1992-03-15Baptist Minister blesses a gay relationship.

Reverend Mahan Siler, pastor of the Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, blesses the same-sex union of Kevin Turner and Steven Churchill. This action provoked a negative response from the Raleigh Baptist Association and the Southern Baptist Association, both of which expelled the Pullen congregation from their association. The Pullen congregation has continued to support policies inclusive of LGBT people, including having a lesbian pastor.

1992-10-27Allen Schindler, Jr. Murdered in Hate Crime

U.S. Navy Petty Officer Allen Schindler, Jr. is brutally murdered by a fellow sailor in an anti-gay hate crime. Schindler had complained to his superiors of harassment and had come out to them, but they were slow to process his discharge. In the wake of the “gays-in-the-military” debate and the adoption of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy earlier in the year, the murder of Schindler highlighted the extreme vulnerability of gay, lesbian, and bisexual members of the U.S. armed forces.