Archive of Delaware's LGBT History

Archive of Delaware's

LGBT History

This page features some of the documents used in prior years in the march toward equality.

Whereas previous legislation had dealt with "sodomy" penalties and the banning of gay marriage, the May 14, 1996 Domestic Partnerships Act (House Bill 578) was the first bill in Delaware history to positively seek same-gender civil rights. It would have created same-gender domestic partnerships, the only specified rights of which were visitation privileges in health care facilities and prisons. With only one sponsor, the bill was stricken.
A Delaware Department of Labor letter demonstrating strong need for sexual orientation antidiscrimination legislation, Feb. 8, 1999: click here.
A listing of public interest groups which supported sexual orientation antidiscrimination House Bill 99, 2001-2004: click here.
The Original Spiritual Leaders' Statement affirming lesbian/gay/bisexual civil rights, 2001-2009: click here.
A Hickman-Brown Public Opinion Research poll finding strong support in Delaware for sexual orientation antidiscrimination legislation, May 9, 2002: click here.
Wilmington Mayor James Baker's endorsement of sexual orientation antidiscrimination House Bill 99, May 15, 2003: click here.
The Governmental Leaders' Statement affirming sexual orientation equality, 2004-2009: click here.
Then-Treasurer Jack Markell's op ed affirming sexual orientation equality, May 23, 2004: click here.
Then-Treasurer Jack Markell created this online petition supporting sexual orientation antidiscrimination Senate Bill 141, June 15, 2007: click here.
Then-Treasurer Jack Markell's testimony to the Senate Insurance and Elections Committee on behalf of sexual orientation antidiscrimination Senate Bill 141, June 20, 2007: click here.
Then-Treasurer Jack Markell's March 8, 2008 letter to the editor of the Delaware State News in support of Senate Bill 141 and Senate Bill 10, a state employee domestic partnership benefits bill.
The Episcopal Diocese of Delaware passed a resolution in support of Delaware's sexual orientation antidiscrimination House Bill 5, March 27-28, 2009: click here.
High school senior Timothy McBride created this online petition supporting sexual orientation antidiscrimination House Bill 5, March 31, 2009: click here.

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The June 24, 2009 Delaware Senate debate about sexual orientation antidiscrimination Senate Bill 121 included more than three hours of extremely inane and insulting testimony by our opposition. After all of Sen. Venables' anti-gay amendments were voted down, the bill passed in the Senate and was sent to the House. Meanwhile, Attorney Deborah Gottschalk, a spectator, decided reluctantly that her 8-year-old son was so tired he should be taken home before the House reconvened. She said, "We were stopped at the Burger King on Rt. 13 at 8:10PM when my son saw this rainbow [below, click on the photos to enlarge]. We watched it arc across the road and pointing to Legislative Hall as the House was voting down amendments and passing the bill." Another person stepped out of Legislative Hall, saw the rainbow overhead and also took a photo. Though cloudy, there had been and would be no rain that day. As someone later noted, "It seems the Lord chose a prominent gay symbol to indicate that those who were using the Bible to bash gay people all afternoon were not speaking for Him. It's easy to manipulate the Bible but not so easy to manipulate a rainbow."