1975-03-25 Anti-discrimination bill introduced into U.S. Congress

At a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Representative Bella Abzug, along with other members of Congress and gay and lesbian activists, announces that HR 5452 has been introduced in Congress with 24 sponsors. The bill proposed to outlaw discrimination against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals by amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include the phrase “affectional or sexual preference” to the list of protected groups. As of 2013, Congress had still not passed a bill outlawing discrimination.

1975-05-23 First "Great Southeast Lesbian Conference" convened.

Almost 325 women from 18 states begin convening in Atlanta for the “Great Southeast Lesbian Conference.” Sponsored by the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance, the three-day conference was organized around the theme of “Building a Lesbian Community.”

1975-09-08 Leonard Matlovich on the cover of Time magazine

Time magazine features on its cover a picture of Air Force Sergeant Leonard Matlovich, with the caption “I Am a Homosexual: The Gay Drive for Acceptance.” Matlovich was challenging the military’s longstanding policy of excluding gays, lesbians, and bisexuals. The Time cover and story gave national publicity to the issue and to the growing gay and lesbian movement.

1975-12-23 A jury in Domestic Relations Court in Dallas, Texas denies Mary Jo Risher custody of her 9-year-old son.

A jury in Domestic Relations Court in Dallas, Texas denies Mary Jo Risher custody of her 9-year-old son. The Risher case was one of many in the 1970s in which women who came out as lesbians after marrying men and having children lost custody of their children. These cases provoked a great deal of political organizing, with the Seattle-based Lesbian Mother’s National Defense Fund playing a key role. A 2006 documentary film, Mom’s Apple Pie, tells the story of the LMNDF.