# Canonical recap data for LGBTQ rights in the United States (1996)
# Source: https://recap.at/1996/lgbtq-rights-in-the-united-states
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: lgbtq-rights-in-the-united-states
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1996/lgbtq-rights-in-the-united-states"
title: LGBTQ rights in the United States
aliases:
- Defense of Marriage Act
- DOMA
- Defense of Marriage Act of 1996
subtitle: "On this day (05/20), 30 years ago: Civil rights: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in Romer v. Evans against a law that would have prevented any city, town or county in the state of Colorado from taking any legislative, executive, or judicial action to protect the rights of gays and lesbians."
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1996-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1996
decade: 1990
summaryShort: "Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the United States have developed over time, with public opinion and jurisprudence changing significantly since the late 1980s. Lesbian, gay and bisexual rights are considered advanced, but rights of transgender people have faced significant erosion since "
summaryLong: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in the United States have developed over time, with public opinion and jurisprudence changing significantly since the late 1980s. Lesbian, gay and bisexual rights are considered advanced, but rights of transgender people have faced significant erosion since the beginning of Donald Trump's second presidency.
lede: In 1996, the U.S. federal government passed the Defense of Marriage Act, restricting marriage to heterosexual couples and allowing states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. Signed by President Bill Clinton, DOMA represented a major legislative setback for LGBTQ rights even as public opinion was beginning to shift toward greater acceptance.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/USA_orthographic.svg/1280px-USA_orthographic.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "LGBTQ rights in the United States"
importance: 60
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Year Signed
  value: "1996"
- label: President
  value: Bill Clinton
- label: House Vote
  value: 342-67
- label: Senate Vote
  value: 85-14
- label: Federal Benefits Denied
  value: 1,138 federal benefits and protections
- label: Year Ruled Unconstitutional
  value: 2013 (United States v. Windsor)
- label: Year Fully Repealed
  value: 2015 (Obergefell v. Hodges)
timeline:
- date: 1996-05-15
  title: House Passes Defense of Marriage Act
  description: The U.S. House of Representatives votes 342-67 to pass DOMA, allowing states to refuse recognition of same-sex marriages performed in other states.
- date: 1996-09-10
  title: Senate Passes Defense of Marriage Act
  description: The Senate approves DOMA 85-14, clearing the way for presidential action despite significant opposition from civil rights advocates.
- date: 1996-09-21
  title: Clinton Signs DOMA into Law
  description: President Bill Clinton signs the Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman for federal purposes.
- date: 2013-06-26
  title: Windsor Decision Invalidates DOMA Section 3
  description: In United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court rules 5-4 that DOMA Section 3—denying federal benefits to same-sex married couples—violates equal protection.
- date: 2015-06-26
  title: Obergefell v. Hodges Legalized Same-Sex Marriage Nationally
  description: The Supreme Court rules 5-4 that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right, effectively ending DOMA's remaining provisions nationwide.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_in_the_United_States"
  title: LGBTQ rights in the United States
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: DOMA codified discrimination into federal law across healthcare, taxes, immigration, and benefits—creating a 17-year legal framework that affected hundreds of thousands of same-sex couples. The law's passage galvanized LGBTQ organizing while simultaneously demonstrating the political vulnerability of the movement at the federal level, a dynamic that would shape litigation strategy for the next two decades.
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20240915173221/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_in_the_United_States"
  capturedAt: 2024-09-15
  label: LGBTQ rights in the United States
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_in_the_United_States"
categories: []
taxonomy:
domain: social_movement
eventTypes:
- identity_movement
canonicalClasses:
- governance
- conflict
impactRadius: national
velocity: sudden
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: The Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 restricted federal marriage benefits to heterosexual couples, affecting healthcare, taxes, and immigration.
wikidataQid: Q664194
