1994 in LGBT rights

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Last updated September 17, 2024

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 1994.

Events

In Germany, a new Article 182 introduces a common age of consent of 14. Previously, the age of consent was 18 in the former West Germany (for sex between men), and 14 in the former East Germany for all.
In the United Kingdom, the age of consent for gay men is reduced to 18, still two years more than that for heterosexuals.

January

12 — In Texas v. Morales, the Texas Supreme Court finds that an appellate court erred in considering a challenge to the state's sodomy law since none of the plaintiffs in the case had lost employment because of the law.^[1]

February

21 — The House of Commons of the United Kingdom rejects a motion to equalize the age of consent at 16, but supports an amendment to reduce the age for gay men to 18.
28 — The Louisiana Supreme Court reinstated the state's sodomy law, ruling that the plaintiff lacks standing to challenge it.^[2]

March

11 — Rather than comply with a court order that it allow an LGBTQ contingent to march, the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council cancels the Boston, Massachusetts St. Patrick's Day parade, the first time in 92 years that the city will not have a parade.^[3]
25 — The Washington School Board adopts a policy prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in the state's public schools.^[4]

April

4 — Toonen v. Australia is decided by the United Nations Human Rights Committee.^[5]
26 — The United States Coast Guard makes public a memo issued by Commandant Thomas Fisher barring anti-gay discrimination against the service's civilian employees. Uniformed personnel are still subject to discharge under "don't ask, don't tell".^[6]
27 — The Interim Constitution of South Africa comes into force, including a clause explicitly prohibiting discrimination (both government and private) on the basis of sexual orientation. A subsequent court decision in 1998 will establish that the crime of sodomy was legally invalid from this date.

May

2 — Wayne County, Georgia commissioners vote to bar the use of county funds to "promote" homosexuality.^[7]

June

6 — The United States Supreme Court in the case of Farmer v. Brennan orders a lower court to consider whether failure to protect a male-to-female transgender prisoner in an all-male institution from rape violates the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution.^[8]
7 — The Parliament of Sweden approves registered partnerships for same-sex couples, effective January 1, 1995. Same-sex couples will not receive the right to a church wedding, the right to adopt children or the right to artificial insemination.^[9]
26 - The first Pride March in Asia was held in the Philippines. It was organized by the Progressive Organization of Gays in the Philippines and was supported by the Metropolitan Community Church.^[10]

August

9 — District judge S. Arthur Spiegel voids Cincinnati's Ballot Issue 3, which repealed the city's gay rights ordinance.^[11]

October

11 — The Colorado Supreme Court affirms a lower district court's ruling that Amendment 2 is unconstitutional.

December

6 — The American Medical Association declares its opposition to treatments intended to cure homosexuality.

Deaths

July 26 — W. Dorr Legg, early homophile activist and co-founder of One, Inc. ^[12]

Related Research Articles

Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003), is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws criminalizing sodomy between consenting adults are unconstitutional. The Court reaffirmed the concept of a "right to privacy" that earlier cases had found the U.S. Constitution provides, even though it is not explicitly enumerated. It based its ruling on the notions of personal autonomy to define one's own relationships and of American traditions of non-interference with any or all forms of private sexual activities between consenting adults.

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The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Utah have significantly evolved in the 21st century. Protective laws have become increasingly enacted since 2014, despite the state's reputation as socially conservative and highly religious. Utah's anti-sodomy law was invalidated in 2003 by Lawrence v. Texas, and fully repealed by the state legislature in 2019. Same-sex marriage has been legal since the state's ban was ruled unconstitutional by federal courts in 2014. In addition, statewide anti-discrimination laws now cover sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing, and the use of conversion therapy on minors is prohibited. In spite of this, there are still a few differences between the treatment of LGBTQ people and the rest of the population, and the rights of transgender youth are restricted.

