LGBTQ+

Northwest Territory adopts first written and civil laws, which includes the criminalization of sexual activity between men

Indiana as part of the Northwest Territory adopts its first laws, receiving the common law of England which includes a “buggery” statute that punishes male-to-male sexual acts with death.

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Indiana Territory enacts separate criminal code that reduces sodomy penalties

The new code includes a sodomy provision which eliminates gender-specific language, reduces the penalty to 1–5 years imprisonment, a fine, lashes, and loss of civil rights.

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New criminal code eliminates sodomy provision, but maintains common-law crimes

Indiana enacts a revised criminal code that repeals the existing sodomy statute but retains the common-law provision. This change reinstates the death penalty for sodomy and once again limites its application to male offenders.

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Indiana removes common-law crimes

Due to the removal of common-law crimes from Indiana law, sodomy is no longer mentioned anywhere in Indiana’s criminal code, effectively legalizing it.

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Sodomy becomes illegal again under Indiana criminal code

Sodomy once again enters the criminal code. It becomes illegal when Indiana passes a statute outlawing anal intercourse, oral sex, and masturbation under the age of 21 for both heterosexual and homosexual persons.

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First documented drag show in Indianapolis

The drag show takes place at the Paradise Gardens Theater on Indiana Avenue and is performed by openly gay Black men.

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Indiana passes a psychopathic offender law, later used to target gay men

Under this law, any person believed to have a mental disorder and who was found guilty of committing sexual offenses would be labelled a “criminal sexual psychopathic person.” Several consenting adult gay men were processed under this law.

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First issue of The Screamer is published

The homemade magazine is the first gay publication in Indianapolis. It provides readers with “News and views of life and activities in the gay Midwest.”

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Indiana General Assembly amends the psychopathic offender law

Sodomy and homosexuality are removed from the list of triggering offenses, if consensual and with an adult person. However, the sodomy law that is separate from the psychopathic offender law remains intact.

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First Gay Pride Week

The Metropolitan Community Church and the Gay Peoples Union host the first Gay Pride Week in Indianapolis. It is a private picnic at Sugar Creek Park where attendees are invited to donate blood, enjoy a disco, and attend workshops.

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Indiana decriminalization of same-sex activity goes into effect

Indiana legislature passes a criminal code revision in 1976 that repeals the consensual sodomy law, effectively decriminalizing same-sex activity. After it went into effect in 1977, two attempts were unsuccessfully made to reinstate the prohibition.

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Anita Bryant holds “Rally for Decency” at the Indiana Fair Grounds

Evangelical pop singer and Florida orange juice spokesperson Anita Bryant visits Indianapolis for the “Rally for Decency,” a national conservative Christian-centered campaign to deny equal legal protection for gay Americans.

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The first in a string of murders of local gay men occurs

Michael Petree is the first reported victim of a suspected serial killer targeting gay men. While earlier murders may have occurred, the cases either went unreported or the victims were not publicly identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community.

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The Works is first published

Stan Berg begins publishing the periodical to provide gay-oriented news and entertainment in hopes of uniting the Indianapolis gay community.

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First bus tour of the Indy Bag Ladies

The Indy Bag Ladies bus tour is an annual event that features men dressed in drag who make stops at local gay bars. By the next tour, in 1982, the Bag Ladies begin using the event to fundraise for the fight against the disease that would become known as AIDS.

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Formation of Justice Inc.

The organization focuses on improving the political and social rights of gay and lesbian people across Indiana by addressing public attitudes towards gay and lesbian communities and advocating for anti-discrimination legislation.

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Greater Indianapolis Gay Business Association hosts its first annual Labor Day Picnic

Held at Westlake Park, the picnic draws over 500 attendees, making it one of the largest LGBTQ+ events to be held in Indianapolis by this point.

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Indianapolis Gay/Lesbian Coalition is established

The coalition forms to work with news outlets and government and police officials to improve relationships with and address the misrepresentation of the city’s gay and lesbian community.

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Gay Knights protests on Monument Circle

Starting on Friday, July 20, 1984, hundreds of gay and lesbian Hoosiers began participating in weekly protests against the harassment of gay and lesbian citizens by the Indianapolis Police Department.

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Nurse Safe Sexx debuts

Created by Bag Lady Kenn King, Nurse Safe Sexx appears for the first time at a benefit at Greg’s Our Place for AIDS awareness and fundraising. The character becomes a means to spread awareness about safe-sex practices within the gay community.

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The Mirror Magazine begins publication

The magazine, established ca. 1985, provides gay entertainment and public-affairs news for Indiana, Kentucky, and Southwest Ohio.

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Indiana Youth Group forms

Activist Chris Gonzalez and his partner Jeff Werner begin hosting meetings in their home to provide social support for queer youth. The group is incorporated as the Indianapolis Youth Group in 1989 and moves to the Damien Center.

