1969: National New York police raid the Stonewall Inn. It leads to three days of protests, riots and the start of LGBT activism in America.
1970: National The first LGBT Pride Parade is held in New York. Local A Gay Activists Alliance chapter is formed at Case Western Reserve University.
1973: National The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. Local What She Wants, a feminist-lesbian newspaper, begins in Cleveland.
1974: Local Ohio repeals its sodomy laws.
1977: National Harvey Milk is the first openly gay man elected to office in California.
1975: National California repeals its sodomy laws. Local The Gay Educational and Awareness Resources Foundation is formed at Cleveland State University as Cleveland's first nonprofit devoted to education and support of the LGBT community. It evolves into the LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland.
1978: National Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone are assassinated. National The rainbow flag is first used as a symbol of homosexual pride.
1979: National The first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights draws more than 75,000 people.
1981: National The first official documentation of AIDS is published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention June 5, 1981.
1982: National The first Gay Games is held in San Francisco, attracting 1,350 participants. National Wisconsin becomes the first U.S. state to outlaw discrimination against homosexuals.
1984: Local The Health Issues Taskforce is established in Cleveland to provide support for those afflicted with HIV. It later changes its name to the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. Local Charles Callender at Case Western Reserve University publishes the first edition of the Gay People's Chronicle.
1988: Local Stonewall Cleveland is formed to protect and support the LGBT community through local and state legislation.
1989: Local Cleveland's first Gay Pride Festival attracts nearly 1,000 supporters.
1991: Local The first AIDS Walk is held in Cleveland, raising $12,000.
1992: Local Northeast Ohio receives $167,000 in federal funding for HIV prevention. Cleveland has 692 documented AIDS cases.
1993: National The military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy goes into effect, allowing gays to serve in the military but banning all same-sex activity. National Transgender man Brandon Teena, 21, is murdered in Nebraska. The story becomes the 1999 biopic Boys Don't Cry.
1996: National The federal Defense of Marriage Act is passed, allowing states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages granted under the laws of other states.
1998: National Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old college student, is targeted for being gay. He's beaten and murdered in Wyoming.
2000: National Vermont is the first state to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples.
2004: National Massachusetts becomes the first state to legalize same-sex marriages. Local Ohio bans the recognition and performance of same-sex marriages and civil unions, becoming the 38th state to do so.
2003: National Sodomy laws are found unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
2008: National California Supreme Court allows same-sex marriages, marrying more than of 18,000 couples. National California voters pass Proposition 8 banning same-sex marriages but validates those already performed. National Connecticut legalizes same-sex marriages.
2009: National Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa legalize same-sex marriage. National The American Psychological Association condemns conversion therapy as a cure for sexuality and that sexual orientation can be changed through psychological intervention. National President Barack Obama signs the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expands hate crimes to include those based on one's gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
2010: National Washington, D.C., legalizes same-sex marriage. National President Obama repeals "don't ask, don't tell." Local Rep. Nickie Antonio becomes the first openly gay Ohioan elected to state legislature. Local Case Western Reserve University opens an LGBT Center in its student union.
2011: National New York legalizes same-sex marriage.
2012: National California's Proposition 8 is ruled unconstitutional. National Washington, Maryland and Maine legalize same-sex marriage. National Truvada is FDA-approved as the first and only pre-exposure prophylactic preventative measure for HIV.
2013: National Rhode Island, Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, Illinois and Hawaii legalize same-sex marriage. National California resumes same-sex marriage after Proposition 8 is defeated. National The U.S. Supreme Court rules the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional. Local Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, announces his support for same-sex marriage after his 21-year-old son, Will, comes out as gay. Local Nickie Antonio introduces House Bill 300, which would expand Ohio's ethnic intimidation law to include protections against hate crimes regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and disability. Local CeCe Dove, Betty Skinner and Brittany-Nicole Kidd-Stergis are murdered in separate attacks, making national headlines and shedding light on the epidemic of violence against transgender people.
2014: National Oregon, Illinois and Pennsylvania legalize same-sex marriage. Local Ohio's ban on same-sex marriage is ruled unconstitutional, moving Ohio closer to recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states. National The United Nations recognizes same-sex marriages of all of its staffers.
