2009 in LGBT rights

January

 * January 1 —
 * Same-sex marriage begins in Norway.
 * Northern Cyprus becomes the last part of Europe to legalize male homosexuality, with a new Criminal Code, after a change in the law was proposed in October 2006.

February

 * February 1 — Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir becomes prime minister of Iceland, the first openly gay head of government in the modern world.
 * February 9 — Domestic Partnership Registry opens in Phoenix, Arizona.
 * February 10 — Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, a Republican, says he supports civil unions.
 * February 12 —
 * In the United States Congress, congressman Jerrold Nadler of New York and senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont reintroduce the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) (H.R.1024 & S.424).
 * The government of Hungary approves a new registered partnership bill which would only apply to same-sex couples, providing all of the rights of marriage except adoption and the ability to take the same surname. Registered partnership legislation was previously passed by the government in 2007, but struck down as unconstitutional 16 days before taking effect—since its availability to opposite-sex couples duplicated already-existing marriage law.
 * February 12 — Hawaii civil unions bill passes the state house on a 33-17 vote.
 * February 18 — All five bills called the Common Ground Initiative that would have extended LGBT rights in Utah die.
 * February 19 — The North Dakota Senate votes 27 to 19 to amend the state Human Rights Act to include gays, lesbians and transgenders.
 * February 20 — A bill to criminalize homosexuality dies in the Burundi Senate.
 * February 23 — The Colorado House approves a domestic partner benefits bill that would make it easier for unmarried couples, including gays and lesbians, to make medical decision for incapacitated partners and leave property to their partners.
 * February 24 — The Colorado Senate approves a domestic partner benefits bill that would make it easier for unmarried couples, including gays and lesbians, to make medical decision for incapacitated partners and leave property to their partners.

March

 * March 2 - Argentina ends ban on gays in the military.


 * March 3 - The Philippines ends ban on gays in the military.


 * March 5 - The California Supreme Court meets in San Francisco to hear arguments concerning the validity of Proposition 8.


 * March 10, in Tel Aviv, Uzi Even and his life partner was the first same-sex male couple in Israel whose right of adoption has been legally acknowledged.


 * March 20 - Denmark legalizes adoption by same-sex couples.


 * March 23 - The Vermont Senate passes a bill 26 to 4 legalizing same sex marriage.


 * March 26 - Serbian lawmakers give final approval with a majority of 127 votes in favor to 59 against to ban any kind of discrimination, whether based on race, religion, sexual orientation or gender or other factors.


 * March 26 - The New Hampshire House voted for gay marriage 186 to 179 after first voting against it, 183 to 182.
 * March 27 - Japan has given the green light for its nationals to marry same-sex foreign partners in countries where same-sex marriage is legal.

April

 * April 1 - Sweden legalize same sex marriage (effective starting May 1, 2009).
 * April 3 - Iowa legalize same sex marriage (effective starting April 27, 2009)
 * April 7 - Vermont legalize same sex marriage (effective starting September 1, 2009).
 * April 9 - Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) signed a domestic partner benefits bill (effective starting July 1, 2009).
 * April 16 - Washington Governor Chris Gregoire signed the third stage or the "everything but marriage" domestic partnership bill (effective starting June 1, 2009). She also signed two domestic partnership bills back in 2007 and in 2008.
 * April 20 - Hungary's Registered Partnership Bill 2009 passes the Paliament - coming into force from 1 July 2009.
 * April 30 - Iowa officials start handing out marriage licences to same-sex couples, after a Supreme Court ruling earlier in April.