A sodomy law is a law that defines certain sexual acts as crimes. The precise sexual acts meant by the term sodomy are rarely spelled out in the law, but are typically understood and defined by many courts and jurisdictions to include any or all forms of sexual acts that are illegal, illicit, unlawful, unnatural and immoral. Sodomy typically includes anal sex, oral sex, manual sex, and bestiality. In practice, sodomy laws have rarely been enforced to target against sexual activities between individuals of the opposite sex, and have mostly been used to target against sexual activities between individuals of the same sex.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Wyoming may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Wyoming since 1977, and same-sex marriage was legalized in the state in October 2014. Wyoming statutes do not address discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is illegal under federal law. In addition, the cities of Jackson, Casper, and Laramie have enacted ordinances outlawing discrimination in housing and public accommodations that cover sexual orientation and gender identity.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Louisiana may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Louisiana as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas. Same-sex marriage has been recognized in the state since June 2015 as a result of the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Ohio enjoy most of the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Ohio since 1974, and same-sex marriage has been legally recognized since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. Ohio statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is illegal in 2020. In addition, a number of Ohio cities have passed anti-discrimination ordinances providing protections in housing and public accommodations. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities. In December 2020, a federal judge invalidated a law banning sex changes on an individual's birth certificate within Ohio.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of West Virginia face legal challenges not faced by non-LGBT persons. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1976, and same-sex marriage has been recognized since October 2014. West Virginia statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is illegal.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Hawaii enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal since 1973; Hawaii being one of the first six states to legalize it. In 1993, a ruling by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court made Hawaii the first state to consider legalizing same-sex marriage. Following the approval of the Hawaii Marriage Equality Act in November 2013, same-sex couples have been allowed to marry on the islands. Additionally, Hawaii law prohibits discrimination on the basis of both sexual orientation and gender identity, and the use of conversion therapy on minors has been banned since July 2018. Gay and lesbian couples enjoy the same rights, benefits and treatment as opposite-sex couples, including the right to marry and adopt.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Virginia enjoy the same rights as non-LGBTQ people. LGBT rights in the state are a relatively recent occurrence; with most improvements in LGBT rights occurring in the 2000s and 2010s. Same-sex marriage has been legal in Virginia since October 6, 2014, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal in the case of Bostic v. Rainey. Effective July 1, 2020, there is a state-wide law protecting LGBT persons from discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations, and credit. The state's hate crime laws also now explicitly include both sexual orientation and gender identity.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of South Dakota may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in South Dakota, and same-sex marriages have been recognized since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. State statutes do not address discrimination on account of sexual orientation or gender identity; however, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County established that employment discrimination against LGBTQ people is illegal under federal law.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of South Carolina may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in South Carolina as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas, although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy laws. Same-sex couples and families headed by same-sex couples are eligible for all of the protections available to opposite-sex married couples. However, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity is not banned statewide.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Nebraska may face some legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Nebraska, and same-sex marriage has been recognized since June 2015 as a result of Obergefell v. Hodges. The state prohibits discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment and housing following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County and a subsequent decision of the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission. In addition, the state's largest city, Omaha, has enacted protections in public accommodations.

In Hawaii, the LGBT laws have been evolving for the past hundred years. In the pre-19th century, the influence of Polynesian culture led to a more open-minded state. After the first Christian missionaries began arriving in Hawaii, strict sodomy laws were enacted. Territory v. Bell (1958) was the last sodomy case argued in Hawaii. After the turn of the 20th century, LGBT issues began being taken to and decided by the Supreme Court. In 2013, Hawaii voted in favor of gay marriage, and marriage licenses began to be issued to LGBT couples.

LGBT employment discrimination in the United States is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is encompassed by the law's prohibition of employment discrimination on the basis of sex. Prior to the landmark cases Bostock v. Clayton County and R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2020), employment protections for LGBT people were patchwork; several states and localities explicitly prohibit harassment and bias in employment decisions on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity, although some only cover public employees. Prior to the Bostock decision, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) interpreted Title VII to cover LGBT employees; the EEOC determined that transgender employees were protected under Title VII in 2012, and extended the protection to encompass sexual orientation in 2015.

The state of Rhode Island, in the Northeast United States, has recorded LGBT history and individuals reaching back to the early 20th century. Prior to the 20th century, the state was also home to the Public Universal Friend and Charley Parkhurst, both well-known individuals with ambiguous gender identities. In 1995, the state became the ninth in the country to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 2013, it became the tenth state to allow same-sex marriage.

References

↑ Gallagher, John (1994-02-22). "Refusal to Rule". The Advocate . p. 24. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
↑ "Louisiana sodomy law upheld". The Advocate . Here. 1994-04-05. p. 16. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
↑ Anderson, David C. (1994-04-19). "Boston's shame". The Advocate . pp. 24–5. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
↑ "Around the Nation". The Advocate . Here. 1994-05-03. p. 22. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
↑ Views of the Human Rights Committee in case No. 488/1992
↑ "Clear sailing?". The Advocate . Here. 1994-05-31. p. 15. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
↑ "Pop tarts". The Advocate . Here. 1994-06-14. p. 14. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
↑ Farmer v. Brennan , 511US825 ( Supreme Court of the United States 1994-06-06).
↑ "A Swede deal for couples". The Advocate . Here. 1994-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
↑ "Forward with the pride March". Manila Bulletin . 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2015-08-06.
↑ "Ohio players". The Advocate . Here. 1994-09-20. p. 14. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
↑ "Transitions". The Advocate . 1994-09-06. p. 21. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

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[1] Gallagher, John (1994-02-22). "Refusal to Rule". The Advocate . p. 24. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[2] "Louisiana sodomy law upheld". The Advocate . Here. 1994-04-05. p. 16. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[3] Anderson, David C. (1994-04-19). "Boston's shame". The Advocate . pp. 24–5. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[4] "Around the Nation". The Advocate . Here. 1994-05-03. p. 22. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[5] Views of the Human Rights Committee in case No. 488/1992

[6] "Clear sailing?". The Advocate . Here. 1994-05-31. p. 15. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[7] "Pop tarts". The Advocate . Here. 1994-06-14. p. 14. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[8] Farmer v. Brennan , 511US825 ( Supreme Court of the United States 1994-06-06).

[9] "A Swede deal for couples". The Advocate . Here. 1994-07-12. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[10] "Forward with the pride March". Manila Bulletin . 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2015-08-06.

[11] "Ohio players". The Advocate . Here. 1994-09-20. p. 14. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

[12] "Transitions". The Advocate . 1994-09-06. p. 21. Retrieved 2010-07-28.

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