Following is a list of significant events in queer history which occurred in 2004:
Events
January-February
(1 January) - Tasmanian laws come into effect recognizing civil unions between same-sex couples. Tasmania becomes the first Australian state to enact such laws.
(7 January) - Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, a Democrat, releases a total of $3.7 million in state grants to Chicago's under-construction Center on Halsted LGBT community center.
(8 January) - The New Jersey legislature passes a bill creating a domestic partnership status for same-sex couples, with many of the same legal rights as marriage. It becomes the fifth U.S. state to offer such a status to same-sex couples.
(12 January) - New Jersey governor James E. McGreevey signs New Jersey's domestic partnership law. It goes into effect July 10, 180 days after it was signed. The legislature passed the law in part to curtail a lawsuit seeking full marriage rights for gay people.
(4 February) - The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court tells the state's Senate that it's proposed civil unions resolution will still violate the state's constitution by maintaining an inferior status for same-sex couples. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan states that the Bush administration is reviewing the legal decision. The spokesman also states that the court's findings are "deeply troubling" and that the president is "firmly committed to protecting and defending" marriage (as being defined between a man and a woman).
(10 February) - According to a poll by right-wing newspaper, Washington Times, the majority of Americans (2 to 1 margin) respond they do not want laws in their states that would legalize same-sex marriages. The poll is taken after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling.
(11 February) - A constitutional convention is convened in Massachusetts to attempt to overturn the Supreme Court's decision. An amendment, if passed, would have to be approved by two successive sessions of the legislature and face a popular vote, and thus could not not go into effect before 2006. However, no amendment is passed before the convention ends.
(12 February) - City officials in San Francisco, California start issuing marriage licenses to homosexual couples in violation of state law, staging what they view as acts of civil disobedience, by performing the first known civil marriage of a same-sex couple in the U.S. by marrying the homosexual activists and lesbian couple, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. Over 80 couples are whisked through quick ceremonies. Various conservative and other family groups, including the Campaign for California Families, plan to sue the mayor of San Francisco for violating California's marriage laws. The Family Research Council (FRC) states that "It could not be clearer that the institution of marriage is under a direct assault by homosexual activists".
(12 February) - Virginia House of Delegates give preliminary approval to legislation that would ban the recognition of same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships.
(14 February) - Staff advisors for U.S. President George W. Bush say he will support the proposed Federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would outlaw same-sex marriage and federalize marriage law, which has been set by individual states since the founding of the country.
(15 February) - 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 February) - Officials at the city and county of San Francisco, California estimate by the end of the day that they will have issued 2,000 licenses for same-sex marriages in the four days since they started granting legal recognition to gay and lesbian unions. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the decision of San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsom, to express his opinion on same-sex marriage was because of George W. Bush's stance on the issue.
(17 February) - San Francisco Superior court Judge James L. Warner postpones any decision to block the city and county of San Francisco, California from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples and to void the 2,464 same-sex marriages that were performed in the city since February 12. This was on the grounds that the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund's order for San Francisco to "cease and desist issuing marriage licenses to and/or solemnizing marriages of same-sex couples; to show cause before this court..." had an improper semicolon; to do both, rather than one or the other, would have exceeded the judge's jurisdiction.
(18 February) - The California state agency that records marriages states that forms that have been altered, which San Francisco has done slightly on its same-sex marriage licenses, will not be registered.
(20 February) - Victoria Dunlap, county clerk of Sandoval County, New Mexico, announces that she would begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses because New Mexico marriage law does not mention gender. The first same-sex marriages in Sandoval County are performed later the same day. By the end of the day, however, New Mexico state attorney general Patricia Madrid issued an opinion stating that the licenses were "invalid under state law," and the Sandoval County clerk's office stops issuing them. In the interim, 26 such licenses had been issued.
(20 February) - King Norodom Sihanouk, the constitutional monarch of Cambodia, states that he believes his country ought to allow same-sex marriage. He says he decided this upon seeing footage of same-sex couples marrying in San Francisco. He also says that transvestites ought to be well-treated in Cambodia.
(20 February) - A proposed amendment to the state constitution of Oklahoma to outlaw same-sex marriage dies in Senate Human Resources Committee; the Republican leader of the Oklahoma Senate criticizes the Democratic Senate leadership for killing the proposed ban.
