2015 LGBT Pride Month

2. TheThe history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, andhistory of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgender (LGBT) peoples and culturestransgender (LGBT) peoples and cultures
around the world dates back to the first recordedaround the world dates back to the first recorded
instances of same-sex love and sexuality ofinstances of same-sex love and sexuality of
ancient civilizations. What survives of manyancient civilizations. What survives of many
centuries' persecution—resulting in shame,centuries' persecution—resulting in shame,
suppression, and secrecy—has only recentlysuppression, and secrecy—has only recently
been pursued and interwoven into historicalbeen pursued and interwoven into historical
narrative. In 1994 the annual observance of LGBTnarrative. In 1994 the annual observance of LGBT
History Month began in the US, and it has sinceHistory Month began in the US, and it has since
been picked up in other countries.been picked up in other countries.
LGBT History?

3. LGBT Pride MonthLGBT Pride Month
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month
(LGBT Pride Month) is commemorated each year in the
month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in
Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for
the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States.
The purpose is to recognize the impact that LGBT
individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and
internationally.
In 1994, a coalition of education-based organizations
designated October as LGBT History Month. In 1995, a
resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National
Education Association included LGBT History Month within a list
of commemorative months.

4. Rainbow FlagRainbow Flag
Designed by San Francisco artist Gilbert Baker in 1978, the rainbow flag is a
symbol of LGBT pride and LGBT social movements. The colors reflect the
diversity of the LGBT community, and the flag is often used as a symbol of gay
pride in LGBT rights marches.
Baker served in the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1972 and was
stationed in San Francisco at the beginning of the gay
rights movement.
After his honorable discharge from the military, he taught
himself to sew.
The most common variant consists of six stripes, with the colors red (life),
orange (healing), yellow (sunlight), green (nature), blue (serenity), and violet
(spirit). The flag is commonly flown horizontally, with the red stripe on top, as
it would be in a natural rainbow.

5. Independence HallIndependence Hall
On 4 Jul 1965, a group of courageous gay and lesbians activities held the first organized civil rights
demonstrations in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Known as "Annual Reminders",
these protests occurred every Fourth
of July from 1965 to 1969, paving the way for the Stonewall
riot, the first gay pride parade and many victories the
LGBT community celebrates today.
The Annual Reminders were significant for the following reasons:
• Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings became the father and
mother of the organized LGBT civil rights movement
• Strategically planned on Independence Day at Independence
Hall, where the Liberty Bell resided and where the Declaration of
Independence and Constitution were written
- documents proclaiming the right to life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness, and equality
• The first time demonstrators demanded equality for homosexuals
• 40 activists was the largest demonstration for gay rights in world history
• The first time activities from more than one city came together to protest

6. Stonewall RiotsStonewall Riots
In 1969 Police raids on gay bars occurred regularly. It was illegal to serve gay people alcohol or
dance with one other. During a typical raid, the lights were turned on and the customers were
lined up for identification checks. Those without ID or dressed in full drag were arrested, and
typically managers and employees were as well.
At 0120 on Sat, 28 Jun 1968, 8 police officers
arrived at Stonewall Inn in Manhattan with
about 200 guests at the bar. This time the
patrons refused to cooperate with the police.
Within minutes, 150 people congregated outside
and by the time the first patrol wagon arrived,
the crowed grew to 10x the number of people
who were arrested. By 0400, the streets had
been cleared, 13 people arrested, several crowd
members hospitalized and 4 police officers injured.
Several days of demonstrations followed that lead to the formation of the Gay Liberation Front
and other LGBT civil rights organizations.
The LGBT community around the globe commemorates that historic time here at The Stonewall
Inn by holding Pride Parades. Those celebrations of Gay pride are to recognize how far we have
come, to remember those less fortunate who came before us and to remind those who may have
grown complacent, how far we still must go to achieve true equality.

