11 Facts About Gay Rights

Welcome to DoSomething.org, a global movement of millions of young people making positive change, online and off! The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page. After you learn something, Do Something! Find out how to take action here.

1. In 2013, the Supreme Court struck down parts of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) (which defined marriage as a union between man and woman) and declared that the federal government would recognize same-sex marriages as legal.^[The Washington Post. "Supreme Court strikes down key part of Defense of Marriage Act." Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court/2013/06/26/f0039814-d9ab-11e2-a016-92547bf094cc_story.html (accessed July 29, 2014).]
2. With the Defense of Marriage Act struck down, the federal government began recognizing same-sex marriage and all marriage programs, benefits, and laws such as social security and health benefits.^[The Washington Post. "Supreme Court strikes down key part of Defense of Marriage Act." Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court/2013/06/26/f0039814-d9ab-11e2-a016-92547bf094cc_story.html (accessed July 29, 2014).]
3. As of July 2014, same-sex marriage is legal in 19 states, plus the District of Columbia. Push for more progress by asking friends and social influencers to publicly support LGBT rights. Sign up for Love It Forward.^[Cable News Network. "Appeals court rejects Virginia same-sex marriage ban." CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2014/07/28/politics/same-sex-ban-virginia/index.html (accessed July 28, 2014).]
4. In July 2009, the Senate approved the Matthew Shepard Act, which outlaws hate crimes based on both sexual orientation and gender identity.^["Civil Rights Division Home Page." Civil Rights Division Home Page. http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/crm/matthewshepard.php (accessed July 29, 2014).]
5. The Employment Nondiscrimination Act, first passed Congress in 2007, is the act that prohibits discrimination of sexual orientation in the workplace, specifically during hiring.^["Employment Non-Discrimination Act." Human Rights Campaign. http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/employment-non-discrimination-act (accessed July 29, 2014).]
6. A 2007 Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network study stated that social victimization increased for all GLBT students of color, racial minority status who attended suburban and rural schools.^[Kim, Robert. "A Report on the status of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender people in Education." National Education Association. Accessed March 10, 2015. .]
7. Of the estimated 1.6 million homeless American youth, approximately 20% identify as LGBT, which is higher than the general LGBT youth population with homes (10%).^["National Coalition for the Homeless." National Coalition for the Homeless. http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/lgbtq.html (accessed July 28, 2014).]
8. In 2012, President Obama made US History when he told ABC News, “I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”^[ABC News Network. "PM Note – ABC Exclusive – Obama Supports Same Sex Marriage, a 16 Year Evolution, A One Issue News Cycle." ABC News. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/pm-note-abc-exclusive-obama-supports-gay-marriage-a-16-year-evolution-a-one-issue-news-cycle/ (accessed July 29, 2014).]
9. As of 2014, 13 states have banned gay marriage through law, constitutional amendments, or both.^["37 States with Legal Gay Marriage and 13 States with Same-Sex Marriage Bans - Gay Marriage Pros and Cons - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. http://gaymarriage.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004857 (accessed July 26, 2014).]
10. 15 countries currently allow same-sex couples to marry, including the United States (in some states), the Netherlands, South Africa, Canada, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland, Argentina, Denmark, Uruguay, New Zealand, and France.^["Gay marriage around the world." BBC News. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-21321731 (accessed March 10, 2015).]
11. Colorado is the only state to allow civil unions but not marriage between same-sex couples.^[Roberts, Caitlin. "By the numbers: Same-sex marriage." CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/11/politics/btn-same-sex-marriage/ (accessed July 28, 2014).]