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Indiana Crossdresser Society (IXE) forms

The group provides social forums and resources to individuals exploring their gender identity.

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North Meadow Circle of Friends becomes allies to the LGBTQ community

In a letter to the Friends for Lesbian and Gay Concerns, the North Meadow Circle of Friends “affirm the equal opportunity of marriage for all individuals, including members of the same sex.” The organization also offers their meeting house as a place in which to mobilize and plan protests.

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Damien Center opens

Christ Church Cathedral and SS Peter and Paul Catholic Cathedral work together to create the Damien Center, which offers support services to those dealing with HIV and AIDS. 

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The gay and lesbian community takes action against robberies targeting gay bars

The gay and lesbian community calls on the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department to collaborate with them in addressing a series of robberies targeting gay bars. In response, detectives commit to increasing the presence of plainclothes officers at the bars to help prevent further incidents.

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Justice Inc. organizes its first LGBTQ+ event in a public space

The Indianapolis Sports Center hosts the 1988 Justice Inc. Pride celebration (earlier Justice Inc. events had been held in private spaces for the safety and anonymity of its attendees). This event features a yard sale, church services, and a roller skating party.

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Crossroads Performing Arts establishes Indianapolis Men’s Chorus

The chorus gives Central Indiana audiences high-caliber concerts while representing the LGBTQ community.

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LifeJourney Church becomes the city’s first predominantly LGBTQ+ congregation

First known as Jesus Metropolitan Community Church, LifeJourney becomes a leading advocate for legal equality and religious rights within the Indianapolis LGBTQ+ Community.

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First Circle City Pride Festival kicks off

The Pride Festival takes place at Monument Circle. With 3000 attendees at the festival, it becomes the largest event centered on supporting and celebrating the LGBT community.

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Federal Government enacts the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act

The federally funded program addresses the health needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS by funding health care and support services. It is named after Ryan White, an Indiana teenager who contracted AIDS in 1984 and became an activist after struggling against AIDS-related discrimination.

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Crossroads Performing Arts founds Indianapolis Women’s Chorus

The chorus seeks to present the LGBTQ community in a positive light, promote a spirit of pride, and build bridges of understanding.

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Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives opens

Named for Indianapolis activist Chris Gonzalez, who founded Indiana Youth Group, a nonprofit organization that serves LGBTQ+ youth, the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives features thousands of items representing gay life in Indiana.

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Indy Pride Inc. forms

The new organization is established to manage future Indy Pride Festivals.

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Diversity Center opens

The center offers programs geared towards the LGBTQ+ community and provides meeting spaces and a kitchen facility for area organizations. The center also publishes a newsletter.

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Indiana AIDS Memorial is dedicated

The memorial is the first permanent AIDS memorial installation in the Midwest. Upon its dedication, it becomes the fourth monument in the country memorializing HIV/AIDS victims, following installations in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Key West.

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Indy Rainbow Chamber of Commerce forms

A group of LGBTQ+ business professionals establishes the Indy Rainbow Chamber of Commerce to support and advocate for LGBTQ+ businesses and professionals in Indianapolis.

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First Indy Pride Parade

The parade, first known as the Cadillac Barbie Pride Parade and later renamed the Indy Pride Parade, begins at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and College Avenue and finishes at the Festival location in University Park.

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Executive order provides protection from discrimination for city employees

Mayor Bart Peterson issues an executive order to protect city employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation.

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Pride of Indy Bands forms

The group is Indiana’s first LGBTQ+ instrumental ensemble and serves as a musical and educational resource to Central Indiana.

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Indiana Court of Appeals rules that unmarried couples may adopt

The Indiana Court of Appeals rules that the state’s adoption statutes do not prevent unmarried couples, including both opposite- and same-sex couples, from jointly petitioning to adopt.

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Zach Adamson becomes first openly gay member of the Indianapolis City-County Council

Adamson, a business owner, is elected to serve as an Indianapolis city councilor. His election starts a 12-year run on the council.

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Domestic partnership is recognized for city and county employees

Mayor Greg Ballard signs an ordinance into law which establishes domestic partnerships, extending benefits for all married and unmarried individuals employed by Indianapolis and Marion County.

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Indiana Historical Society begins the Indiana LGBTQ Collecting Initiative

The institution begins an initiative to collect and preserve historic materials related to Indiana’s LGBTQ+ community. The resulting collection becomes one of the largest collections of Indiana LGBTQ+-related materials.

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Indiana Landmarks launches survey of LGBTQ+ heritage sites

The project documents spaces around Indianapolis and Central Indiana that have importance for LGBTQ+ history. As a result, over 400 sites are identified as historically significant, 60 of which meet the criteria for National Register for Historic Places nomination.

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GenderNexus is established

The organization is created in response to the discriminatory policies and disparate treatment that often ffect transgender people. It provides care coordination, counseling, education, and advocacy for trans individuals and their families.

