{"id":640,"date":"2014-05-21T02:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-05-21T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=640"},"modified":"2015-01-09T16:10:13","modified_gmt":"2015-01-09T21:10:13","slug":"1974-same-sex-couples-fight-for-their-right-to-marry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/05\/21\/1974-same-sex-couples-fight-for-their-right-to-marry\/","title":{"rendered":"1974: Same-sex couples fight for their right to marry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\" <\/a> <\/div>
\"June <\/a>
June 22, 1980: Protesters in Shadyside. (Credit: Darrell Sapp\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"June <\/a>
June 22, 1980: Protesters in Shadyside. (Credit: Darrell Sapp\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"June <\/a>
June 22, 1980: Protesters in Shadyside. (Credit: Darrell Sapp\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"June <\/a>
June 21, 1991: Sherie Santucci of McKees Rocks and Jennifer Orr hold hands during a rally in Market Square sponsored by the 1991 Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Pride Committee. (Terry Harris\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Oct. <\/a>
Oct. 11, 1988: Mike McFadden (facing camera) and Terry Macko embrace outside Pittsburgh City Council chamber after members defeated a gay rights bill. (Credit: John Beale\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"March <\/a>
March 6, 1989: Gay and lesbian activists protest outside the Syria Mosque after city gay rights legislation failed. (Credit: Mark Murphy\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

The news on Tuesday of a federal judge striking down Pennyslvania\u2019s ban on same-sex marriages<\/a> spurred us to look into Pittsburgh\u2019s history of gay and lesbian equality.<\/p>\n

Perhaps inequality is the better word. The Post-Gazette\u2019s archive contains only one relevant folder on the subject \u2014 \u201cHomosexuals\u201d \u2014 and it\u2019s largely filled with images of protesters.<\/p>\n

Historically, same-sex couples have had little to be happy about.<\/p>\n

Legislation banning discrimination against homosexuals had first been proposed in Pittsburgh City Council on June 15, 1974, at the behest of a\u00a0local gay rights group called Gay Alternatives Pittsburgh (GAP).<\/p>\n

For a long time, nothing happened.<\/p>\n

Years of appeals and slowly rising acceptance across the nation pushed Pittsburgh\u2019s City Council to reconsider.<\/p>\n

While running for mayor, Sophie Masloff was against gay rights legislation.<\/p>\n

Masloff faced judgement for that decision before becoming mayor, or rather, for her behind-the-scenes actions opposing gay rights legislation in 1988.<\/p>\n

Cry Out, a gay rights organization in Pittsburgh, protested and picketed Masloff\u2019s house after her election as mayor.<\/p>\n

Gay pride celebrations continued in Pittsburgh \u2014 attempts to spur legislation passage \u2014 and they eventually made an impact.<\/p>\n

In 1990, Mayor Sophie Masloff signed a gay rights amendment into the city\u2019s Human Relations Act, \u00a0which made it illegal to \u201cdiscriminate in housing, employment or public accommodations based on sexual orientation \u2014 defined as \u2018male or female homosexuality, heterosexuality or bisexuality or perceived homosexuality, heterosexuality or bisexuality.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Her move to ban hiring discrimination was not exactly a bold move.\u00a0Mayor Richard Caliguiri had already outlawed sexual discrimination in hiring in 1978.\u00a0Then-Pittsburgh Press columnist Brian O\u2019Neill wrote, \u201cThe news of Sophie\u2019s choice was displayed in the newspapers Tuesday, but to the casual observer, it was a non-story.\u201d<\/p>\n

And now, in 2014, gay couples in Pittsburgh and across Pennsylvania can marry \u2014 just like anyone else.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For a long time, nothing happened.<\/p>\n

Look at the pictures1974: Same-sex couples fight for their right to marry<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"gallery","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[948],"tags":[964,1211,1215,1001,1006,1230,1193],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/tumblr_n5w4gk1NKG1rr5swxo8_1280.jpg?fit=1280%2C987&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1586,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/07\/17\/wilma-scott-heide\/","url_meta":{"origin":640,"position":0},"title":"Wilma Scott Heide","date":"July 17, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"In 1967, she organized the first National Organization for Women (NOW) chapter in Pittsburgh and served as national NOW president from 1971 to 1974.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/07\/tumblr_mq1un0Dwkg1rr5swxo4_1280.jpg?fit=860%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2404,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2012\/10\/18\/president-gerald-ford-meets-tony-dorsett-and-johnny-majors\/","url_meta":{"origin":640,"position":1},"title":"President Gerald Ford meets Tony Dorsett and Johnny Majors","date":"October 18, 2012","format":"gallery","excerpt":"On his visit to Pittsburgh, President Ford campaigned for re-election, having completed the unfinished term of Richard Nixon, who resigned the presidency in 1974.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/tumblr_mc27e0FsyV1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=904%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1832,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/05\/01\/pittsburghs-liberty-avenue\/","url_meta":{"origin":640,"position":2},"title":"Pittsburgh\u2019s Liberty Avenue","date":"May 1, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"In Amsterdam, it\u2019s called De Wallen. In London, it used to be King\u2019s Cross. 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