7. Friedrich Wilhelm von SteubenFriedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (1730 - 1794) was born in Prussia and joined the Prussian Army at age 17. In
1777, he was threatened with prosecution for being a homosexual and therefore fled to Paris. He became
known as “The Baron”.
While in Paris, he met Ben Franklin. Franklin wrote a personnel letter to George Washington on von
Steuben's behalf, even after being informed by French figures of von Steuben's sexuality. Steuben took
Franklin's offer as it was a homosexuality was a crime in France.
He arrived at Valley Forge and was immediately accepted by Washington. Steuben
single-handedly turned a militia of farmers into well-trained and disciplined army
that was able to stand musket-to-musket combat with the British. The Continental
Army adopted Steubon's methods and renamed them Regulations for the Order and
Discipline of the Troops of the United States.
In 1780, Steuben sat on the court martial of British Army officer Major John Andre
and defected General Benedict Arnold.
Steuben became an American citizen by act of the Pennsylvania Legislature in March
1784 and later by the New York authorities in July 1786.
New Jersey presented with the use of an estate in Bergen County, now known as Stueben House, in Dec
1783.
In 1792, New York formed the town Steuben from part of the Town of Whitestown.
Baron von Steuben may have been Prussian by birth, but he died an American, and forever earned a place in
our history alongside the very men to whom we owe our existence and spirit.

8. Allen Irvin BernsteinAllen Irvin Bernstein
Allen Irvin Bernstein was a gay Jewish American World War II veteran who served from 1940 to 1944.
Bernstein attended Tufts College and Union college, graduating in 1933. He then graduated from University of
Chicago with a master's degree in history.
In Sep 1940, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was initially stationed in Staten Island. He performed clerical and
general maintenance. He was then assigned to the Quartermaster Corps in Camp Lee, VA.
In 1944, he was arrested after being found he was gay and received a blue discharge. The
blue discharge made him not eligible for G.I. Bill benefits. He submitted appeals from 1946
to 1981, resulting in the discharge being reversed in 81.
In 1999, he was honored as a Red Cross "Volunteer of the Year" for having given 110 blood
donations. After being blacklisted for being gay, he continued to assisting donation centers.
Bernstein wrote unpublished letters, books and poems including
- "A Pervert Talks Back" (1938),
- "They Didn't Mean Us" (1938)
- Millions of Queers (Our Homo America) (1940)
- Poems Partly Pedestric (1941), "My Blue Sec 8 Discharged" (1944)
In 1990, author Mary Ann Humphrey interviewed Bernstein in her book My Country, My Right to Serve.
Joan Radner, Library of Congress, interviewed him for Veterans History Project in 2002.
Bernstein’s resistant essays demonstrate his commitment to the belief, spelled out in his credo, written at age 67,
in 1981: “It is my religious duty to keep hitting my head against stone walls to push them down, to keep fighting
city hall. There is no inevitability about the forces-of-good or the forces-of-evil winning.”

9. Brenda HowardBrenda Howard
Brenda Howard was an LGBT activist and organized the first Pride parade. She is known as the
"Mother of Pride."
In the late 1960s, she became involved in the anti-war and feminist movements. She participated
in the 1969 Stonewall riots, marking a turning points in the gay rights
movement.
In 1970, she organized the first Christopher Street Liberation Day to
commemorate Stonewall's anniversary. The march was the fist Pride
parade in the world, encouraging other cities and countries to hold similar
events.
During the 70s, she chaired the Gay Activists Alliance and a member of the
Gay Liberation Front.
Following graduating from Manhattan Community college, she became
involved in the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights, successfully lobbying for
LGBT right laws in NYC.
Howard cofounded the New York Area Bisexual Network in 1987. Se also successfully lobbied for
the inclusion of bisexuality in the 1993 March on Washington.
The Brenda Howard Memorial Award was created in 2005 by the Queens Chapter of Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. It was the first award by a major American LGBT
organization to be named after an openly gay bisexual person.

10. Harvey MilkHarvey MilkHarvey Milk graduated New York State College for Teachers in Albany (now State University of New York at
Albany) with a major in mathematics in 1951. Milk then joined the Navy and served as a diving instructor in San
Diego during the Korean War.
In 1972, he opened Castro Camera on Castro Street in San Francisco; the heart of the city's gay community. The
following year be declared his candidacy for the San Francisco Board of
Supervisors, however lost. Two years later he narrowly lost, but had become a
political force as an outspoken leader in the gay community with connections
including city Mayor George Mascone, and Assembly Leader Willie Brown and
future Senator Dianne Feinstein.
In 1977, Milk was known as the "Mayor of Castro Street". That year he also won the
San Francisco Board of Supervisors election. It was a ground breaking election as
he was one of the world's first openly gay elected officials-and its most visible one -
symbolized he freedom to live life with authenticity to millions of LGBT men and
women around the world. In addition to LGBT rights, he also wanted to tackle
child care, housing and a civilian police review board.
On 10 Nov 1978, Harvey Milk and Mayor Mascone were assassinated in City Hall.
The assailant received a downgraded convictions that resulted in peaceful
demonstrations. More than 5K policemen responded entering nightclubs armed with truncheons and assaulting
patrons leading to 124 injured people, including 59 policemen. The episode is known as "The White Night Riots".
Movies The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) and Milk (2009) became Academy award winning films. Time magazine
included him in "100 Heroes and Icons of the 20th Century". The Advocate listed Milk 3rd in their "40 Heroes of
the 20th Century" issue. In 2009, President Obama posthumously awarded Milk the Presidential Medal of
Freedom and Gov. Schwarzenegger designed May 22 as "Harvey Milk Day" and inducted Milk in the California
Hall of Fame.

