2012 in LGBT rights explained

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2012.

Events

January

• 1 – In the United States, civil union laws take effect in Delaware and Hawaii.^[1]
• 6  - After a judge's ruling, the Brazilian state of Alagoas becomes the first to recognise same-sex marriages.^[2]
• 12  - Civil union laws on the British Isle of Jersey take effect.^[3]
• 20
  • Following a ten-day trial in the United Kingdom, three Muslim men are convicted at Derby Crown Court of inciting hatred on the grounds of sexuality after distributing leaflets calling for gay men to be killed. Two other defendants are acquitted.^[4] This was the first such prosecution under hate crime legislation.^[5]
  • In the United States, Texas A&M adds sexual orientation and gender identity and expression to the university's non-discrimination policy.^[6]

February

• 7 – The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rules in Perry v. Schwarzenegger that California's Proposition 8, which restricts marriage to mixed-sex couples, is unconstitutional.^[7]
• 20 – Three women in rural Camaroon go on trial for "practising homosexuality". It was reported by the BBC as the first time women have been tried on such charges.^[8]
• 21 – In the United States, the Baltimore County, Maryland, County Council passes a bill prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender identity.^[9]
• 22 – United States District Judge Jeffrey White rules that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional.^[10]
• 29 – The Saint Petersburg Legislative Assembly in Russia passes anti-LGBT rights bill with punishments up fines of to US$17,000.^[11]

March

• 1 – Malaysian High Court Judge Rohana Yusuf rules that police have the power to ban a gay arts festival.^[12]
• 25 – Slovenian voters reject the new family code granting registered same-sex partners all the rights of married couples, except with regards to joint adoptions, that was passed by the then-coalition government.^[13]

April

• 12 – In the United Kingdom, Transport for London bans an advertising campaign due to run on buses by a Christian group suggesting that gay people can be "cured" by therapy.^[14]

May

• 8 – In the United States, North Carolina voters approve of Amendment 1 bans same-sex marriages and any "domestic legal union" in the state constitution.^[15]
• 28 – In Moldova, a bill that bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment is signed into law by the President Nicolae Timofti.^[16]
• 31 – In the United States, the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, strikes down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional.^[17]

June

• 5 – After there was no estoppel in due time, the Secretary of the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico, announced same-sex marriages can be performed in the state, after two same-sex marriages took place in the Lázaro Cárdenas Municipality in late November 2011, and both were annulled in January 2012.^[18]
• 7 – Denmark's parliament passed same-sex marriage by a vote of 85 to 24. The law would take effect eight days later.^[19]

November

• 6
  • Voters in Maine approve Question 1 during the United States election, 2012 overturning a voter-approved 2009 ballot measure that banned same-sex marriage in the state.
  • Maryland voters also approve Question 6 in response to the enactment of the Civil Marriage Protection Act on March 1, 2012, thus allowing same-sex couples to obtain a civil marriage license after 1 January 2013 and also protecting clergy from having to perform any particular marriage ceremony in violation of their religious beliefs.
  • Minnesota voters reject a constitutional amendment in Amendment 1 that would have constitutionally defined marriage as one man and one woman.
  • Washington voters approve Referendum 74 legalising same-sex marriage.^[20]

December

• 5 – Supreme Court of Mexico unanimously strikes down a same-sex marriage ban in the southern state of Oaxaca, paving the way for same-sex marriages nationally.^[21]
• 27 – The Secretariat of Health in Mexico lifts the ban on men who have sex with men blood donation, allowing them to donate to the same conditions as heterosexuals.^{[22] [23]}

Deaths

• March 1 – Andrew Breitbart, United States, former advisory board member of the United States Republican party's GOProud, undetermined cause.^[24]
• March 10 – Agnés Torres Hernández, Mexican, LGBT rights activist, murdered.^[25]
• March 27 – Adrienne Rich, United States, credited with bringing "the oppression of women and lesbians to the forefront of poetic discourse,"^[26] rheumatoid arthritis.^[27]
• April 19 – Bettie Naylor, United States, LGBT rights activist and founding member of the Human Rights Campaign and the National Women's Political Caucus. Died in her sleep of undetermined cause.^[28]
• May 10 – George Birimisa, United States playwright, actor, and director. Complications from emphysema.^[29]
• June 24 – Gad Beck, German, last known gay Jewish Holocaust survivor. Unknown causes at a retirement home.^[30]

See also

• Timeline of LGBT history – timeline of events from 12,000 BCE to present
• LGBT rights by country or territory – current legal status around the world
• LGBT social movements

