2000 in LGBTQ rights

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBTQ rights that took place in the year 2000.

Events

• Voters in US state of Maine reject a proposal to reinstate the ban on sexual orientation discrimination in the private sector, with 50.5 per cent against and 49.5 per cent for.

January

• 12 – The ban on lesbians and gay men serving in the United Kingdom armed forces is lifted. ^[1]

February

• 14 – Jerrold Nadler, congressman from New York, introduces the Permanent Partners Immigration Act (H.R 3650) in the United States Congress. ^[2]

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. ^[3]
• 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. ^[4]

June

• 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. ^[5]

July

• 1
  • In the U.S. state of Vermont, civil union law goes into effect, granting most state-level marriage rights to registered same-sex couples. ^[6]
  • Mississippi becomes the third U.S. state to ban adoption by same-sex couples. ^[7]

November

• Montana governor Marc Racicot issues an executive order banning sexual orientation discrimination in the public sector. ^[8]
• 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. ^[9]

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. ^[10]
• 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. ^[11] 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. ^[12]

Deaths

• December 18 – Hal Call, American businessman and homophile leader (Mattachine Society). ^[13]

See also

• LGBTQ portal

• Timeline of LGBT history – timeline of events from 12,000 BCE to present
• LGBT rights by country or territory – current legal status around the world
• LGBT social movements

References

1. Norton-Taylor, Richard (January 12, 2000). "Forces Ban on Gays is Lifted". The Guardian. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
2. "H.R. 3650 (106th): Permanent Partners Immigration Act of 2000". Govtrack. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
3. McCaleb, Ian Christopher (March 3, 2000). "'Prop 22' Social Referendum Grips California Voters". CNN. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
4. Gamson, Joshua (March 30, 2000). "Who's Millennium March?". The Nation. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
5. Logan, Caitlin (February 16, 2020). "Section 28: 20 Years on from Repeal, Effects are Still Felt". The National. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
6. Goldberg, Carey (April 26, 2000). "Vermont Gives Final Approval to Same-Sex Unions". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 20, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
7. Barbash, Fred (April 1, 2016). "Federal Judge Voids Mississippi Ban on Same-Sex Couple Adoptions". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
8. "Montana LGBT Laws". Pride Legal. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
9. "In re John/Jane Doe". Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders. December 1, 2000. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
10. "What is the legal age of consent for sexual relationships?". BBC. 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
11. "Iowa LGBT Laws". Pride Legal Law at Your Command. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
12. "BGLAD Newsletter" (PDF). Du Pont. June 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 7, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
13. "Transitions". The Advocate . January 30, 2001. p. 18.