May

 * May 1 - Sweden's gender-neutral marriage law becomes effective.
 * May 5 - New Hampshire passes the same-sex marriage bill by a Senate vote of 13-11 and a House vote of 186-179; now the bill is awaiting a signature from the Gov. John Lynch’s - Gov. Lynch has supported the civil marriage bill and will sign it into law - if it contains very strong religious freedoms or it will be vetoed.
 * May 8 - Maine Gov. John Baldacci (D) signed the End Discrimination in Civil Marriage and Affirm Religious Freedom Act 2009 into law which legalizes same-sex marriage (effective from 14 September 2009). The law was overturned in November by a people's veto.
 * May 12 - New York marriage bill passed the Assembly vote by 89-52, now the bill moves to the New York Senate where there might be a more challenging prospect.
 * May 13 - Uruguay allows openly out gays in the military.
 * May 15 - Finland allows same-sex couples the legal right to adopt a biological child (no full joint adoption)
 * May 19 - Washington Governor Chris Gregoire signs the "everything-but-marriage" bill into law.
 * May 20 - New Jersey introduces a marriage bill.
 * May 20 - Nevada legislature passes the Domestic Partnership Responsibilities Act 2009, but Governor Jim Gibbon (R) vetoed the bill a week later.
 * May 21 - Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter (D) signs a bill that provides health insurance and a few more entitlements for state workers that includes unmarried couples (opposite and same sex partnerships).
 * May 26 - California Supreme Court upholds Proposition 8 by a 6-1 vote, however the marriages performed prior to 5 November and the May 2008 legalization are also upheld.

June

 * June 1: - Nevada legislature overrides Gov. Jim Gibbons' veto; state to legally provide domestic partnership from 1 October 2009.
 * June 3: - The Canadian province of Alberta is the last province to include the words "sexual orientation" in the Human Rights Act.
 * June 3: - New Hampshire legalizes civil marriage for same-sex couples (eff. from 1/1/2010).
 * June 3: - The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary has first hearing ever on The Uniting American Families Act.
 * June 30: - Wisconsin Governor, Jim Doyle, signs the Budget Considerations And Limited Domestic Partnership Act 2009 into law.
 * The Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered a census of hijras, who number between 80,000 and 300,000 in Pakistan.

July

 * July 1: - Colorado domestic partnership becomes effective.
 * July 2: - The Delhi High Court ruled that homosexual intercourse between consenting adults is not a criminal act..
 * July 3: - Delaware prohibits sexual orientation discrimination under the Delaware Code, but not gender identity - the law becomes effective once signed.
 * July 6: - District of Columbia recognises same-sex marriage, however can not be performed (just like New York).

August

 * August 3: - Wisconsin domestic partnership becomes effective.

September

 * September 1: - Vermont same-sex marriage laws becomes effective.

October

 * October 1: - Nevada domestic partnership becomes effective.
 * October 13: - Ugandan MP David Bahati introduces the Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill which would broaden the criminilization of same-sex relationships in Uganda, introducing the death penalty for HIV-positive people engaging in sexual activity with people of the same sex or with those under 18.
 * October 28: US President Barack Obama signs the Matthew Shepard Act, which expands federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, the first US federal law to extend legal protections to transgender persons.

November

 * November 3: - Both Washington (the "all-but-marriage-law" under the Omnibus Domestic Partnership Obligations Act 2009) and Maine (called marriage equality under the Civil Marriage And Religious Freedoms Act 2009) held ballot measures. Maine's same-sex marriage law was repealed by voters by a slim margin of 53%. Washington voters approved to keep same-sex relationship rights as Domestic Partnerships.
 * November 12 - India election authorities begin granting intersex and transsexual people the right to register as independent genders on voting lists.
 * November 13 - A judge in Buenos Aires, Argentina allows for the first same-sex marriage in Argentina and Latin America.
 * In November 2009, India agreed to list eunuchs and transgender people as "others", distinct from males and females, in voting rolls and voter identity cards.

December

 * December 1 - LGBT rights in Europe, The Treaty of Lisbon come together with the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union into effect. In article 21 of the Charta sexual orientation is protected.
 * December 21 - Mexico City legalizes same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples. The first jurisdiction in Latin America to allow same-sex marriage. The Legislative Assembly of the Federal District passed the bill by 39-20.
 * December 23 - Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, ordered that the National Database and Registration Authority issue national identity cards to members of the community showing their "distinct" gender. Chaudhry asked the government to ensure that hijras can inherit property and to be sure they are not harassed. The court suggested that the federal government employ hijras in the recovery of loans from defaulters.
 * December 29 - Mexico City's same-sex marriage is signed into law by Head of Government ("Mayor") Marcelo Ebrard, which will go into effect in 45 working days, beginning in March 2010.

Deaths

 * April 9 - Carl Joseph Walker, 11, committed suicide after being repeatedly bullied at school.
 * April 12 - Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, 58, American theorist specializing in queer studies and LGBT rights activist
 * July 22 - Mark Leduc, 47, Canadian Olympic boxer and Toronto People with AIDS Foundation campaigner.