DIGNITY/BOSTON HISTORY

1972

The United Church of Christ becomes the first major denomination to approve the ordination of someone who is openly gay.

Dignity develops Statement of Position and Purpose; National President Joe Gilgamesh tours cities where there is interest in Dignity, including Boston.

December 3, 1972: Dignity/Boston meets for the first time at Randolph Country Club as an outgrowth of the group Catholic Homophiles.

1973

Dignity/Boston moves to St. Clement's Church.

The Boston Globe Magazine runs a feature on gay Catholics and Dignity/Boston.

Dignity/Boston members Paul Diederich, Fr. Tom Oddo, and Jack Hart elected National President, Secretary, and Treasurer, respectively, at the First National Biennial Convention in Los Angeles.

Dignity/Inc. (precursor to Dignity/USA) National Office moves to Boston.

The Reverend Ray Broshears, a gay minister, makes national news when he marries a lesbian couple in San Francisco.

1974

Dignity/Boston's first retreat held at the Christian Formation Center in Andover.

The American Psychiatric Association agrees not to classify homosexuality as a mental disorder.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decriminalizes consentual sexual conduct between adults who had a "reasonable expectation of privacy."

The U.S. Congress fails to pass the "Equality Act of 1974," which would have amended the 1964 Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination based on "sex, marital status, and sexual orientation."

Elaine Noble of Massachusetts becomes the first openly gay person to win election to a state legislature.

Dignity national officers lead Boston delegation in New York gay pride parade.

National Coalition of American Nuns and National Federation of Priests Councils issue statements supporting civil rights for and opposing discrimination against homosexual persons.

1975

Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issues a declaration distinguishing "between homosexuals whose tendency is transitory or at least non-incurable; and homosexuals who are definitely such because of some kind of innate instinct."

Boston hosts the Second Dignity National Convention August 29-September 1 with the theme, "Enactment of Our Position and Purpose."

Time magazine mentions Dignity/Boston in an article about homosexuality.

1976

United States Catholic Conference. A Call to Action recommends "that the Church encourage and affirm the pastoral efforts of Dignity."

National Conference of Catholic Bishops issues statement saying that "Homosexual activity—as distinguished from homosexual orientation—is morally wrong." NCCB also states that homosexuals "should not suffer prejudice against their basic human rights."

Brian McNaught joins Dignity/Boston and becomes Mayor's Liaison to the Gay and Lesbian Community.

1977

Anita Bryant, a fundamentalist Christian popularly known as the spokeswoman for the Florida citrus industry, makes national news when she leads the repeal of a gay rights ordinance in Dade County.

The U.S. State Department announces that it will no longer automatically bar employment based on sexual orientation.

Ellen Marie Barnett becomes the first open lesbian to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.

The National Women's Conference of International Women's Year passes a sweeping gay rights resolution.

Dignity/Boston services move from St. Clement's to Arlington Street Church.

New Ways Ministry is founded to promote justice and reconciliation between lesbian and gay Catholics and the wider Catholic community.

Dignity/Boston's new constitution sets up Executive Board of nine members.

Dignity/Boston becomes incorporated.

Dignity, Inc. National Offices move from Boston to San Diego.

1978

San Francisco mayor George Moscone and openly gay supervisor Harvey Milk are assassinated.

Paul VI dies after 15 years as pope. His successor, John Paul I, dies after scarcely a month into his papacy, and is succeeded by John Paul II.

New England Region of Dignity/USA founded.

Dignity/Boston receives tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service. Dignity/Boston Social Committee dropped, and Friends of Dignity formed to bring the organization into compliance with IRS rules.

Dignity/Boston invites John Boswell to lecture on "Christian History and Homosexuality."

1979

Humberto Cardinal Medeiros issues a pastoral letter on homosexuality proclaiming it to be a "grievous sin." This letter is certainly a response to Dignity/Boston's sending a letter to every priest in the diocese, informing them of the existence and purposes of Dignity.

The first March on Washington by lesbian and gay men.

Pope John Paul II visits Boston.

1980

Rhode Island high school student Aaron Fricke makes national news by taking a gay date to his high school prom.

Dove and wheat chosen as logo of Dignity/Boston.

Members of Dignity/Boston participate in a lay ministry training program at the Paulist Center.

1981

Dignity/Boston participates in the Boston Area Coalition for Cuban Aid and Resettlement to help resettle Cuban Refugees in the Mariel Boat Lift.