(26 February) - Jason West, mayor of the village of New Paltz, New York, announces that the village would start performing same-sex civil weddings. Although the village would not attempt to issue licenses for such weddings, couples in New York State have six months from the wedding to seek such a license, and weddings are not invalid solely for not having a license
(27 February) - John Shields, the mayor of Nyack, New York, announces that his city would recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere.
March-April
(2 March) - New Paltz, NY mayor West is charged with 19 misdemeanor counts of "solemnizing marriages without a license" by Ulster County District Attorney Donald Williams. West announces that he intends to continue performing same-sex ceremonies.
(3 March) - Nyack, NY mayor John Shields announces that he will begin officiating at same-sex marriages, and that he and his fiancé would join other gay and lesbian New Yorkers in seeking marriage licenses from municipal clerks' offices.
(3 March) - The Office of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer issues an "informal opinion" that clerks should not issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples as the state legislature had not intended same-sex marriages to be covered by the domestic relations law. The same opinion states that same-sex marriages performed elsewhere were recognizable in New York state under a recent judicial decision recognizing the validity of a Vermont civil union as granting the benefits of marriage, Langan v. St. Vincent's Hospital, 196 Misc. 2d 440 (N.Y. Misc., 2003).
(3 March) - The Multnomah County, Oregon government begins issuing licenses for same-sex marriages, pursuant to a legal opinion issued by its attorney deeming such marriages lawful.
(5 March) - New York state judge Vincent Bradley issues a temporary restraining order barring Jason West from performing any such ceremonies for a month. West indicates that he will abide by the judicial order while evaluating his legal options.
(5 March) - The Wisconsin State Assembly approved, by a vote of 68-27, a state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages or civil unions, and to counter efforts elsewhere to legalize such partnerships.
(5 March) - The Kansas House passed, by 88 votes to 36, a similar proposed amendment. A week later, on March 12, the Wisconsin State Senate also
(5-8 March) - A marriage license is issued on 5 March to a gay couple in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Under the state's 72-hour waiting period, the license goes into effect on 8 March. The Deputy Mayor of Asbury Park, New Jersey marries a same-sex couple who had a license issued by the town clerk.
Numerous same-sex couples converge on the Asbury Park, New Jersey clerk's office once it opens, determined to get their own licenses before a threatened injunction by State Attorney General Peter C. Harvey could halt the process. By the end of the day, no such injunction had been issued, although the attorney general had sent letters to Asbury Park officials warning them that they could face prosecution if they continued.
In response, the Asbury Park city council votes unanimously to freeze all 16 pending license applications, and sue the state to have those licenses — along with the one marriage which was actually performed — declared valid.
(8 March) - Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels issues an executive order recognizing same-sex marriages from other jurisdictions for all city employees. He also proposes an ordinance to the City Council to require all city contractors to do the same for their employees.
(9 March) - The San Jose City Council, by a vote of 8-1, agrees to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions for city employees.
(9 March) - At a legal hearing, Multnomah County, Oregon Circuit Judge Dale Koch refuses to issue an injunction stopping same-sex marriage ceremonies.
(10 March) - The Oregon State Legislature's attorney Greg Chaimov issues an opinion stating that counties in Oregon cannot prohibit same-sex couples from receiving marriage licenses.
(11 March) - The San Francisco-based California Supreme Court issues a stay ordering the County of San Francisco to stop performing same-sex marriages pending court review on the legality of the matter. Mayor Newsom agrees to abide by the order.
(11 March) - The American Family Association files suit in King County Superior Court seeking to block Mayor Nickels's executive order.
(12 March) - Hardy Myers, Oregon attorney general, stated that his office did not have the authority to order Multnomah County to cease issuing licenses for same-sex marriages.
(15 March) - Two Unitarian Universalist ministers who had been performing same-sex weddings in Mayor West's stead are charged with 13 counts of solemnizing a marriage without a license by District Attorney Williams.
(15 March) - After considering their options, Multnomah County announces that they will continue to issue licenses to same-sex couples.
(16 March) - After holding public hearings, Benton County, Oregon commissioners vote 2-1 to start issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples, beginning Wednesday, March 24.
(16 March) - Rhea County, Tennessee commissioners vote 8-0 asking for state law to change 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.
(19 March) - 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.
(20 March) - Six Unitarian Universalist ministers — including one of the two ministers charged earlier — defy the District Attorney by performing 25 more same-sex marriage ceremonies in New Paltz.
(22 March) - Following an opinion requested in January from their attorney, the Rochester city council announces that Rochester will recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Rochester is across Lake Ontario from Toronto, where same-sex marriages have been legal since 2003.