11. TSgt Leonard MatlovichTSgt Leonard Matlovich
Technical Sergeant Leonard Matlovich was a Vietnam War veteran, race relations instructor and
recipient of the Purple Heart and Bronz Star.
In March 1974, Matlovich read an interview in the Air Force Times with Gay Movement Pioneer
Frank Kammeny, who had counseled several gays in the military.
I 1975, Matlovich with the guidance of Frank Kameny, became the
first to bring the government's decades of discrimination against gays
and lesbians to national consciousness when he volunteered to tell his
superiors that he was gay in order to create a test case. The USAF had
an ill-defined extenuating circumstance clause.
He sued for reinstatement. By 1980, the USAF failed to provide U.S.
Dictrict Court an explaination as why Matlovich did not meet the
exception criteria. Judge Gessell ordered him reinstated and
promoted. The Air Force offered a financial settlement of $160k.
While in San Fran, he helped fight for LGBT rights. He went across
the country raising money to defeat Proposition 6, banning gay teaching in CA schools, and
Proposition 64 that threatened to quarantine people with AIDS.
Matlovich helped force Northwest Airlines end their refusal to fly people with AIDS.
He continued to speak out for equality, up until 6 weeks before he died on 22 Jun 1988.

12. March on WashingtonMarch on Washington
In the spring of 1979, the first community planning session in NYC for the March was conducted
at Congregational Beit Simchat Torrah, a synagogue that serves LGBT community. Reps of
150+ of gay and lesbian NY organizations attended.
The first national planning meeting was held in Phili in
Feb 1979. National structure was realized in 2nd
meeting.
Grassroots efforts followed, eventually getting support
from National Gay Task Force, Gay Rights National
Lobby and MCC.
On 14 Oct 1979, over 100K people and groups from all 50
states to participated in the March.
The five demands of the March were:
- Congress to pass comprehensive gay/lesbian rights bill
- Presidential order banning discrimination based upon sexual orientation in federal hiring
- Repeal of all anti-lesbian/gay laws
- Ending discrimination in custody cases with gay or lesbian parents
- Protection of gay and lesbian youth from discrimination
The organizers also arranged 3 days of workshops featuring artistic events, strategy sessions,
focus groups on specific issues of women and minorities within the LGBT community,
consciousness raising, local organization, religion and other issues.

13. Sgt Perry WatkinsSgt Perry Watkins
Perry Watkins was an openly homosexual Army Sergeant whose long battle to stay in the military led to
a victory in 1990 before the Supreme Court.
Watkins identified himself as a homosexual when drafted in 1968 and served openly as a gay man. He
even performed in drag using the stage name of Simone at Army clubs
throughout Europe. He was permitted to re-enlist 3 times before the
Army sought his discharge.
In 1981, the military adopted a more stringent policy on homosexual
service men and women. The Army began proceedings to oust Watkins
and he was forced out at the end of his enlistment in 1984 after serving
openly for 16 years.
In 1989, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San
Francisco voted 7 to 4 in ordering the Army to reinstate Watkins.
Although the court did not tackle the broad question of whether
homosexuals should be permitted to serve, but rather cited Watkins had
been permitted to re-enlist.
The Bush Administration appealed the ruling, but in November 1990 the Supreme Court upheld the
Ninth Circuit's decision.
He died on 17 Mar 1996 at his home in Tacoma, WA of complications relating to AIDS.
Papers related to his lawsuits are held at the San Diego Lambda Archives.

14. LT Paul ThomassonLT Paul Thomasson
Paul served in the Navy 10 years, achieving the rank of LT. He challenged the constitutional
validity of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, pursuant to which he received an honorable discharge from
the Navy.
The day following the implementation of DADT, Thomasson wrote a
letter to the Admirals he served under informing them "I can no longer
remain silent. I am gay." He was a rising LT with high remarks. He
also had been awarded medals by Gen. Colin Powell and Rear Admiral
Lee Gun.
He petitioned the Supreme Court pointing out the anti-homosexuality
policy ruined the careers of 772 Americans in When he filed his
paperwork, he wrote "equal justice“ on the check memo line when
paying the filing fee.
He was the first gay service member challenging the policy that reached
the federal appeals court level. On 06 Apr 1996, the United States Court
of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, VA ruled 9 to 4 in favor
of the policy.
Judge Hall stated Thomasson's expression was not illegal and the fact admitted is not a ground
for discharge.

