This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 2002.

Events

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

legalizes adoption for same-sex couples, making Sweden's

registered partnership A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

nearly identical to marriage, with the exception of right to marriage in a church. * US state of New York bans sexual orientation discrimination in the private sector. * Tony Knowles, governor of the U.S. state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, issues an executive order banning sexual orientation discrimination in the public sector.

April

* 28 – Homosexuality is decriminalized in the People's Republic of China, as the newly amended Marriage Law avoids this topic.

May

* 6 – Openly gay Dutch politician

Pim Fortuyn Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuijn, known as Pim Fortuyn (; 19 February 1948 – 6 May 2002), was a Dutch politician, author, civil servant, businessman, sociologist and academic who founded the party Pim Fortuyn List (Lijst Pim Fortuyn or LPF) ...

is assassinated by

Volkert van der Graaf Volkert van der Graaf (born 9 July 1969) is a Dutch convicted murderer who assassinated politician Pim Fortuyn, the leader of the Pim Fortuyn List (LPF) party, on 6 May 2002. Van der Graaf shot Fortuyn outside a radio studio in Hilversum shortly ...

. * 10 – In ''

Marc Hall v. Durham Catholic School Board ''Hall v Durham Catholic School Board'' was a 2002 court case in which Marc Hall, a Canadian teenager, fought a successful legal battle against the Durham Catholic District School Board to bring a same-sex date to his high school prom. The case m ...

'', Canadian gay teenager Marc Hall wins an injunction permitting him to bring his boyfriend to his prom. * 17 – In Germany, the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...

passes a supplement to the Act of Abolition of National Socialism (''NS-Aufhebungsgesetzes''), vacating Nazi-era convictions of homosexuals.Entwurf des Änderungsgesetzes zum NS-Aufhebungsgesetz – Bundestagdrucksache 14/8276
(archived)

July

* The United Nations

Human Rights Committee The United Nations Human Rights Committee is a treaty body composed of 18 experts, established by a 1966 human rights treaty, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Committee meets for three four-week sessions per y ...

in case ''Joslin et al. v. New Zealand'' concludes that

ICCPR The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) is a multilateral treaty that commits nations to respect the civil and political rights of individuals, including the right to life, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedo ...

does not foresee a right to same-sex marriage. * 25 – In ''

Satchwell v President of the Republic of South Africa ''Satchwell v President of the Republic of South Africa and Another'' is a 2002 decision of the Constitutional Court of South Africa which determined that the same-sex life partner of a judge was entitled to the same financial benefits available ...

'', the

Constitutional Court of South Africa The Constitutional Court of South Africa is a supreme court, supreme constitutional court established by the Constitution of South Africa, and is the apex court in the South African judicial system, with general jurisdiction. The Court was fi ...

rules that the same-sex partner of a High Court judge is entitled to the same financial benefits that the spouse of a judge would receive.

August

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

's Article 209 of the Penal Code was removed equalising the

age of consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is unable to legally claim ...

at 14.

September

* 4 – In

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

, the Constitutional Court repeals §199 of the penal code, equalising the age of consent for both heterosexual and homosexual activity at 14. * 10 – In ''

Du Toit v Minister of Welfare and Population Development ''Du Toit and Another v Minister for Welfare and Population Development and Others'' is a decision of the Constitutional Court of South Africa which granted same-sex couples the ability to jointly adopt children. LGBT people had already been able ...

'', the

rules that same-sex couples must be allowed to adopt children jointly. * 22 – In

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, voters in the canton of Zurich vote 63% to 37% to give same-sex couples the same legal rights as married opposite-sex couples. This includes tax, inheritance, and social security benefits. These rights are only given to same-sex couples who live in Zurich canton and who register with the government, promising to live together and support each other for six months.

October

* 18 – In South Africa, in the case of '' Fourie v Minister of Home Affairs'', the

Transvaal Provincial Division The Gauteng Division of the High Court of South Africa is a superior court of law which has general jurisdiction over the South African province of Gauteng and the eastern part of North West province. The main seat of the division is at Pretoria, ...

of the High Court dismisses an application by a lesbian couple to require the government to recognise their partnership as a marriage. The decision is appealed to the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Deaths

* October 24 –

Harry Hay Henry "Harry" Hay Jr. (April 7, 1912 – October 24, 2002) was an American gay rights activist, communist, and labor advocate. He was a co-founder of the Mattachine Society, the first sustained gay rights group in the United States, as well as ...

, 90, leader in the early

gay rights movement Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in the ...

in the United States, co-founder of the

Mattachine Society The Mattachine Society (), founded in 1950, was an early national gay rights organization in the United States, perhaps preceded only by Chicago's Society for Human Rights. Communist and labor activist Harry Hay formed the group with a collection ...

and the

Radical Faeries The Radical Faeries are a loosely affiliated worldwide network and countercultural movement seeking to redefine queer consciousness through secular spirituality. Sometimes deemed a form of modern Paganism, the movement also adopts elements from an ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2002 In Lgbt Rights LGBT rights by year