(22 March) - After receiving two letters from the attorney general and a phone call threatening to arrest the county clerk, the Benton county commissioners reverse their decision and vote to issue no marriage licenses of any kind until a decision is reached by the Multnomah County Court.
(16 April) - Attorneys for the ACLU and Basic Rights Oregon present arguments in favor of the couples, while attorneys for the Oregon Department of Justice and Defense of Marriage Coalition argued against the County's actions before Justice Frank Bearden.
(20 April) - Judge Bearden orders the county to stop issuing same-sex marriage licenses, while simultaneously ordering the state of Oregon to recognize the 3,022 such licenses already issued. The Oregon state registrar had been holding the completed licenses, rather than entering them into the state's records system, pending a court decision as to their validity. Judge Bearden also finds that the Oregon state constitution would likely allow some form of marriage rights to same-sex couples, and directed the legislature to act on the issue within 90 days of the start of its next legislative session. Should they fail to successfully address the issue within that time, Multnomah County would be free to resume issuing same-sex marriage licenses. It is understood that both parties would appeal the decision, although they have not yet decided whether to attempt to move directly to the state Supreme Court, bypassing the Court of Appeals.
May-June
(13 May) - A lesbian couple from Tulsa obtain a marriage application in the Cherokee tribal headquarters in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The Cherokee Nation issues marriage applications, rather than licenses. Couples obtaining a license have it signed by the individual performing the ceremony before returning to tribal court to have the application certified.
Cherokee Principal Chief Chad 'Corntassel' Smith has stated that he believes that same-sex marriages are not allowed under Cherokee law. On the other hand, it is unclear whether a Cherokee marriage becomes official when the application is granted, or only when the tribal court certifies it. For the time being, a tribal judge has issued a moratorium on all same-sex marriage applications.
The city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, begins processing the first applications for same-sex marriage licenses, as the state misses the 180 day deadline imposed in November 2003 by the Massachusetts Supreme Court to enact a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a heterosexual union. Tanya McCloskey and Marcia Kadish are the first gay couple to have their marriage application finalized.
(17 May) - Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch issues an advisory opinion that Rhode Island would recognize any legal marriage performed in another state, as long as the marriage is not contrary to the "strong public policy" of Rhode Island. He said that the legislature and courts should decide which types of marriages fall within that category, while adding that same-sex marriages are not included among the types of marriages currently proscribed. While his opinion does not have the force of law, it appears to indicate that Rhode Island would, in fact, recognize valid same-sex marriages performed in Massachusetts or elsewhere.
(21 May) - The Defense of Marriage Coalition gets legal approval for the language of their proposed initiative to prohibit same-sex marriage. They begin to circulate petitions in churches, neighborhoods, and otherwise beyond public areas to obtain the 100,840 valid signatures needed by July 2 so it can submitted to a vote in the November general election.
(25 May) - The California State Supreme Court holds hearings on the legality of the marriages performed in San Francisco in February and March. The city of San Francisco had wanted its case heard first by lower courts, before juries, rather than by the state supreme court. However, the court suggested that San Francisco could file its own suit against the state, and the city launched such a suit that afternoon.
(6 June) - An Ulster County, New York Supreme Court judge makes the temporary restraining order against Mayor Jason West permanent.
(10 June) - A New Paltz Town Court Justice dismisses the charges against Mayor West, ruling that the district attorney had failed to show that the state had a legitimate interest in preventing the marriages, or that the law under which West was charged was constitutional. The district attorney said that he would appeal the ruling, and also indicated that he intended to continue forward with charges against the Unitarian Universalist ministers.
(24 June) - the United Kingdom government suffers a defeat in the House of Lords as they approve a wrecking amendment to the Civil Partnership Bill.
(30 June) - The Spanish minister of justice, Juan Fernando López Aguilar, announces a number of social bills to be introduced, including one that will legalize same-sex marriage in Spain, one that will introduce rights for common-law couples, and one that will allow transsexual and transgendered people to legally change their name and sex designation without the requirement of surgery.
(13 July) - Another New Paltz Town Court Justice dismisses all of the charges against the Unitarian Universalist ministers, for essentially the same reasons.
(13 July) - Mayor Carolyn K. Peterson of Ithaca, New York, in conjunction with her city clerk, has planned to provoke a court hearing by sending marriage applications from five local gay couples to the New York State Department of Health, while offering the backing of Ithaca's legal resources if their applications are denied.