15. ST1 Keith MeinholdST1 Keith Meinhold
Keith Meinhold joined the Navy in 1980 and successfully challenged the Navy's attempt to discharge him for
coming out as gay in 1992.
During his first 10 years serving, he received meritorious promotion and high marks on performance
evaluations. While supervising a team of 32 instructors at Moffett Field Naval Air Station, he was recognized
"Aicrew Instructor of the Year".
In May 1992, he was interviewed on ABC Nightly news. He was prompted to
come forward after hearing about alleged witch hunts against gay Sailors in
Japan, in which 50 service members were investigated.
Meinhold was discharged under honorable conditions on 30 Jun 1992. He
challenged the discharge in federal court in LA, arguing the hearings were
improperly and unfairly conducted and the ban on homosexual service
members was unconstitutional.
U.S. District Judge Hatter ruled in his favor in Jan 1993 and further ruled the
ban on sexual minorities was unconstitutional. The Clinton Administration filed
an appeal with the 9th Circuit Court, however it upheld Meinhold's
reinstatement. In July 1995, Judge Hatter ordered the government to pay
Meinhold $440K in court costs.
The court's decision overturned the prohibition against barring homosexuals from serving. Because the case
was not a class-action suit, the court's decision only affected Meinhold.
Meinhold re-enlisted on 16 Dec 1993 and completed his final tour with Patrol Squadron 46. He retired from the
Navy in Mar 1996 after serving 16 years.

16. Don’t Ask, Don’t TellDon’t Ask, Don’t Tell
The DADT policy was instituted by the Clinton Administration on 28 Feb 1994 and lasted until 20 Sep 2011.
During Clinton's campaign for president, he promised he would lift the military ban prohibiting homosexuals
from serving in the military. Opposition from Sen Sam Nunn, Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Colin
Powell were two major opponents. The end result was a compromise of DADT policy.
The act prohibited any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation or from
speaking about any relationships, including marriages or other familial attributes. Service members who
disclosed they are homosexual or engaged in homosexual conduct resulted in being discharged.
In 2006, a University of CA Blue Ribbon Commission concluded total cost related to DADT was $363M,
including $14.3M for separation travel, $17.8M for training officers, $252.4M for training enlistees, and $79.3M
in recruiting cost.
By 2008, more than 12,000 service members had been discharged from the military.
The same year, Obama pledged to overturn DADT during his presidential campaign.
In 2010, the Pentagon reevaluated the policy and conducted a study to determine how the repeal would affect
the military.
In May 2010, the House of Representatives and Senate panel voted to allow the repeal of DADT, pending the
Pentagon study and certification by the President, Secretary of Defense and Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On 30 Nov 2010, the Pentagon released it's report, finding repealing the policy would pose little risk to military
effectiveness.
On 22 Jul 2011 Obama certified the military was ready to end DADT. After a mandatory 60-day time period
passed, the repeal took effect on 20 Sep 2011.

17. Master Chief Timothy R. McVeighMaster Chief Timothy R. McVeigh
Timothy R. McVeigh joined the Navy at age 18 in 1980.
In 1997, while serving onboard USS Chicago, the legal officer brought McVeigh to her office to read legal
rights against self-incrimination and handed McVeigh a copy of a AOL user profile. The profile was
prepared by "Tim" of "Honolulu, HI" and martial status listed as "gay".
The legal officer had phoned AOL and obtained additional information to
confirm McVeigh was "Tim".
In doing so, the Navy and AOL violated the Electronic Communications
Privacy Act of 1986, a federal law that bars the release of customer
information by computer service companies without a subpoena, a court
order or the consent of the customer.
With discharge date scheduled for 16 Jan 1998, his attorney filed a suit in
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking a preliminary injunction,
naming Secretary of Defense William Cohen as principal defendant.
In the ruling, Judge Stanley Sporkin stated McVeigh did not openly express his homosexuality in a way
that violated DADT. Sporkin also quoted DADT guidelines that specified credible information, which the
steps taken to confirm the AOL user profile owner violated the very essence of DADT.
McVeigh and the Navy agreed to settlement on 01 Jun 1998. The Navy never admitted any wrongdoing
and agreed to not pursue an appeal. The Navy also paid McVeigh's $90K in court costs.

