1969 (beginning June 28) – The Stonewall Riots. The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in Greenwich Village in New York City. In response to an unprovoked police raid on an early Saturday morning, over 400 people, including gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight people protested their treatment and pushed the police away from the area. Some level of rioting continued over the next several nights, which closed the Stonewall Inn. The Stonewall Riots became a pivotal, defining moment for gay rights.

1969 – Gay Liberation Front organization formed in New York following the Stonewall Riots to advocate for sexual liberation for all people.

1969 – The Gay Activist Alliance formed in New York by a group who were not satisfied with the direction of the Gay Liberation Front. Their purpose was more political, and they wanted to “secure basic human rights, dignity and freedom for all gay people.”

1970 – The first gay pride marches were held in New York and a few other cities across the United States on the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots

1971 – Richard John Baker and James Michael McConnell apply and are granted a marriage license in Blue Earth County, Minnesota after discovering the county has no laws prohibiting same sex marriage. On September 3, 1971, both men became the first legally married same sex couple in U.S. history.

1972 – Dr. John E. Freyer, a prominent psychiatrist and instructor at Temple University in Philadelphia, spoke to the American Psychiatric Association annual conference at Dr. Henry Anonymous, to advocate as a gay psychiatrist for removing homosexuality from the APA’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual list of mental disorders.

1973 – The American Psychiatric Association, after considerable advocacy by Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings, Dr. John Fryer and members of the Mattachine Society, changed the classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder. It was not until 1987 that homosexuality was completely removed from the APA list of mental disorders. The APA found that “the latest and best scientific evidence shows that sexual orientation and expressions of gender identity occur naturally…and that in short, there is no scientific evidence that sexual orientation, be it heterosexual, homosexual or otherwise, is a freewill choice.”

1973 – The National Gay Task Force was founded in Washington, D. C. as a national organization to advocate for LGBTQ+ civil rights. It later changed its name to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and currently the National LGBTQ Task Force.

1973 – The Up Stairs Lounge arson fire in New Orleans resulted in 32 deaths and 13 injured at this gay bar in New Orleans. A large number of the casualties were members of the New Orleans Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) who had gathered at the bar after church service. Until the Pulse Nightclub shootings in 2016, it was the largest mass-casualty attack against the LGBTQ+ community ever committed in the U.S.

1973 – The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund was founded, based in New York City, to provide legal services to affect change for LGBTQ+ civil rights through the courts.

1974 – Elaine Noble became the first openly gay person to be elected as a state legislator; she served in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives for two terms.

1974 – Activist Jerry Brennan founded Gay Community Services in Harrisburg, which then split into two organizations in 1975, the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Harrisburg and Dignity/Central PA. Both organizations lasted for about 30 years.

1974 – Mark Segal, a gay activist from Philadelphia became the first openly gay activist to have an official meeting with a sitting governor when he met with Gov. Milton Shapp. The meeting led Gov. Shapp to create a task force of state officials and LGBTQ+ community activists to discuss changes to public policy.

1975 – The first gay rights bill was introduced in the U.S. Congress. It died in committee.

1975 – Governor Milton Shapp of Pennsylvania signed an executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation for state employees. It is the first state to grant such protection.

1976 – Governor Milton Shapp of Pennsylvania signed an executive order creating the Pennsylvania Council for Sexual Minorities, the first governmental body in the nation devoted to improving public policy for LGBTQ+ people. It was in existence for ten years embedding important public policy improvements benefiting LGBTQ+ people in Pennsylvania.

1976 – Governor Milton Shapp of Pennsylvania signed a proclamation for Gay Pride Week, the first such proclamation from any governor in the nation.

1977 – President Jimmy Carter became the first president to welcome gay and lesbian activists to the White House. A group of activists met with Midge Costanza, an aide to Carter, to talk about creating an agenda of public policy initiatives

1977 – Harvey Milk elected county supervisor in San Francisco and becomes the third “out” elected public official in the United States. He was assassinated the following year, along with Mayor George Moscone, by Dan White, a fellow county supervisor.

1978 (June 25) – In San Francisco, the Rainbow Flag designed by Gilbert Baker, was first flown during the Gay Freedom Parade; the flag became a symbol of gay and lesbian pride.

1978 – Gay Rights National Lobby was founded in Washington, D. C. to lobby for LGBTQ+ civil rights legislation. Its founder started the Human Rights Campaign Fund in 1980 as a political action committee and the two groups later merged into what is currently known as the Human Rights Campaign, or HRC, the largest LGBTQ+ political lobbying group in the U.S.

1979 – National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Over 100,000 people gathered in support of gay and lesbian rights.

1979 – Chapters of the national organization of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) are founded across the United States.