To be seen, respected, and treated equally, the LGBT+ community has had to push for recognition of their interests and rights.It’s important to celebrate and honor the bold history, key accomplishments, and future of LGBT+ people worldwide, while also building strategies to overcome the social and political challenges that remain. At Bloomberg, we recognize these important milestones, as well as the road ahead.
History of LGBT
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Being a “homosexual” was listed as a sociopathic personality disorder by the American Psychiatric Association. Consequently, the word “homosexual” became very offensive for many years in the LGBT community.
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An executive ordered by President Dwight D. Eisenhower prohibited gay men and women from working for the government on the grounds that they would be detrimental to U.S. security.
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Members of the LGBT community marched in the streets of New York City to commemorate a year since the Stonewall Riots. It was one of the first gay pride parades in history.
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The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy was signed by President Bill Clinton. This policy forbade any openly gay or lesbian individuals from serving in the military, but also forbade any harassment towards anyone that is not open about their sexuality.
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Ellen DeGeneres came out nationally in Time Magazine. Within the same month, her character on her show “Ellen” also came out as a lesbian.
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Coretta Scott King (the widow to Martin Luther King Jr.) urged civil groups to assist in putting a stop to homophobia.
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The gay community was allowed to openly serve in the military after the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was repealed.
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Laverne Cox was nominated for an Emmy for her role as Sophia in “Orange is the New Black.” This made her the first openly transgender actress to be nominated.
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During an interview with Diane Sawyer, Caitlyn Jenner came out as being transgender. Caitlyn Jenner later appeared in Vanity Fair to debut her new name.Transgender individuals could now serve in the military after the Pentagon lifted the ban.There were 41 openly gay, lesbian, or bisexual athletes in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. This is the highest amount the Olympics games have ever seen.The city of Philadelphia adopted a revised version of the Rainbow flag. The design adds black and brown stripes to the top of the standard six-color flag to highlight ethnic diversity within the community.India’s Supreme Court repeals sodomy laws that were directed towards the gay community.The World Health Organization no longer categorizes transgenderism as a mental disorder.Taiwan becomes the first Asian country to legalize same-sex marriage