(14 July) - The Yukon becomes the first territory in Canada to legalise same-sex marriage after a ruling by the Yukon Supreme Court.
- The United States Senate votes 48-50 against a procedural motion that would have ended debate on the Federal Marriage Amendment, effectively denying Senate approval this session.
(21 July) - In Bay Minette, Alabama, Scotty Joe Weaver, an openly gay 18-year-old man, is beaten, strangled, stabbed, and partially decapitated before his body is dumped and burned in nearby woods. His two straight roommates and a third man are charged in the killing.
(22 July) - The House of Representatives today passes legislation preventing federal courts from ordering courts in other states recognize same-sex marriage granted elsewhere.
(28 July) - Montgomery, Alabama resident Roderick George, 40, is shot in the head and killed. His accussed assailant claims George made "unwanted sexual advances" to him.
(3 August) - Voters in the state of Missouri vote to pass a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, with the final returns being 70.7% in favor of the amendment and 29.3% opposed.
(4 August) - King County Superior Court Judge William L. Downing rules that the state law prohibiting same-sex marriages is unconstitutional, finding for the plaintiffs in the March 8 lawsuit Andersen v. King County. The judge rules that restricting the institution of marriage to opposite sex couples "is not rationally related to any legitimate or compelling state interest." The ruling is stayed pending an appeal to the state Supreme Court. The appeal is scheduled to be heard March 8, 2005.
(4 August) - Missouri became the fifth state to amend its state constitution to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.
(9 August) - Authorities in Nepal raid bars and clubs to arrest 39 members of the Blue Diamond Society, a gay rights and AIDS education organization and charged them with "spreading perversion."
- Appointed by Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Rudy Serra was sworn in as a judge in the state's District 36, serving Detroit, becoming the first openly gay judge in the state.
(12 August) - The California State Supreme Court releases its decision, exactly 6 months after the first same-sex marriages were performed in San Francisco. The court rules unanimously that the City and County of San Francisco exceeded its authority and violated state law by issuing the marriage licenses. In a 5-2 decision, the court also declares all same-sex marriages performed in San Francisco to be void.
(12 August)- Governor James McGreevey of New Jersey becomes the first openly-gay chief executive of a U.S. state when he discloses an extramarital affair with another man and announces his resignation effective November 15.
(13 August) - The Australian Senate passes legislation by a 38-7 vote that defines marriage as a union of one man and one woman, granting prime minister John Howard a victory in his campaign to outlaw same-sex marriage in the country.
September - October
(13 September) - India's Supreme Court dismisses a motion to declare laws against gay sex invalid. Leftover from the days of British colonialism, the law describes homosexual acts as "unnatural criminal behavior".
Anyone convicted under the law is subject to prison.
(13 September) - Manitoba becomes the fifth of Canada's provinces or territories to have legal same-sex marriage. Neither the federal nor provincial governments opposed the lawsuit filed by three couples, one of whom had previously filed suit for same-sex marriage in 1974.
(18 September) - Louisiana passes a constiutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman; however, on October 5, Louisiana District Judge William Morvant ruled that the amendment is invalid due to structural flaws inherent in its wording. This ruling has been appealed to the State Supreme Court, which is set to hear the case in December of 2004.
(23 September) - 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.
(24 September) - Nova Scotia becomes the sixth of Canada's provinces or territories to have legal same-sex marriage. Neither the federal nor provincial governments opposed the lawsuit filed by three couples, one of whom had already been married in Ontario and sought recognition for their marriage in their home province.
(25 September) - 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.
(27 September) - California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signs "SB 1193," a bill to provide a $10,000 death benefit to the surviving spouse or designated beneficiary of a member of on of the state military reserves (California National Guard, State Military Reserve, or Naval Militia). The bill, retroactive to March 1, 2003 allows LGBT partners of military personnel be listed as "designated beneficiary."
(30 September) - The proposed Federal Marriage Amendment fails to pass the United States House of Representatives, with a vote of 227–186 on House Joint Resolution 106.
(1 October) - The cabinet of Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero approves a bill to legalize same-sex marriage; the government believes that it will pass the full parliament.
(8 October) - The New York state comptroller, Alan G. Hevesi, indicated in a letter to a state employee that the state retirement system will recognize same-sex marriages contracted elsewhere for the purposes of retirement benefits for New York state employees.
(29 October) - Germany expands the rights of same-sex couples, allowing registered domestic partners to adopt each other's children.
