With the death of Osama bin Laden bringing an unofficial end to the “aughts” decade one week ago, it would be easy to overlook the importance of one social movement in the United States during that time frame.
Decades of advocacy led to the Supreme Court decision Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, which declared states’ sodomy laws unconstitutional and invalid. It was a first step for a movement that has struggled to gain traction nationwide since its initial intensification in the 1960s.
Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in 2004, and Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont and New Hampshire soon followed. The end of the decade brought the repeal of the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, as well as two attempts at the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.
However, there is still much progress to be made. Louisiana’s non-discrimination provision for LGBTQ persons was allowed to expire in 2008, and our state, along with 44 others, still refuses homosexuals the right to marry.
Though these past 10 years constitute the most prominent progress for same-sex equality yet, the next decade will likely be one in which true strides can be observed.
Chris Seemann is a 20-year-old mass communication senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_CSeemann.
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Contact Chris Seemann at [email protected]