Dignity/USA publishes A Disturbed Peace — Selected Writings of an Irish Catholic Homosexual by Dignity/Boston member Brian McNaught.

Dignity/Boston's first Liturgy in Celebration of Women held.

The first reports of a "gay cancer," later identified as AIDS, begin to surface in major cities across the United States.

1982

Two mainstream films, Making Love and Personal Best, tackle the issue of homosexuality.

The first international Gay Games are held in San Francisco.

Dignity/Boston member and Mayor's Liaison to the Gay and Lesbian Community Brian McNaught steps to the podium at Pride and announces the Mayor's Executive Order banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment and delivery of services by the City of Boston.

Dignity/Boston founds the Watchline, a hotline to monitor antigay violence in Boston.

1983

January 31, 1983: Dignity/Boston liturgy is interrupted by a bomb threat.

Catherine Deneuve and Susan Sarandon star in the lesbian-themed film The Hunger.

Massachusetts Congressman Gary Studds becomes the first politician elected to national office to come out.

1984

Lunenberg, Massachusetts, town clerk Robert Ebersole comes out, becoming the country's first openly gay Republican elected official.

Friday Night Supper Program co-founded by Dignity/Boston and the Arlington Street Church.

The Boston Gay and Lesbian Political Alliance awards the Maximilian Kolbe Community Service Award to Dignity/Boston for its spiritual, political, and humanitarian service to Boston's GLBT community.

1985

February 22, 1985: Dignity/Boston offices at Arlington Street Church burned in a fire of suspicious origin.

The TV movie An Early Frost tackles the subject of AIDS.

Rock Hudson becomes the first major celebrity to publicly acknowledge that he has AIDS. He dies of AIDS-related complications shortly thereafter.

1986

In Bowers v. Hardwick, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that sodomy laws are constitutional and that states have the right to declare gay sex illegal.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declares that homosexuals are "intrinsically disordered" and that homosexual relations are morally wrong. Ratzinger also orders bishops "to deny use of Church property to organizations that do not accept strictures against homosexual relationships." Catholics active in AIDS ministries angrily denounce Ratzinger's "Halloween Letter." Dignity/Boston responds with a prayerful candlelight service outside the Cardinal's residence.

1987

The second GLBT March on Washington.

The AIDS memorial quilt is unveiled.

U.S. Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) becomes the first person elected to national office to voluntarily come out.

Dignity/USA declares that gay and lesbian people can express their sexuality physically "in a unitive manner that is loving, life-giving, and life-affirming."

Massachusetts bishops urge defeat of a gay-rights bill, stating that the bill is "unnecessary" and "poses threats to the good of society."

The first Catholic-sponsored public service announcement in the nation to address the AIDS epidemic is filmed in Boston.

The Church refuses Dignity/USA's request to enter into dialogue with the gay community.

Catholic dioceses begin to expel Dignity chapters from church properties.

The Boston Globe publishes "Gay Catholics Find Sanctuary Outside Fold," a front-page article on Dignity/Boston and its mission.

1988

The U.S. government bans discrimination against people with AIDS.

World AIDS Day is observed for the first time.

Dignity/Boston services move from the basement of Arlington Street Church to St. John the Evangelist on September 18.

1989

Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis signs into law the country's second statewide gay rights law.

The Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. cancels a scheduled exhibit of photographs taken by Robert Mapplethorpe.

Dignity/Boston offices move from 355 Boylston Street to 95 Berkeley Street.

1990

President George H.W. Bush invites members of the GLBT community to the White House to witness the signing of a bill covering anti-gay violence.

Congress eliminates a policy that prevented gay and lesbian foreigners from entering the U.S.

ACT-UP/Boston disrupts an ordination service by throwing condoms. Dignity/Boston member Bob Grady writes a letter to the Cardinal expressing Dignity/Boston's disagreement with ACT-UP over their actions.

1991

Chanting "Fight AIDS, not Arabs," protestors in New York City try to refocus media attention from the Persian Gulf War to AIDS.

Basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson announces that he is HIV-positive.

Pediatrics magazine publishes a study reporting that nearly 50% of the gay and lesbian teenagers interviewed said they had attempted suicide more than once.

1992

Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declares that discrimination against gays and lesbians regarding teaching, athletic coaching, adoptive parenting, and military recruitment is justified.

Dignity/USA issues statement expressing that it is "outraged, saddened, and dismayed at recent Vatican documents directing American bishops to actively oppose legislation that would protect civil rights of gay men and lesbians."

