[gay rights]

Gay rights facts:

June 30, 1986:
The Supreme Court, in Bowers vs. Hardwick, ruled 5-4 that states could outlaw homosexual acts between consenting adults. However, the nation's highest court reversed this decision in 2003 in Lawrence vs. Texas.

July 19, 1993:
President Bill Clinton announced a policy allowing homosexuals to serve in the military under a compromise dubbed "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue."

March 4, 1998:
The Supreme Court ruled that sexual harassment at work can be illegal even when the offender and victim are of the same gender..

December 20, 1999:
The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples were entitled to the same benefits and protections as wedded couples.

April 26, 2000:
Vermont Governor Howard Dean signed the nation's first bill allowing same-sex couples to form civil unions.

May 17, 2004:
Massachusetts became the first state to allow legal same-sex marriages.

October 10, 2008:
Connecticut's Supreme Court ruled that gay couples had the right to marry, making the state the third behind Massachusetts and California to legalize such unions.