The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington,D.C.,the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGBTQ individuals,including advocating for same-sex marriage,anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation,and HIV/AIDS advocacy. The organization has a number of legislative initiatives as well as supporting resources for LGBTQ individuals.
Tammy Suzanne Green Baldwin is an American politician and lawyer serving since 2013 as the junior United States senator from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party,she has also served as the Secretary of the Senate Democratic Caucus since 2017 and is the dean of the United States congressional delegation from Wisconsin.
Daniel J. O'Donnell is an American politician from the state of New York. A Democrat,he is a member of the New York State Assembly. O'Donnell represents the 69th district in Manhattan,made up of the neighborhoods of Manhattan Valley,Morningside Heights,and portions of the Upper West Side and West Harlem.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) is legislation proposed in the United States Congress that would prohibit discrimination in hiring and employment on the basis of sexual orientation or,depending on the version of the bill,gender identity,by employers with at least 15 employees.
Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in New York since July 24,2011,under the Marriage Equality Act. The Act does not have a residency restriction,as some similar laws in other U.S. states do. It also allows religious organizations to decline to officiate at same-sex wedding ceremonies.
The rights of lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,and queer (LGBTQ) people in the United States are among the most advanced in the world,with public opinion and jurisprudence changing significantly since the late 1980s.
Mark Leno is an American politician who served consecutively in both houses of the California State Legislature from 2002 to 2016. A Democrat,he represented the 11th Senate district,which includes San Francisco and portions of San Mateo County,from 2012 to 2016. Until the 2010 redistricting came into effect,he represented the 3rd Senate district (2008–2012). Prior to being elected to the State Senate in 2008,Leno served in the California State Assembly,representing the 13th district.
Rubén Díaz Sr is a Puerto Rican politician from New York City and an ordained Pentecostal minister. He represented the 18th district of the New York City Council from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party,Díaz represented the 32nd district in the New York State Senate from 2003 to 2017;his Senate district included parts of the Bronx neighborhoods of Castle Hill,Parkchester,Morrisania,Hunts Point,Melrose,Longwood,and Soundview.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in Puerto Rico have most of the same protections and rights as non-LGBT individuals. Public discussion and debate about sexual orientation and gender identity issues has increased,and some legal changes have been made. Supporters and opponents of legislation protecting the rights of LGBT persons can be found in both of the major political parties. Public opposition still exists due,in large part,to the strong influence of the Roman Catholic Church,as well as socially conservative Protestants. Puerto Rico has a great influence on the legal rights of LGBT citizens. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the commonwealth since July 2015,after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges that same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional.
Equality Maryland (EQMD) was a non-profit organization formerly headquartered in Silver Spring,Maryland,now based in Baltimore. It was at the time,the largest organization in Maryland whose activities focused on advocacy and education with regard to LGBT social and political movements. Its mission included:the passage of laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation,gender expression,and gender identity;the expansion of Maryland's hate-crimes statute;the increase of domestic partner benefits;the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in Maryland and laws banning the practice of conversion therapy on minors. In 2016,the organization merged with FreeState Legal Project,to form FreeState Justice.
The Empire State Pride Agenda (ESPA) was a statewide political advocacy organization in New York that advocated for lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBTQ) rights,including same-sex marriage. ESPA has since disbanded after an executive order was passed by Governor Andrew Cuomo which protects the rights of transgender citizens as long as future governors uphold the law. ESPA was founded in 1990 through the merger of the New York State Gay and Lesbian Lobby and the Friends and Advocates for Individual Rights. ESPA was considered the leading gay political organization in the State of New York before it disbanded. As of 2005,ESPA was the largest statewide lesbian and gay political advocacy and civil rights organization in the United States.
Same-sex marriage has been legally recognized in Nevada since October 9,2014,when a federal district court judge issued an injunction against enforcement of Nevada's same-sex marriage ban,acting on order from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. A unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit had ruled two days earlier that the state's ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. Same-sex marriage was previously banned by an amendment to the Constitution of Nevada,which was approved by voters in 2002. The statutory ban on same-sex marriages was repealed by the Nevada Legislature in 2017,and the constitutional ban was repealed by voters in 2020 by 62–38 percent.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBTQ) people in the U.S. state of Florida have federal protections,but many face legal difficulties on the state level that are not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Lawrence v. Texas on June 26,2003,although the state legislature has not repealed its sodomy law. Same-sex marriage has been legal in the state since January 6,2015. Discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment,housing and public accommodations is outlawed following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. In addition,several cities and counties,comprising about 55 percent of Florida's population,have enacted anti-discrimination ordinances. These include Jacksonville,Miami,Tampa,Orlando,St. Petersburg,Tallahassee and West Palm Beach,among others. Conversion therapy is also banned in a number of cities in the state,mainly in the Miami metropolitan area,but has been struck down by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. In September 2023,Lake Worth Beach,Florida became an official "LGBT sanctuary city" to protect and defend LGBT rights.
The U.S. state of New York has generally been seen as socially liberal in regard to lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBTQ) rights. LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states,"The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth,and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". The advocacy movement for LGBT rights in the state has been dated as far back as 1969 during the Stonewall riots in New York City. Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults has been legal since the New York v. Onofre case in 1980. Same-sex marriage has been legal statewide since 2011,with some cities recognizing domestic partnerships between same-sex couples since 1998. Discrimination protections in credit,housing,employment,education,and public accommodation have explicitly included sexual orientation since 2003 and gender identity or expression since 2019. Transgender people in the state legally do not have to undergo sex reassignment surgery to change their sex or gender on official documents since 2014. In addition,both conversion therapy on minors and the gay and trans panic defense have been banned since 2019. Since 2021,commercial surrogacy has been legally available within New York State. In 2024,the Constitution of New York was amended to explicitly ban discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation.
LGBTQ history in the United States consists of the contributions and struggles of lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people,as well as the LGBTQ social movements they have built.
Brad Madison Hoylman-Sigal is an American Democratic politician. First elected in 2012,Hoylman-Sigal represents the 47th District in the New York State Senate,covering much of the west side of Manhattan in New York City. He is chairman of the state senate Judiciary Committee.
The state of North Dakota has improved in its treatment of lesbian,gay,bisexual and transgender residents in the late 1990s and into the 21st Century,when the LGBT community began to openly establish events,organizations and outlets for fellow LGBT residents and allies,and increase in political and community awareness.
LGBTQ+ conservatism in the United States is a social and political ideology within the LGBTQ+ community that largely aligns with the American conservative movement. LGBTQ+ conservatism is generally more moderate on social issues than social conservatism,instead emphasizing values associated with fiscal conservatism,libertarian conservatism,and neoconservatism.
This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community in the United States.
