1975: More licenses
1975 is a watershed year. Eight marriage licenses are granted to same-sex couples: one in Arizona, six in Colorado, and one in Maryland. The Washington D.C. city council considers a bill to make marriage available to same-sex couples – but it doesn’t pass.
What happens to those licenses? Colorado and Maryland revoke them, and the state supreme court invalidates the one in Arizona. The Arizona legislature also adopts a DOMA, and we lose a case in Ohio.
Immigration
Also, there’s an unsuccessful case before the US Board Of Immigration Appeals, Adams v. Howerton. If an opposite-sex couple falls in love and wants to marry but one of them is a foreigner, the partner is allowed to immigrate so they can be together. But if a same-sex couple falls in love and one of them is a foreigner, too bad – they have to live on opposite sides of the border.
Timeline key: progress (green),
no progress (red),
pending court cases (purple),
events that are neutral, not directly related, or with both positive and negative effects (black)
updated 17 Aug 2008