Library of Congress collection of books, posters, sound recordings, manuscripts and other material produced by, about and for the LGBTQ community. Research guides include resources in Business and the Workplace, Sports and Recreation, Arts and Sciences, and Civil Rights.
This webinar highlights primary sources on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) movement from all branches of the Federal Government. Viewers will learn about the Federal Government's position and actions on issues related to the LGBT movement from the 1800s to the present.
LGBTQ History in Government Documents: Timeline of Documents
Supreme Court ruled that the 1964 Civil Rights Act barring sex discrimination in the workplace protects LGBTQ employees from being fired because of their sexual orientation.
Department of Justice proposes to stop asking 16- and 17-year-olds to disclose sexual orientation and gender identity on the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
The resource was also removed from a list on the Office on Women's Health (OWH) fact sheets page. A pdf file with similar content is live as of June 2018 but is not linked from the OWH website, making it generally inaccessible.
Census Bureau planned to remove question about sexual orientation from the Census Barriers, Attitudes and Motivators Survey (CBAMS) survey, which helps gauge why “hard to count” populations don’t respond to the census. Dropped the plan after resistance from Census advisors.
Draft of proposed questions for Census 2020 included questions about sexual orientation and gender identity; a revised draft was issued later the same day, omitting those questions.
Department of Health and Human Services notice seeking comments on data collection for the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants. Notice indicates there are no changes to previous survey, but the new draft excludes question about sexual orientation and gender identity asked in previous three years. Sexual orientation question eventually restored; gender identity question was not.
Springate, Megan E. (Ed.). LGBTQ America: A Theme Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer History. Washington, D.C.: National Park Foundation, 2016.
Letter issued by the Departments of Education and Justice to clarify the rights of transgender students under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
Summarizes The First Amendment Defense Act ("to prohibit the Federal Government from taking any discriminatory action against individuals or entities based on their religious or moral objection to same-sex marriage or extramarital sexual relationships") and the Equality Act ("to amend Federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation").
Memorandum on International Initiatives To Advance the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Persons. (December 6, 2011.). Public Papers of the Presidents: Barack Obama (Book 2 ), p. 1524.
U.S. Senate. Committee on Armed Services.The Report of the Department of Defense Working Group That Conducted a Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated with a Repeal of Section 654 of Title 10, U.S.C., "Policy Concerning Homosexuality in the Armed Forces". S. Hrg. 111-899. 111th Congress, 2nd Session.
Request that the Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the Secretary of State act to extend benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
Public Law 104-199 [H.R. 3396], September 21, 1996
Defined marriage as between one woman/one man and allowed states to not recognize same-sex marriages from other states.
U. S. Department of Defense. (1993, December 21). Department of Defense Directive 1304.26.
Implements Don't Ask, Don't Tell via Section E1.2.8 - Provisions Related to Homosexual Conduct.
101 P.L. 649; 104 Stat. 4978; 1990 Enacted S. 358; 101 Enacted S. 358, November 29, 1990
Removed homosexuality as grounds for exclusion from immigration to the U.S.
101 P.L. 336; 104 Stat. 327; 1990 Enacted S. 933; 101 Enacted S. 933, July 26, 1990
Specified that the term "disabled" or "disability" shall not apply to transvestites.
U.S. House. Committee on Standards of Conduct. In the Matter of Representative Barney Frank. H. rpt. 101-610. 101st Congress, Second Session.
Frank was outed during investigation into affair with a male prostitute.
Bauerlein, M. and Granthan, E. (Eds.). National Endowment for the Arts: A History, 1965-2008. Washington, D.C.: National Endowment for the Arts, 2009.
Example of the NEH culture/funding wars of the 1980s-1990s.
U.S. House. Committee on Standards of Conduct. In the Matter of Representative Gerry E. Studds. H. rpt. 98-295. 98th Congress, First Session.
Studds was outed during investigation into the Congressional page scandal.
Sacramento, CA - Remarks at a “Get Out the Vote” Rally, Nov. 3, 1978. Public Papers of the Presidents: Jimmy Carter (1978, Book 2), p. 1949.
The failed Proposition 6 would have banned gays and lesbians from working in California's public schools.
Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session at a Republican Party Reception in San Antonio, April 9, 1976. Public Papers of the Presidents: Gerald R. Ford (1976, Book 2), p. 1031.
1975 H.R. 166; 94 H.R. 166, introduced January 14, 1975
To prohibit discrimination on the basis of affectional or sexual preference, and for other purposes.
U.S. House. H.R. 14752. 93rd Congress, Second Session. Introduced May 14, 1974.
To prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, marital status, and sexual orientation, and for other purposes.
U.S. House. Investigation of Communist Activities in the State of California. Part 6: Hearing Before the Committee on Un-American Activities. 83rd Congress, Second Session, April 20, 1954.
U.S. Congress. Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. Executive Session. Secret. JCAE document number CCLXXXVIII (Unpublished hearing), February 8, 1951.
Employment termination of Oak Ridge National Laboratory personnel director due to homosexual conduct
U.S. Department of Labor. Bureau of Immigration. Immigration Laws (Act of February 5, 1917): Rules of May 1, 1917. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1917.
Used to exclude homosexuals from immigration to U.S. based on their status as “persons of constitutional psychopathic inferiority”.
U.S. Department of State. Pan-American Medical Congress. Transactions of the first Pan-American Medical Congress, held in the City of Washington, D. C., U. S. A., September 5, 6, 7, and 8, A. D. 1893. Serial Set 3162-2 S.exdoc.36. 53rd Congress, 2nd Session.
U.S. Department of the Interior. Census Office. [Census Reports] Tenth Census, v. 21 (June 1, 1880). 1988.
Prisoners for buggery, sodomy, etc by state.
Committee to Investigate Chinese Immigration, Special. Joint. Report of the Joint Special Committee to Investigate Chinese Immigration. Serial Set 1734 S.rp.689. 44th Congress, 2nd session.
Racism and sodomy.
U.S. House. Committee on the District of Columbia. Laws for the District of Columbia. Serial Set 200, H.rpt.269. 21st Congress, 1st session.
Sodomy and buggery laws.
LGBTQ History in Government Documents: Timeline of Documentswas created by:
Jesse Silva, Scholarly Resources Strategy and Federal Government Information Librarian, University of California, Berkeley
Kelly L. Smith, Librarian for U.S. & San Diego Government Information, Urban Studies & Planning, and Environmental Policy, University of California, San Diego
