Hate Crimes Prevention Act becomes a law. October, 2009: The Matthew Shepard & James Byrd Jr. Vermont became the first state in the country to give same-sex couples the right to enter into civil unions - legal partnerships which would grant those couples the same rights and benefits as those in legal marriages. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), voluntarily came out as gay, making him the second openly gay member of congress, and the first to come out voluntarily, in the country’s history.Īpril, 2000: Vermont takes a huge step toward same-sex marriage legalization.
After spending six years on Capitol Hill, Rep.