November-December
In the Spurger, Texas school district, TWIRP ("The Lady Is Requested to Pay") day, a decades-old homecoming week event in which boys and girls reverse dress and social roles, is scrapped in favor of "Camo Day," after one parent complains to a conservative legal group abput her child being "compelled to crossdress."
(2 November) - George W. Bush is elected to a second term as US president by a 3 percent margin over opponent John Kerry. Some credit Bush's victory to an influx of voters who fear a Kerry victory would mean increased legal recognition of same-sex marriages and domestic partnerships.
(5 November) - A judge in Saskatchewan rules that same-sex couples have the right to marry in that province
(15 November) - Governor James McGreevey of New Jersey officially resigns from office, three months after disclosing that he had an affair with homeland security aide Goland Cipel. McGreevey is replaced in his post by Richard Codey.
(24 November)- Following a heated exchange between pro-gay and anti-gay groups at a St. Paul, MinnesotaCatholic church, an unknown person or persons conduct an impromptu exorcism by sprinkling salt and holy oil inside the church, causing damage to some of the church fixtures.
(26 November)- In a televised interview, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, the men convicted for the murder of Matthew Shepard, claim that their motive in the fatal assault was not homophobia but robbery to fund their methamphetamine habit. Many dismiss the claim as an attempt to have their sentences reduced.
(29 November)- Without comment, the Supreme Court of the United States refuses to hear arguments appealing the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling that same-sex marriage must be allowed in that state, in essence letting the ruling stand.
(9 December) - 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.
(9 December) - 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.
Troy, starring Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Peter O'Toole. Among the liberties taken with Homer's account of the Trojan War is the depiction of Achilles and Patroclus as cousins, but not lovers.
A group of lawyers in Greece threaten to sue Warner Bros over Oliver Stone's film Alexander the Great because it portrays the Macedonian conqueror as bisexual. The suit is later dropped.
(7 November) - Porn star Johnny Rahm, nee Barry “J.T.” Rogers, committs suicide in Atlanta by hanging himself from the fence line of the Botanical Garden. He had been HIV positive and battling depression for a number of years.
(8 November) - Porn star Mark Dalton is convicted and sentenced to five years in prison on drug charges in Texas.
Singer Marc Almond ("Tainted Love") is critically injured in a motorcycle crash (18 October).
Year in theatre
In Scotland, members of the conservative group Christian Voice protest a performance of Terrence McNally's play, Corpus Christi, demanding that authorities prosecute the play's producer and director for blasphemy. Christian Voice spokesman Stephen Green claims the play portrays Jesus as "a foul-mouthed, drunken, promiscuous homosexual." Director Zsuzsi Lyndsay counters: "He is not portrayed as a drunken foulmouth. He doesn't say one bad word throughout the play."
(29 July) - 1st World Outgames Co-President and three-time Olympic medalist Mark Tewksbury, co-hosts the opening ceremonies of the Eurogames in Munich.
(26 December) - NFL player Reggie White, known for making many anti-gay remarks throughout his career, dies at age 43 from a respiratory ailment at his home near Charlotte, North Carolina.
AIDS/HIV
(11-16 July) - The XVth Annual International AIDS Conference is held in Bangkok.
The European Union pledges $52million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The National Institutes of Health announce that by the end of 2003, "an estimated 37.8 million people worldwide - 35.7 million adults and 2.1 million children younger than 15 years - were living with HIV/AIDS. Approximately two-thirds of these people (25.0 million) live in Sub-Saharan Africa; another 20 percent (7.4 million) live in Asia and the Pacific." They also note that, "11 of every 1000 adults aged 15 to 49 are HIV-infected," and that "more than 20 million people with HIV/AIDS have died since the first AIDS cases were identified in 1981." (Source: National Institutes of Health)
The Centers for Disease Control "estimate that 850,000 to 950,000 U.S. residents are living with HIV infection, one-quarter of whom are unaware of their infection." (Source: National Institutes of Health)
DISCLAIMER: This is not an adult site, and
does not contain any pornographic images or material. Any references to
sex or other adult material or behavior is made from a purely academic
standpoint. Images used on this site are credited whenever possible, and
any whose copyright status is in dispute will be gladly removed or credited
upon request. Not all persons listed on this site are or were openly homosexual,
but reasonable conclusions about their sexuality may and has been made
from diaries, letters, and other writings and accounts made by them and/or
those who knew them. Several others are heterosexual and are included here
for the impact, whether positive or negative, they have made on queer culture
and history.