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US Supreme Court decision upholds Indiana equal marriage rights

The US Supreme Court declines to review cases in five states that had limited marriage to opposite-sex couples. The result upholds lower court decisions that granted equal marriage rights to the Indiana LGBTQ community.

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Indianapolis business and political leaders oppose state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)

The “religious freedom” bill prohibits the government from impeding a person’s ability to exercise their religion. Pence signs the bill into law despite intense opposition from the city’s business and political leaders over concerns that the bill allows discrimination against the LGBTQ community.

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New language added to Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)

Senate Enrolled Act (SEA) 50 provides new language clarifying that RFRA does not allow for discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, in addition to other protected categories.

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The Transgender Education and Advocacy Program (TEAP) begins

The ACLU of Indiana initiates the program to promote transgender education and activism by providing local activists and advocates leadership development and support.

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District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruling allows same-sex couples to list both names on their children’s birth certificate

The ruling comes after eight lesbian couples from Indiana brings a case (Henderson v. Adams) before the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to allow them, as same-sex couples, to list both parents’ names on the birth certificates of their children who were conceived through artificial insemination.

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Federal court decision prohibits workplace discrimination on account of sexual orientation

The ruling is the result of the 2013 Hively v. Ivy Tech Community College case, in which a lawsuit is filed against the Indiana-based college for discrimination against an employee due to her sexual orientation. The United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit rules on the case in 2017, determining that sexual orientation is protected under the “sex” segment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Indianapolis Public Library integrates the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives into its collection

The Library and Indy Pride, Inc. partner to integrate the over 7,000-piece collection specific to the LGBTQ+ community into Central Library and to create a permanent LGBTQ+ exhibit.

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Blair St. Clair becomes first Indiana contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race

St. Clair, an Indianapolis drag performer, competes in the 10th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. She finishes in 9th place.

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Catholic Archdiocese suspends Roncalli High counselor for same-sex marriage

Shelly Fitzgerald’s suspension from her job as a counselor at Roncalli becomes the first of three highly publicized cases involving the issue of gay marriage and religious liberty among employees of the city’s Catholic schools.  In July 2022, the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the suspension declaring that “religious groups have a constitutional right to hire individuals who believe in their faith ideals and are committed to their religious mission.” 

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Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles briefly offers a “gender X” option

Non-binary individuals with amended birth certificates briefly gain the option to mark “X” on their IDs. The Indiana BMV reverses the policy within a year, following the Attorney General’s opinion that only the General Assembly can authorize the addition of non-binary designations on official documents.

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Indiana SB 198, addressing hate crime, is signed into law

The law results in harsher sentences for crimes committed based on the victim’s specific traits, including sexual orientation. However, the new law draws criticism for not including age, sex, or gender identity as protected traits.

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Catholic Archdiocese cuts ties with Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis fires a gay Cathedral High School teacher and ends its relationship with Brebeuf Jesuit when the institution refuses to terminate the employment of the Cathedral teacher’s spouse.

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LGBTQ+ historical marker installed

The marker is installed on Monument Circle and tells the history of Indiana Pride.

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Trinity Haven becomes Indiana’s first residential facility and host-home program for Indiana’s LGBTQ+ youth

After several years in the works, Trinity Haven begins its Transitional Living Program, which provides 2-year lodging to LGBTQ+ young adults who are experiencing housing instability. Its Host-Homes Program begins in June and offers a 6-month stay in the home of trained and vetted hosts.

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Indiana HB 1041, banning transgender girls from school sports teams, becomes law

Governor Holcomb initially vetoes the bill, which bans transgender girls in K–12 schools from playing on girls’ sports teams. His veto is overridden by the General Assembly, and the bill is passed into law.

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Indianapolis LGBTQ+ community faces “Slate of Hate”

Indiana lawmakers introduce over 20 bills negatively targeting LGBTQ+ rights, prompting activists to dub the effort the “Slate of Hate.” The legislation draws widespread criticism from advocacy groups and residents across the state.

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Indiana SB 480, banning gender-affirming care, is signed into law

The law bans gender-affirming healthcare for minors. Due to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU, a federal judge temporarily blocks the law pending the outcome of the lawsuit. The law is later upheld, and on February 27, 2024, the healthcare ban takes effect.

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Indiana HB 1569, banning gender-affirming care for incarcerated persons, is signed into law

This law bans gender-affirming healthcare, specifically sex reassignment surgery, for people housed in the Department of Correction.

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Indiana SB 350, allowing for conversion therapy, is signed into law

This new law prohibits local governments from banning the use of conversion therapy, a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

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Indiana HB 1608, banning sex education in lower grades, is signed into law

The law prohibits schools from instructing on sexuality for grades K–3 and also requires schools to inform parents if a minor student requests a change in name or pronouns.

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