18. PFC Barry WinchellPFC Barry Winchell
PFC Barry Winchell was born in 1978 in Kansas City, MO. He enlisted into the United States Army after
graduating high school in 1997. After boot camp, Winchell was assigned to the 502nd Infantry of the 101st
Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY. He became one of the earliest martyrs to DADT.
In March 1999, Winchell and his roommate, SPC Justin Fisher, drove to Nashville to go to Connection.
There, he met drag queen Cal "Calpernia" Adamms. They started dating.
Rumors about Winchell began to circulate widely though his platoon. He was
branded "the faggot" and harassed for 6 months. Mentioning it, or even revealing
the sinister abuse, would have resulted in being discharged from the Army.
Fisher went to Platoon Sergeant Kleifgen stating he dropped a soldier in their unit
off at Connection, without naming Winchell. Kleifgen was able to conclude
Winchell had been Fisher's passenger. Kleifgen violated DADT policy in asking
Winchell if he was gay, to which he responded no.
On the evening of 03 July, Winchell and fellow soldier PVT Calvin Glover had
gotten in a fight. At a 4th of July bbq, Glover told Fisher he lost a fight to
Winchell. Fisher taunted him with "what sort of man, what sort of real man would
lose a fight to a faggot like Barry Winchell?".
In the early hours of 05 July, Fisher gave Glover a baseball bat to beat Winchell. Glover found Winchell
asleep and brutally struck Winchell in the head, face and upper torso. Winchell died of massive head injuries
on 06 Jul 1999 at Vanderbilt Medical Center.
Fisher accepted a plea bargain to 12.6 years. Glover is serving a life sentence at Ft Leavenworth.

19. Dan and LT Gary RossDan and LT Gary Ross
Gary Ross graduated from high school a year early and enlisted in the Navy in 1995 at the age of
17. DADT was already implemented and Defense of Marriage Act went into effect in 1996.
In 1998 Ross was accepted in to the Naval Academy and graduated in 2002.
He and Dan met on a dating website in 2000. DADT forced
them to hide their relationships from everyone except a handful
of trusted friends and family. Ross had to lie to his shipmates on
a daily basis.
In 2011, they were able to be honest about their relationship with
the repeal of DADT. They became legally married in Vermont at
the exact moment the repeal went into effect.
However, DOMA continued to prevent them from receiving
equal recognition, benefits and family support for equal sacrifice
and service in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Ross went on to serve onboard USS Anchorage when it was commissioned. Ross was the ship's
go-to-lieutenant and ranked as top department head.

20. LT Dan ChoiLT Dan Choi
Dan Choi is a former infantry officer in the United States Army who was discharged under DADT.
Choi graduated from West Point in 2003 with degrees in Arabic and environmental engineering. He served
in Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division from 2006 to 2007. In 2008, he transfered to the New York Army
National Guard, serving as an Army guardsman with the 1st Battalion.
In Jan 2009, Choi and 6 others founded Knights Out, a West Point alumni
supporting LGBT soldiers.
He came out on The Rachel Maddow Show in March 2009 and publically
challenged DADT.
He was subsequently discharged and filed an appeal. He had a Courage
Campaign petition, signed by 162K+ people. He was among 59 Arabic and 9 Farsi
linguists discharged for being gay between 2004 and 2009.
That July, he was in the premier of documentary called Silent Partners, the 4th
episode in the In Their Boots series. It focused on the partners of LGBT deployed soldiers..
On 18 mar 2010, Choi and ousted Capt Jim Pietrangelo handcuffed themselves to the White House Fence.
Both were initially set to be tried for "failure to obey a lawful order", eventually dropping charges.
Self-chaining protests also occurred in April, May and November 2010. The case of United States v Choi took
2 years to conclude, resulting in a misdemeanor charge and $100 fine.
Choi is still active in supporting LGBT rights and frequently speaks at venues.

