On this date in 1990 homosexuality was removed from the list of psychiatric diseases by the World Health Organization. Fourteen years later on this date the first legal same sex marriages were performed in Massachusetts. The modern LGBT rights movement started with the Stonewall riots in 1969. For years police had conducted raids on bars where gays and lesbians frequented, predominately as a way of extorting money from the owners of the bars. When they raided the Stonewall Inn in NYC, the patrons resisted which led to a series of violent clashes. During the 1970’s the Gay Pride movement became established and was highly visible in cities across America. With the advent of AIDS and President Reagan’s refusal to acknowledge it, the gay rights movement became more aggressive through the actions of Act Up which targeted politicians and celebrities with the controversial tactic of “outing”. The movement also became more inclusive of all who have non-traditional lifestyles and became referred to as LGBT rights. By the 1990’s TV shows were featuring openly gay characters and gay politicians were routinely being elected. The early 2000’s saw a reactionary movement of passing anti-gay laws and amendments. These laws have largely been held to be unconstitutional. Anti-gay legislation is now largely relegated to totalitarian backwaters such as Russia.
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