1995 in LGBT rights

Events

A new penal code is introduced in Portugal, which lowers the age of consent for heterosexual acts to 14; however it retains an age of consent of 16 for homosexual acts.
Sweden legalizes registered partnerships, with all of the rights of marriage—except for marriage in a church and adoption.
U.S. state of Rhode Island bans sexual orientation discrimination in the private sector.

March

March 9 — Scott Amedure, a gay man, was shot to death by Jonathan Schmitz, a straight man, after Amedure revealed a secret crush on Schmitz during a taping of the The Jenny Jones Show. Schmitz was later convicted of second-degree murder with a sentence of 30 to 50 years.

May

May 15 — Transgender activists from around the country demonstrate outside the courthouse in Falls City, Nebraska, at the trial for the murder of Brandon Teena, kicking off a national campaign of demonstrations in support of transgender victims
May 25 — In Egan v. Canada the Supreme Court of Canada rules that sexual orientation is a prohibited ground of discrimination under section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a part of the constitution. Section 15 does not explicitly list sexual orientation, but is designed to permit the addition of new grounds by the courts. The ruling will have a wide impact since section 15 applies to all laws, including human rights laws that prohibit discrimination by all employers, landlords, service providers and governments.

October

October 10 — United States Supreme Court hears opening arguments in Romer v. Evans, the case that would eventually overturn Colorado's Amendment 2, which banned gay rights laws in the state.

November

November 7 — Australia's Christian Coalition (later renamed the Australian Christian Lobby) says it will fight gay rights advances in the upcoming elections.
November 15 — The Florida Baptist state convention votes to begin a boycott of the Walt Disney Company after the company extends domestic partner health benefits to employees.

December

December 29 — KOAA-TV in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pulls talks shows by Jenny Jones and Carnie Wilson off the air because they include homosexuals as guests.

Deaths

March 9 — Scott Amedure, 32, talk show murder victim
November 17 — James Woods III, 32, author of The Corporate Closet: The Professional Lives of Gay Men in America
November 20 — Steven Powsner, 40, former president of the New York City Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center