21. Defense of Marriage ActDefense of Marriage Act
In 1996, gay rights case in Hawaii was gaining press coverage as an initial series of preliminary court rulings
suggested gay marriage might become legal there. President Clinton was on the record for opposing marriage
equality, although he did not believe a law was necessary.
The Administration had become, especially in an election year, to get ahead of
public opinion on gay rights, after backtracking on open military service.
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was enacted on 21 Sep 1996. It defined
"spouse" and its related terms to signify a heterosexual couple in a recognized
marriage.
Section 3 codified non-recognition of same-sex marriages for all federal
purposes, including insurance benefits for government employees, social
security survivors' benefits, immigration, bankruptcy and the filing of joint tax
returns.
The General Accounting Office issued a report in 1997 identifying 1,049 federal
statutory provisions classified to the United States Code in which benefits,
rights and privileges are continent on marital status or in which
marital status is a factor. The GAO released an updated report in 2014 stating the
number had risen to 1,138.
In 2004, President Bush endorsed a Constitutional amendment to define and protect marriage as a union of a
man and woman as husband and wife.
DOMA Section 3 was repealed in 2013. The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced to Congress in Jan 2015.

22. Windsor v. United StatesWindsor v. United States
Edith "Edie" Windsor and Thea Spyer met in 1963 in a West Village of Manhattan. Spyer proposed in 1965,
but presented a diamond brooch instead of engagement ring, fearing Windsor would be stigmatized at work.
In 2007, they married in Toronto under the provisions set forth in the Canadian Civil Marriage Act. In May
2008, New York Governor David Paterson ordered state agencies to recognize
same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
Spyer passed away in 2009, leaving Windsor with her estate. She was required to pay
$363,053 taxes to the federal government and $275,528 to New York State, despite
New York recognizing their Ontario marriage as valid.
She and her lawyer Roberta Kaplan filed a lawsuit in 2009 alleging DOMA violates the
Equal Protection principles of the U.S. Constitution because it recognized existing
marriages of heterosexual couples, but not that of same-sex couples.
The Southern District of New York ruled in Windsor's favor in June 2012. Two months
later, Second Circuit issued an opinion striking down DOMA in the Windsor v.
United States case.
On 07 Dec 2012, the Supreme Court agreed to hear Windsor's challenge and oral arguments took place on 27
Mar 2013.
A documentary film "Edie and Thea" has been shown in film festivals.
Windows was Time magazine "Person of the Year" in 2013.

23. State ChallengesState Challenges
Each state has its own statues governing marriage laws, however marriages must be recognized by every
other state under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United states Constitution.
DOMA was an attempt to allow states to not recognize same-sex marriages outside the state. Between
1996 and 2004, 39 states passed laws and constitution amendments defining marriage consisting as
heterosexual couples.
Prop 8 is one of the most well-known ballot propositions
and state constitution amendments that passed in 2008.
The ballot title was "Eliminated Rights of Same-Sex
couples to Marry". It was challenged and upheld in 2009.
In 2010, it was ruled it unconstitutional under the Due
Process and Equal Protection clauses of the 14th
Amendment. In 2013 the Supreme Court dismissed
the case, leaving the 2010 ruling intact.
The Amendment has been the fundamental piece in the
success of same-sex couples challenging states who do not
allow same-sex marriages or recognize them from other states.
Marriage equality exists in 37 states plus the Washington, D.C. Additionally, same-sex couples can marry
in some Missouri counties; based upon a pro-marriage ruling now on appeal. Missouri also recognizes
same-sex marriages from other states.
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on 28 Apr 2015 on whether a state may refuse to license same-
sex marriages and whether it may refuse to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
SCOTUS is expected to make a decision in June 2015.

24. Tim Bostic and Tony LondonTim Bostic and Tony London
Tim Bostic and Tony London have been in a committed relationship since 1989. In July of 2013, they went
before the Norfolk Circuit Court Clerks' office to obtain a marriage license, but were denied in accordance with
the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
The Commonwealth of Virginia put a marriage amendment on the ballot of the Nov 2006 election, defining a
union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid
in or recognized by the Commonwealth and its political
subdivisions. It passed with 57% of voters marking yes.
After being denied the marriage license, they filed a lawsuit in the
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia challenging
the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
On 13 Feb 2014, Judge Wright Allen ruled Virginia's statutory and
constitutional ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. She
held marriage is a fundamental right and the arguments in
support of the ban failed to meet the stand of review and they did
not even pass rational basis review.
On 13 May 2014, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond heard oral arguments. On 28 July, the 4th
Circuit ruled 2-1 in favor of affirming the lower court's ruling. The circuit's ruling impacted 4 additional states
it covers - Maryland, North Carolina and West Virginia.
On 06 Oct 2014, the Supreme Court declined to hear the case, allowing same-sex couples to marry in VA.
After being together for 25 years, the couple wed this past May.

