadian Senate passes Bill C-38 by a vote of 47-21.
** Iran:
*** Two male teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, are executed by hanging in Mashhad. They were accused of having a consensual homosexual relationship. [ [http://direland.typepad.com/direland/2005/07/iran_executes_2.html DIRELAND: IRAN EXECUTES 2 GAY TEENAGERS (updated) ] ]
* July 20
** Canada:
*** Canada's Bill C-38 receives Royal Assent, legalizing same-sex marriage in Canada nationwide . The first same-sex couple to receive a marriage licence under the new law is a gay couple from Alberta.

August

* August 26
** Fiji:
*** Fiji invalidates their sodomy law (only in private) by a court case based on the constitutional grounds prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

eptember

* September 6
** United States:
*** The California Legislature passes a bill (by 21 to 15 in the Senate, 41 to 35 in the Assembly) to legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the first legislature in the US to do so without judicial prompting. [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/06/AR2005090602076.html California Legislature Approves Gay Marriage ] ] [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/09/06/state/n194010D07.DTL Article Not Found! ] ]
* September 22
** United States:
*** American Medical Association president Edward Hill, MD gave a keynote address to the delegates of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association's at the organizations annual conference being held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. At the speech he said "I know that GLMA members and LGBT physicians have been treated unfairly by the AMA in the past. There is simply no excuse for discriminatory actions or exclusions based on sexual orientation or gender identityndash none." He continued, "First, GLMA has opened [the AMA's] eyes to the diverse needs of LGBT patients, and secondndash and just as importantndash GLMA has told patients that they have the right to expect a health care system filled with openness, fairness and equality." [ [http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/15741.html AMA (GLBT) News release from the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association ] ]
* September 29
** United States:
*** California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, vetoes the bill passed on September 6 legalizing same-sex marriage. [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/29/national/main891622.shtml CBS News | Arnold Vetoes Gay Marriage Bill | September 29, 2005 20:28:12 ] ]

October

* October 9
** United States:
*** Kansas Equality Coalition is founded, uniting groups in five regions that fought against the passage of the state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
* October 22
** United States:
*** The Kansas Supreme Court struck down a state law that punished underage sex more severely if it involved homosexual acts. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/21/AR2005102100739_pf.html]

November

* November 8
** United States:
*** In a referendum, Maine voters reject a measure to repeal a bill enacted in March banning discrimination based on sexual orientation (including gender identity) in the private sector. [ [http://www.glad.org/rights/maine_lgbt.shtml#soemployment GLAD - Maine State Laws ] ]
* November 15
** Canada: André Boisclair is chosen leader of the Parti Québécois, becoming the first openly gay man elected leader of a major political party in North America.

December

** Latvia: Latvia amended its constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage.
* December 5
** United Kingdom: The Civil Partnerships Act 2004 came into effect, with hundreds of gay couples registering for civil partnerships. Britain is now one of many nations to offer same-sex couples legal recognition.
* December 9
** United States:
*** The First Department of the Appellate Division overrules an order from Judge Doris Ling-Cohan in February 2005 to allow gay marriages in New York City. [http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/civilrights/20051209/3/1675]
* December 10
** United States:
*** In Houston, Texas, businesswoman Sue Lovell wins an at-large vacancy on the Houston City Council, making her and Houston City Controller Annise Parker as the highly-elected gay or lesbian within the City of Houston.
* December 16
** United States:
*** Virginia governor Mark Warner, a Democrat, issues an executive order banning sexual orientation discrimination in the public sector. [ [http://hr.cch.com/state-law-changes/January06.asp#V Summary of State Law Changes - 12/30/05 ] ]
* December 28
** Sweden:
*** The Church of Sweden, formerly the state church, decides to begin blessing same-sex couples in special ceremonies. While not a true marriage ceremony, it can supplement the existing registered partnerships which grant the same-rights as marriage (with the exception of the right to a church wedding). The Russian Orthodox Church has decided to freeze its relations with the Swedish Church in response to this decision. [http://www.sweden.se/templates/cs/NewsML____12744.aspx?newsid=1392]

Births

Deaths

* June 4 - Jean O'Leary, 57, from complications of lung cancer; American activist who organized the first White House meeting with LGBT leaders; helped create National Coming Out Day.

See also

* Timeline of LGBT history.
* Table of years in LGBT rights.
* 1925 in LGBT rights - 1934 in LGBT rights
* 1943 in LGBT rights - 1969 in LGBT rights (Stonewall)
* 1980 in LGBT rights - 1990 in LGBT rights.

References

External links

* [http://www.advocate.com Web site for Advocate news magazine]
* [http://www.365gay.com 365gay.com]
* [http://news.google.com/news?as_q=&svnum=10&as_scoring=r&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=gay+lesbian+bisexual+transgender+homosexual&as_eq=&as_nsrc=&as_nloc=&as_occt=any&as_drrb=q&as_qdr=&as_minm=1&as_mind=20&as_maxm=2&as_maxd=19 Google search for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender news]