Notes and References

1. News: Two more states allow same-sex civil unions . Levs . Josh . January 2, 2012 . CNN . March 12, 2021.
2. Web site: Alagoas Regulamenta o Casamento Civil Entre Gays em Todos os Cartorios do Estado . 2012-01-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120112040028/http://acapa.virgula.uol.com.br/politica/alagoas-regulamenta-o-casamento-civil-entre-gays-em-todos-os-cartorios-do-estado/2/14/15493 . 2012-01-12 . dead.
3. News: Jersey recognises civil partnerships . January 13, 2012 . BBC . March 12, 2021.
4. News: Three Muslim men convicted over gay hate leaflets . Addley . Esther . January 20, 2012 . The Guardian . March 12, 2021.
5. News: Muslim men accused of hate crime over anti-gay leaflet. The Guardian. 10 January 2012. 11 January 2012. London. Esther. Addley.
6. Web site: Loftin adds gender identity, expression to A&M nondiscrimination memo . 2012-02-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120218215702/http://www.thebatt.com/loftin-adds-gender-identity-expression-to-a-m-nondiscrimination-memo-1.2783154 . 2012-02-18 . dead.
7. News: Prop 8 ruling: Same-sex marriage ban is unconstitutional, federal appeals court rules . https://archive.today/20120910101105/http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/02/07/31158/prop-8-ruling/ . dead . September 10, 2012 . Small . Julie . February 7, 2012 . KPCC . March 12, 2021 .
8. Web site: Cameroon in 'first' lesbian charges . February 24, 2012 . BBC . March 12, 2021.
9. Web site: Balto. Co. Council approves transgender discrimination ban . Knezevich . Alison . February 21, 2012 . The Baltimore Sun . March 12, 2012.
10. Web site: Federal judge rules DOMA unconstitutional . February 23, 2012 . UPI . March 12, 2021.
11. Web site: Anti-Gay Law Stirs Fears in Russia . Schwirtz . Michael . February 29, 2012 . The New York Times . March 12, 2021.
12. Web site: Malaysia Court rejects Appeal of Gay Festival Ban . February 29, 2012 . The San Diego Union-Tribune . March 12, 2021.
13. Web site: Slovenia Says no to Same-Sex Marriage . von Krempach . J.C. . 2012-06-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120618232504/http://www.turtlebayandbeyond.org/2012/turtle-bay-un/slovenia-says-no-to-same-sex-marriage/ . 2012-06-18 . dead.
14. News: London transport chiefs ban 'gay cure' bus advert. 13 April 2012 . BBC News. 13 April 2012.
15. Web site: North Carolina Bans Gay Marriages . May 9, 2012 . Aljazeera . March 12, 2021.
16. Web site: Избранный президент Николае Тимофти промульгировал Закон об обеспечении равенства . Russian . May 28, 2012 . Moldnews . October 6, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131014064019/http://moldnews.md/rus/news/48222 . October 14, 2013.
17. Web site: Defense of Marriage Act Ruled Unconstitutional by Court . Jeffrey . Don . Dolmetsch . Chris . June 1, 2012 . Bloomberg . October 6, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120604034258/http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-05-31/defense-of-marriage-act-unconstitutional-appeals-court-says . June 4, 2012.
18. Web site: Aplican matrimonios gay en Quintana Roo. El Informador. Unión Editorialista, S.A. de C.V. 5 June 2012. 5 December 2012. Spanish.
19. News: Denmark approves same-sex marriage and church weddings . BBC News . 7 June 2012.
20. News: Iowa Retains Judge Who Joined Marriage Equality Ruling . The Advocate . 2012-11-07.
21. Web site: Brydum . Sunnivie . Mexico Supreme Court Strikes Down Marriage Ban . 5 December 2012 . Advocate.com . 12 December 2012.
22. Web site: México pone fin a la discriminación de homosexuales y bisexuales a la hora de donar sangre. 2020-10-08. dosmanzanas - La web de noticias LGTB. es.
23. Web site: 2012-12-27. Mexico lifts ban on gay men donating blood. 2020-10-08. PinkNews . en-GB.
24. Web site: Conservative publisher Brietbart dies in LA at 43 . Manning . Sue . Elliot . Philip . February 29, 2012 . The Post and Courier . March 12, 2021.
25. Web site: La activista transgénero Agnés Torres es hallada muerta en Puebla . March 12, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120510175144/http://mexico.cnn.com/nacional/2012/03/12/la-activista-transgenero-agnes-torres-es-hallada-muerta-en-puebla . May 10, 2012 . March 12, 2021.
26. News: Adrienne Rich, award-winning poet and essayist, dies. Alison. Flood. The Guardian. 29 March 2012. 29 March 2012. London.
27. News: Poet Adrienne Rich, 82, has died. Los Angeles Times. 28 March 2012. 28 March 2012.
28. Web site: Lesbian Lobbyist, Activist Bettie Naylor Dies at 84 . Garcia . Michelle . April 19, 2012 . The Advocate . March 12, 2021.
29. Web site: Cynthia Laird . 17 May 2012 . Gay playwright George Birimisa dies . Bay Area Reporter . San Francisco . 28 May 2012 . dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130101214409/http://www.cpanel.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=67720 . 1 January 2013 .
30. News: Last Known Gay Jewish Holocaust Survivor Dies At 88 . Huffington Post . Curtis . Wong . 25 June 2012.