jan 1, 1996 - 1996 - Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act. This act specifically defined marriage as between one man and one woman, and allowed states to not recognize marriages that fell outside that act that had been performed in places where those marriages were legal. It would stand for some time, but eventually be overturned in a wave of pro-gay marriage court decisions.
Added to timeline:
Date:
jan 1, 1996
Now
~ 29 years ago