1952: In Los Angeles, W. Dorr Legg and six friends, including Dale Jennings, all with ties to the Mattachine Society, discuss forming a group to promote education and research activities beneficial to gay men and lesbians. ONE, Inc., results from the meeting.

1970: Jet Magazine features a lesbian couple, Edna Knowles and Peaches Stevens, in their publication under the headline “Two Women ‘Married’ In Chicago — To Each Other.” However, Jet noted that the Illinois marriage license bureau had no record of the union and the image caption refers to Stevens as the “bridegroom”.

1973: Dr. Howard Brown announces the founding of the National Gay (“and lesbian” was added later) Task Force, considered the first gay or lesbian rights organization with a truly national scope. Dr. Bruce Voeller is named the first executive director.

1974: The Gay Activists Alliance “Firehouse” is destroyed by arson.

1977: The school board of Santa Barbara, California, votes to ban discrimination against students based on sexual orientation.

1983: A Washington, DC, Superior Court judge dismisses a lawsuit brought by gay students against Georgetown University three years prior, ruling that the students cannot force the university to grant their organization recognition, because the federal government does not have an official national policy on homosexual rights.

1988: Alexandria, Virginia bans discrimination in employment, housing and other practices based on sexual orientation.

1999: The Washington Times reports claims George W. Bush ensured conservative supporters that he would not “knowingly” appoint any homosexuals as ambassadors or department heads in his administration if elected president.