The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council tries to prevent members of the GLBT community from marching in its St. Patrick's Day march.

Newsweek runs a cover story on "lesbian chic."

Singer k.d. lang comes out.

Two gay-themed children's books, Daddy's Roommate and Heather Has Two Mommies, evoke criticism in some New York City school districts.

Bill Clinton elected 42nd President of the United States, following a campaign in which he courted the GLBT vote.

Dignity/Boston's Defenders is established as an outreach to the leather-levi community.

1993

President Clinton raises the controversial issue of gays in the military, resulting in the compromise decision known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

Gay teenager Lawrence Poirier debuts in Lynn Johnston's comic strip "For Better or for Worse."

Marianne Duddy of Dignity/Boston is elected first woman president of Dignity/USA.

The GLBT community stages its third March on Washington.

First commitment ceremony held at Dignity/Boston.

President Clinton becomes the first president to hold a meeting with the heads of several GLBT organizations.

A study published in Science magazine suggests that male homosexuality is caused by genetics.

1994

Gay plots appear on television in "Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City" and "Roseanne," among other shows.

Stonewall 25 and the Gay Games draw huge crowds of GLBT to New York City. Dignity/Boston has a contingent.

Members of Dignity/Boston participate in a letter-writing campaign to the Massachusetts Legislature that results in passage of the Gay and Lesbian Students' Rights Bill being passed.

1995

Olympic diver Greg Louganis announces that he is gay and has AIDS.

One in Ten, a local GLBT newspaper, publishes a front-page story on Dignity/Boston.

Dignity/Boston awards its first Community Service Award for outstanding service to the GLBT Community.

Dignity/Boston offices move to the Boston Living Center at 29 Stanhope Street to share space with other GLBT and AIDS service organizations.

1996

The Pilot, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston refuses to run an ad for Dignity/Boston but did not cite a reason.

As Hawaii considers the legalization of same-sex marriage, Congress approves the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, preventing federal recognition of same- sex marriage.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act is barely defeated in Congress.

Dignity/Boston holds first annual variety show.

AIDS researcher Dr. David Ho named Time's Man of the Year.

1997

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres makes national news as she and her television character, Ellen Morgan, come out.

Dignity/Boston receives the 1997 Pride Interfaith Award.

Boston hosts the 13th Biennial Convention of Dignity/USA, "We Are Called...Prophets to the World," July 10-13, 1997.

The Archdiocese of Boston sent its clergy a letter admonishing them not to support or attend the area meetings of Corpus, an association of married priests and Dignity’s Biennial Convention.

Fashion designer Gianni Versace is murdered. The U.S. media sensationalizes his death and his murderer, Andrew Cunanan, a gay man.

A pastoral letter by the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops encourages families to accept their gay loved ones and reaffirms the basic human rights of gay people. However, the letter continues to assert that gay people must remain celibate.

Dignity/Boston launches its website.

Dignity/Boston celebrates its first 25 years with an ongoing series of listening nights, followed by a gala dinner/dance held in December.

1998

After months of planning, a group of Dignity/Boston members meets with Cardinal Law for the first time at his private residence to discuss g/l/b/t issues with him.

The murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, generates enormous press coverage and spontaneous demonstrations against hate crimes in dozens of cities around the country.

Dignity/Boston Executive Board establishes two new groups, the Bisexual Support group and Couples Ministry.

Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin state legislator, becomes the first openly lesbian candidate to win election to the House of Representatives.

Voters in Hawaii and Alaska decide by overwhelming margins to approve measures aimed at banning same-sex marriages in their states.

Dignity/Boston establishes a Baptismal Registry for the Chapter.

1999

The Vatican permanently prohibits Sister Jeanine Gramick and Father Robert, Nugent co-founders of New Ways Ministry, from any pastoral work involving homosexuals.

Evangelist Jerry Falwell outs the Teletubby Tinky Winky as gay because he is purple and carries a purse.

Dignity/Boston's meal program, the Friday Night Supper Program, celebrates its fifteenth anniversary.

Dignity/Boston holds its first Homecoming Liturgy in celebration of 30 years of Dignity/USA.

Television commercials promoting a "cure" for homosexuality begin running on a Washington, D.C. station.

Transgendered Concerns Committee is established.

2000

The Millennium March on Washington caps off a weekend of GLBT-themed events that draws hundreds of thousands to Washington, D.C.