25. Sgt Shane OrtegaSgt Shane Ortega
Army Sgt Shane Ortega is the first out transgender U.S. Soldier. He served three combat tours,
two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Two of them served as a Marine and other as a Soldier; also
two as a woman and one as a man.
Ortega is a helicopter crew chief in the Army's 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. Last summer,
medical showed Ortega had elevated testosterone levels due to hormones being taken to support
his transition. He has been on administrative duty since his flight
certification was suspended as a result.
Ortega remains in administrative limbo because his gender marker
in DEERS is female. Ortega's command has requested clear guidance
from the DoD as to whether this means he can stay in the military.
The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban against gay and lesbian military
people was lifted but the ban against transgender people from serving
remains because it is based on military medical regulations put in
place before the American Psychiatric Association declared, in 2013,
that being transgender is not in itself a mental disorder."
In 2014 President Obama signed an order that federal contractors could no longer discriminate on
the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, but the order doesn't apply to the military.

26. First Historical KissFirst Historical Kiss
On 21 Dec 2011 at 1030, USS Oak Hill returned to Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.
It had been 3 months since leaving for Central America, participating in 300 exercises supporting
the Amphibious-Southern Partnership Station 2012.
FC2 Marissa Gaeta won the raffle to take part in the time-honored Navy tradition of the fist
homecoming kiss. She bought 50 tickets, but suspected her division and other shipmates bought
more on her behalf.
When Gaeta and her girlfriend FC3 Citlalic Snell kissed, it was the
fist time a same-sex couple was able to partake in the tradition.
When FC3 Snell returned from deployment that August, kissing on
the pier wasn't an option as DADT was still in effect.
In an interview with the Virginias Pilot, Gaeta said "This is the first
time we can actually show who we are. It's nice to be able to be
myself.“
The couple had been dating for two years. The Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy required them to hide
their relationship. After the repeal, a lot of people weren’t supportive in the beginning, but they are
glad to be honest in who they are in their relationship.
USS Oak Hill Command Officer was supportive of the couple. He is quoted in an interview as
stating "It's going to happen and the crew's going to enjoy it. We're going to move on and it won't
overshadow the great things that this crew has accomplished over the past three months".

27. Col. Karis Graham
Col. Karis Graham is a Chaplain in the United States Air Force. She took part in a panel this month at the
Pentagon's celebration of LGBT Pride Month. At the celebration, she introduced her wife and described
her difficulties serving prior to lifting DADT policy. Graham said once she could
be open about being married to another women without fear of being
discharged, she has been able to minister more effectively to other married
troops, and the acceptance of her fellow Chaplains.
Graham serves as the Individual Mobilization Augmentee to the Chief,
Personnel, Budget and Readiness, Office of the Chief of Chaplains,
Headquarters, Pentagon. She recently transitioned from this position after an
operational assignment in a USAFR Wing in Niagara Falls, NY.
Previously, she served as part of the Honor Guard as a Chaplain at Arlington
National Cemetery f and Wing Chaplain for the 501st Combat Support Wing,
UK. In addition to her years in the USAF, she entered the military chaplaincy
as a US Navy chaplain before making a service transfer.
Graham’s civilian ministry has included interim ministry duties and supply preaching in the Metropolitan
DC Synod.
Dr. Karis Graham is a career Civil Servant with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in
the Middle East Bureau

28. Samuel BrintonSamuel Brinton
Samuel Brinton was born in 1988 to a father who was a Southern Baptist missionary. At the age of 12, a copy of
Playboy was smuggled into the hands their community's young boys. Sam was proud of not being affected
whatsoever by the pictures of scantily-clad women. He also admitted feeling that way sometimes about his friend
Dale. After being knocked out cold by his father so hard he had to be rushed to the Emergency Room.
Sam's mother suggested therapy. During the first session, the "religious therapist" told Sam all gay people have
AIDS and showed pictures of men dying from AIDS, using as visual indicators of how Sam would die.
“The First Step” of his therapy involved attaching his hands to a table with leather straps, palms up. Then blocks
of ice were put on each hand and showed photos of two men holding hands, to
associate touching men with the “burning cold.”
“The Second Step” involved copper heating coils wrapped around his wrists and
hands. Heat was turned on when images of two men holding hands were shown,
but turned off when pictures of a heterosexual couple were shown.
“The Third Step” accompanied Sam’s first suicide attempt. He was strapped into
a chair, and small needles were stuck into his fingertips. The needles were
attached to electrodes, and Sam received shocks when shown elicit images men.
He endured 1.5 years in therapy and multiple suicide attempts.
Later he moved to Kansas. Following high school, he dual majored in nuclear engineering and opera at Kansas
State University. Sam passed an anti-LGBT discrimination city ordinance protecting LGBT in Manhattan, KS.
He completed his master's degree at MIT in 2013. He currently works at an energy policy think tank and uses his
story to raise awareness of controversial psychiatric practices.
In 2010, he was named Top LGBT Activist in the country by the Campus Pride organization.

