2004 in gay rights

See also: 2003 in gay rights, other events of 2004, 2005 in gay rights and the Gay rights timeline

Contents

Events

January

[2] (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/01/08/nj_senate_oks_legal_rights_for_same_sex_couples_governor_expected_to_sign/)

February

  • February 15
    • Same-sex marriage in the United States
      • Officials at the city and county of San Francisco, California turn away hundreds of would-be same-sex newlyweds after thousands of gay and lesbian couples show up to marry over the weekend. The city claims it can only handle between 400 and 600 marriages a day, or about one a minute. [16] (http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/02/021604sfUpdt.htm) [17] (http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20040215_814.html) [18] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A44385-2004Feb15&notFound=true) [19] (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-02-15-gay-marriage-legal_x.htm) [20] (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/16/WEDDINGS.TMP)

March

  • March 11
    • New Jersey's Seton Hall University, a Roman Catholic institution is sued by 19-year-old student Anthony Romeo and 16 other students for violating the state's sexual orientation anti-discrimination law and the university's own policies after the university denied the formation of an LGBT student organization.
  • The California Supreme Court orders San Francisco officials to stop performing same-sex marriages. San Francisco officials comply with this order and, for the first time since February 12, refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. At the same time, the City Attorney of San Francisco sues the State of California on the grounds that prohibiting same-sex marriages is unconstitutional (on a state level). [43] (http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/03/031104calRuling.htm)
  • March 16 - Rhea County, Tennessee commissioners vote 8-0 to ask that state law be changed to allow county officials to effectively ban homosexuals from the county by being able to charge them with "crimes against nature." After a community uproar, the resolution is withdrawn two days later.
  • March 19
    • Same-sex marriage in Canada:
      • Quebec joins Ontario and British Columbia in legalizing same-sex marriage after the Quebec Court of Appeals upholds Hendricks and Leboeuf v. Quebec. More than two-thirds of the Canadian population now live in provinces that recognize same-sex marriage. [44] (http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/03/031904queMarry.htm)
  • March 31
    • The British government announces the details of the new Civil Partnerships Bill. This would give legal recognition to same sex couples. [45] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3584285.stm)

April

  • April 1
  • April 20
    • Same-sex marriage in the United States
      • Oregon Circuit Court Judge Frank Bearden ruled that the state must "accept and register" marriages of same-sex couples. He then ordered a tempory stop to issuing new licenses, but gave the Oregon Legislative Assembly 90 days from the start of its next session to write a law that ensures equal rights for same-sex couples, which could happen through civil marriage or civil union. If the legislature fails to act on the issue within the 90 days, licenses to same-sex couples will resume. The order has been appealed by both proponents and opponents of same-sex marriage, in hopes of the issue making a fast track to the Oregon Supreme Court, which may rule the ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. A ruling upheld by the state supreme court in 1999 says government officials must meet an extraordinary burden to treat gays and straights differently — the same high burden required to justify disparate treatment of blacks and whites, or men and women. Opponents hope to change the Oregon constitution to define marriage as restricted to one man and one woman through a vote on the November 2004 ballot.

May

  • May 17
  • May 29 - U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner (in Massachusetts) rules that stating that someone is homosexual does not libel or slander them, saying that "a finding that such a statement is defamatory requires this court to legitimize the prejudice and bigotry that for too long have plagued the homosexual community". The ruling came in a lawsuit of James Albright against the singer Madonna: Albright's name had appeared in a photo caption in a book by Andrew Morton about Madonna. Gertner said previous rulings that stating someone is homosexual is defamatory had relied on laws criminalizing same-sex sexual acts, and had to be reevaluated in light of more recent rulings that such laws are Constitutionally suspect. [46] (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apus_story.asp?category=1110&slug=Gay%20Defamation)

June

July

August

"Only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this state and its political subdivisions. This state and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance or effect of marriage."

September

  • September 23
    • California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs "SB 1234," a bill that defines the legal term "hate crime" (which includes LGBT-motivated violence) for all state and local agencies, encourages the creation of local law enforcement hate-crime protocols and increased hate crime awareness training for law enforcemwnt officers.
  • September 25
    • California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs "AB 2900," a bill to unify all state anti-discrimination codes to match the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. In essence it adds "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" anti-discrimination protections to the California government, labor, military and veterans, public utilities, unemployment and insurance, and welfare and institutions codes.

October

November

December

  • December 9
    • New Zealand Parliament passes the Civil Union Bill, establishing the new institution of civil union, available to same-sex and de facto couples. The Civil Union Bill has been described as a copy of the Marriage Act with "marriage" replaced by "civil union". Its companion bill, the Relationships (Statutory References) Bill, was to remove discriminatory provisions from a large number of pieces of legislation, but has run into stumbling blocks in Parliament and has been shelved until 2005.
    • The Supreme Court of Canada rules in its reference on same-sex marriage that altering the legal definition of marriage to include same-sex couples is within the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Paul Martin indicates that his government will introduce such a bill early in the new year.

Deaths

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