c. 9,600 BCE  – c. 5,000 BCE  – Mesolithic rock art in Sicily depicts phallic male figures in pairs that have been interpreted variously, including depictions of male homosexual intercourse

1903 –New York police conducted the first US recorded raid on a gay bathhouse, 26 men were arrested; 7 men received sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison

1958 – The United States Supreme Court rules in favor of the First Amendment rights of a gay and lesbian magazine, marking the first time the United States Supreme Court had ruled on a case involving homosexuality.

1966 – The Mattachine Society stages a "Sip-In" at Julius Bar in New York City challenging a New York State Liquor Authority prohibiting serving alcohol to gays

1969-The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay (LGBT) community against a police raid at the Stonewall Inn. They are widely considered to constitute the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States.

1970 – The first Gay Liberation Day March is held in New York City; The first LGBT Pride Parade is held in New York; The first "Gay-in" held in San Francisco

1980 – The United States Democratic Party becomes the first major political party in the U.S. to endorse a homosexual rights platform plank

1993- Before the "Don't Ask 

Don't Tell" policy was enacted in 1993, lesbians and bisexual women and gay men and bisexual men were banned from serving in the military. In 1993 the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy was enacted, which mandated that the military could not ask servicemembers about their sexual orientation.However, until the policy was ended in 2011 service members were still expelled from the military if they engaged in sexual conduct with a member of the same sex, stated that they were lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and/or married or attempted to marry someone of the same sex