Dignity/Boston member Marianne Duddy is named Dignity/USA Executive Director.

Dignity/Boston members appear in an Advocate ad for Dignity/USA.

In an effort to make liturgies more welcoming, diverse and inclusive Dignity/Boston offers ASL interpreted liturgies once a month and translates the Order of Service and music selections into Braille.

Gay Catholics are saddened by the Pope’s comments that the WorldPride 2000 Celebration in Rome was an "insult" to the Jubilee Year and to Christians and that homosexuals act in ways contrary to natural law.

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court rules that the Boy Scouts of America have the right to bar gays from its ranks. The ruling leads to a backlash against the Scouts.

Vermont governor Howard Dean signs civil union bill making Vermont the first state in the union to give gay and lesbian couples the same rights as married couples.

2001

Paris elects openly gay Bertrand Delanoe as mayor.

Dignity/Boston holds first Blessing of the Animals event.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger announces the end of her controversial TV show, "Dr. Laura."

Hundreds of gay men and lesbians are among the victims and the rescue workers affected by the terrorist attacks on New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Rev. Jerry Falwell blames gay people in part for the terrorist tragedy.

The 20^th anniversary of the CDC report on five cases of what would come to be known as AIDS.

2002

The Boston Archdiocese is rocked with scandal as Cardinal Law is accused of covering up the fact that priests had been molesting minors by moving them to other parishes. The world is outraged.

Dignity/Boston takes an active role in the Church sex scandal by protesting at the Cathedral.

Peggy Burns of Dignity/Boston becomes Vice President of DignityUSA.

The Boston Globe starts running announcements of same-sex unions.

Timed to coincide with the 30^th anniversary, Dignity/Boston unveils its new heart-and-cross logo.

Dignity/Boston mourns the death of its longtime friend and presider, Rev. Dr. Richard Rasi.

The Vatican accepts Cardinal Law's resignation in the wake of the church sex abuse scandal.

Dignity/Boston celebrates its 30th anniversary with a dinner dance at the Randolph Country Club (where it all started in 1972) and a copresided liturgy.

2003

The Dignity/Boston Executive Board launches a Constitution Committee, a Presider Task Force, and a Pastoral Care Task Force to shape the future of our organization.

As the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts considers the legality of same-sex marriage, the four bishops of Massachusetts instruct Catholics to support a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions. Dignity/Boston launches a campaign — including press releases, media interviews, contacts with legislators, and letters to the editor — encouraging Catholics to oppose the amendment.

In Lawrence v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its 1986 Hardwick decision and knocks down Texas' "Homosexual Conduct Law," which had outlawed sex between couples of the same gender. DignityUSA had filed an amicus brief in the Lawrence case.

Sean P. O'Malley OFM Cap. succeeds Cardinal Law as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston. In his his first public statement on issues affecting GLBT Catholics in the Archdiocese, he delivers the opening prayer to an anti-gay conference entitled "SOS, The Summit of October to Save Marriage" sponsored by the Massachusetts Family Institute. Dignity/Boston members attend a silent vigil outside the conference.

The Episcopal Church consecrates its first openly gay bishop, Eugene V. Robinson of New Hampshire.

Dignity/Boston, along with MassEquality, the Freedom to Marry Coalition, and other GLBT organizations, testifies at the State House in favor of same-sex marriage.

Dignity/Boston helps raise funds for the renovation of its spiritual home, the Church of St. John the Evangelist.

Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court rules that same-sex couples are legally entitled to marry under the constitution of the Commonwealth — setting off a firestorm of controversy as lawmakers debate the legality of unions for gay and lesbian couples.

2004

As the same-sex marriage debate heats up in Massachusetts, Dignity/Boston accelerates its campaign to oppose a proposed amendment that bans gay marriage.

President George W. Bush proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would ban same-sex marriage.

Several municipalities across the U.S., starting with San Francisco, begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

TOP OF PAGE

This chronology is adapted from Dignity/Boston 1972/1997: A Quarter Century of Faith, Hope, and Love, researched by Becky Burke, Michael Leclerc, and Chuck Provancher. Updated by Christopher Lawrence and Chuck Provancher. © 1997-2004 Dignity/Boston.

Sources: The Advocate; The Alyson Almanac 1994-95 Edition; Bay Windows; The Boston Globe; The Boston Herald; Dignity/Boston archives; Voices of Hope, edited by Jeanine Gramick and Robert Nugent; National Catholic Reporter; Time