 | 1980:
 | Mel Boozer, an openly
gay candidate for vice-president, gave a speech at the 1980 Democratic
National Convention.
|
| Same-sex acts by male gays was decriminalized in Scotland. |
|
| 1981:
| The World Health
Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental
illnesses.
|
| In July, the Centers for Disease
Control reported that 26 cases of a very rare form of cancer, Kaposi's Sarcoma, was found in young gay men. This was later recognized as
being due to the presence of AIDS. |
|
| 1982:
| On JAN-28, The U.S. Department of Defense issued a policy stating
that homosexuality is incompatible with military service. |
| More than 1,300 athletes
gathered in San Francisco during August and September, to participate in the first ever Gay Olympics. The
U.S. Olympic Committee obtained an injunction prevented them from using
the world "Olympics" in the name of their meeting.
|
| Wisconsin became the first
state to prohibit anti-gay bias in housing, employment and public
accommodations. |
| Same-sex acts by male gays was decriminalized in Northern Ireland. |
|
| 1983: Representative Gerry Studds (D-MA) became the first
openly gay member of
Congress. Next year, he was re-elected. |
|
1984:
| Robert Bork led a panel of U.S. Court of Appeals in DC
to rule that it is "impossible to conclude that a right to homosexual
conduct is 'fundamental'." |
| Also that year, two researchers -- one American and one French --
identified the HIV virus as the
probable cause of AIDS. |
|
| 1985:
| Rock Hudson died of AIDS. Suddenly, the disease became high-profile
news. |
| Hollywood released the Kiss of the Spider Woman, one of the
first movies to portray a gay man in a positive light. |
| The Department of
Defense started to check all military personnel and recruits for HIV
infection. |
|
| 1986:
| President Reagan called for a reduction in spending on AIDS
research. |
| The Supreme Court, in a 5 to 4 decision, upheld the right of states
to criminalize "sodomy" as defined in Georgia as oral or anal sex by anyone
-- heterosexual or homosexual; married or not. They ruled that:
"The Constitution does not confer a fundamental right upon
homosexuals to engage in sodomy." 11 |
| Pope John Paul II called homosexuals "intrinsically disordered"
and "evil." He ordered that "all support" be withdrawn
by the Roman Catholic church from gay Catholic organizations. This hit chapters of Dignity
particularly hard, because they had relied on church facilities to hold
their meetings. |
|
| 1987:
| A group of from 200,000 to 500,000 gays and lesbians participate in
the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This
was the largest
demonstration of its type in history up until that date. |
| The head of the International Banana Association criticized PBS for
a program that used a banana as a prop to demonstrate how a condom is
applied. |
|
| 1988:
| At about this time, the effort that had been poured into the gay and
lesbian liberation movement began to be diverted into fighting the AIDS
epidemic. |
| The city of Baltimore passed a civil rights bill that
prohibits discrimination against gays and lesbians. |
| The first gay and lesbian studies department at a U.S. college or
university was founded at the City College of San Francisco. |
| The United Church of Canada revised its membership rules to
welcome gays and lesbians as members and as candidates for ordination.
The resolution stated:
"A) That all persons, regardless of their sexual orientation, who
profess Jesus Christ and obedience to Him, are welcome to be or become
full member of the Church. B) All members of the Church are eligible to
be considered for the Ordered Ministry." |
|
| 1989:
| The Department of Defense revealed that gay recruits are "just as
good or better" than heterosexuals. The government unsuccessfully
tried to suppress the document. |
| The Governor of Massachusetts signed into law a bill that protects gays and lesbians from
discrimination. |
| The District of Columbia passed a hate crimes bill, which increases
penalties for crimes motivated by homophobia. |
| In October, Denmark became the first country to recognize same-sex
partnerships. |
|