29. Col. Jennifer PritzkerCol. Jennifer PritzkerJennifer Pritzker is the world's first and only open transgender billionaire. The Pritzker family has been
on Forbes magazine's "America's Richest Families' list since 1982, she being listed at 353 as of 2014.
In 1974, Pritzker enlisted in the Army serving in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, where she
achieved the rank of Sergeant.
In 1979, she was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant at 101st Airborne
Division at Fort Campbell. She later served with VII Corps in Germany, completing 11
years active duty in 1984.
She then served 16 years in the Illinois Army national Guard as Commander, C
Company, 1st Battalion 131st Infantry Regiment, Battalion S2, Asst Brigade
Intel Officer and Chemical Officer and many other positions. In March 2001
upon retirement, Priztker was promoted to Colonel.
Pritzker organized Tawani Enterprises Inc, a wealth management company, in
1984. It has an emphasis on promoting the ideal of the "Citizen Soldier". The
Foundation has also extensively supported awards and programs of ROTC
and JROTC throughout the United States.
She founded Pritzker Military Library, a research museum dedicated to "the Citizen Soldier in the
preservation of democracy", in 2011.
In August 2013, Pritzker released a statement
In 2013, she donated $25M to Norwich University, the school that established the Reserve Officers'
Training Corps. She also donated $1.35M to Palm Center to create the Transgender Military Service
Initiative.

30. Wanda SykesWanda Sykes
Wanda Sykes is a comedian, writer, actress and voice artist. She is also a LGBT civil rights and
spokesperson at Human Rights Campaign and other LGBT rights organizations.
In 1986, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Hampton University. She
worked for the National Security Agency until 1992.
Sykes spent 5 years as part of HBO's critically acclaimed "Chris Rock Show". As a
writer and performer, she was nominated for 3 Primetime Emmy's and in 1999 won
an Emmy for "Outstanding Writing for Variety, Music or Comedy Special".
In 2003, Sykes launched her first tv show "Wanda at Large". She stared in "Wanda
Does It", "The Wanda Sykes Show" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine".
HBA produced two Wanda Sykes comedian specials, "Sick & Tired" (2006) and "I'ma
Be Me" (2009).
She appeared in "Evan Almighty", "Monster-in-Law" and "My Super Ex-Girlfriend"
and has been the voice for characters in animated filmes "Over the Hedge", "The Barnyard", "Ice Age:
Continental Drift“.
In 2008, Sykes came out when she announced her marriage to Alex while speaking at a gay marriage
rally in CA. Sykes attended the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2009.
In 2010, she won a GLAAD award for promoting a good image of equal rights for gays and lesbians.
She will be a MC at the LGBT 50th Anniversary Event at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

31. Matthew VinesMatthew Vines
Matthew attended Harvard University from 2008 to 2010. He then took a leave of absence in
order to research the Bible and homosexuality and work toward LGBT inclusion in the church.
In March 2012, Matthew delivered a speech at a church in his
hometown about the Bible and homosexuality, calling acceptance of
gay Christians and their marriage relationships. Since then, the video of
the speech has been seen nearly a million times on YouTube, leading to
a feature story in The New York Times.
In 2013, Matthew launched The Reformation Project, a non-profit
organization dedicated to training LGBT Christians and their allies to
reform church teaching on sexual orientation an gender identity.
Vines points out the frequently quoted condemnation (homosexuality is
an “abomination”) from the Old Testament lawbook of Leviticus has no
application to Christians, who are bound by the teachings of the New
Testament. He explains that St. Paul’s admonitions about the
“effeminate” and “abusers of themselves with mankind” stem from
modern mis-translations of ancient Greek terminology.
In April 2014, Vines’ book God and the Gay Christian.

32. DoD Human GoalsDoD Human Goals
On April 28, 2014, the PentagonOn April 28, 2014, the Pentagon
released an update to the DoDreleased an update to the DoD HumanHuman
Goals Charter, which for the first timeGoals Charter, which for the first time
included language related to sexualincluded language related to sexual
orientation in the section dealing withorientation in the section dealing with
the military.the military.