1930
Cairine Reay Wilson is the first woman appointed to the Senate by the government of William Lyon Mackenzie King.
1931
The National Council of Women of Australia is founded thirty-six years after the establishment of its first constituent council in New South Wales. It aims to eradicate discrimination against women and promote equality between men and women.
1932
Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw becomes the medical director of Canada's first birth control clinic located in Hamilton, Ontario.
1938
The Fair Labour Standards Act introduces a minimum wage regardless of sex.
1938
The Married Women's Association is founded by Edith Summerskill and Juanita Francis. It will campaign for: equal guardianship for parents, equality between husband and wife and the extension of the National Insurance Act to women.
1940
Québec becomes the last Canadian province to grant women the right to vote.
1941
The National Service Act introduces military conscription for all unmarried women between the ages of 20 and 30.
1942
George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company & Conversation, 100 Don'ts (1942)
1942
Planned Parenthood Federation of America is established after the American Birth Control League changes its name. It becomes one of the biggest organisations which advocates for better reproductive health care.
1945
Nancy Astor, first female MP to be elected to British Parliament, stands down from her position.
1945
The Women's International Democratic Federation is founded in Paris and Eugenie Cotton becomes its first president. It is dedicated, among other causes, to improving the status of women.
1946
Harold Gillies and Ralph Millard perform the first female-to-male confirmation and sex reassignment surgery on Michael Dillon.
1946
The Commission on the Status of Women is established by the United Nations. Its aim is to deal with the rights of women across all sectors of society in countries all over the globe.
1946
The Congress of American Women is founded in New York on the 8 March through the organisation of Elinor S. Gimbel. After being registered as a "subversive" organisation in 1948 it dissolves two years later.
1948
The Federal Elections Act is changed so people of different races cannot be excluded from voting in federal elections.
1948
Women become full members of the University of Cambridge, over 60 years after women were allowed to sit examinations at the university.
1948
Agnes Headlam-Morley becomes the first women to be appointed to a full professorship when she becomes Montague Burton Professor of International Relations.
1949
The British House of Lords votes on the 27 July 1949 regarding its composition. It is the first time the House decides that it is in favour of women being admitted.
1949
The Australian territory of Victoria will no longer punish the act of anal-sex with capital punishment. The punishment for such relations will be 20 years imprisonment.
1950
The Mattachine Society is founded in Los Angeles and becomes one of the first gay rights groups in the United States.
1952
Under the Labouchere Act, Alan Turing is prosecuted for engaging in homosexual relations and accepts the punishment of chemical castration. He will die two years later.
1952
On the 8 March the National Assembly of Women is formed after 1,500 women from all over Great Britain attend a meeting.
1952
After disagreements within the Married Women's Association, a number of members decide to leave and form the Council of Married Women. The organisation campaigns for equality in marriage and separation.
1953
President Eisenhower signs an executive order on the 27 April which bans homosexuals from working for the federal government.
1954
Elsie Nott, a member of the Objibwa tribe, is the first indigenous woman in Canada to be elected chief.
1956
The Sexual Offences Act qualifies rape under specific criteria, which include sex with a minor and sex without consent.
1956
The federal government passes the Female Employees Equal Pay Act which states that women are to be paid the same wage as men for similar work. Discrimination based on the sex of an employee now becomes illegal.
1957
Ellen Fairclough becomes the first woman in Canada to be appointed to the federal cabinet when Prime Minister John Diefenbaker names her Secretary of State.
1957
A committee created by the Home Secretary David Maxwell-Fyfe and led by Sir John Wolfenden, publishes a report which concludes that homosexual relations between men over the age of 21 should not be a criminalised.
1958
The Life Peerages Act allows women to sit in the House of Lords for the first time. Baroness Swanborough, Baroness Barbara Wooton and Lady Reading take their seats.
1958
The Homosexual Law Reform Society is founded on the 12 May to campaign for the decriminalisation of homosexual relations.
1960
The government of John Diefenbaker passes legislation which grants First Nations people the right to vote in federal elections.
1960
In December of this year birth control pills are available to purchase for the first time in Canada.
1961
Health Minister Enoch Powell announces in Parliament that women will be able to receive oral contraception through the National Health Service.
1961
Illinois becomes the first state in the US to decriminalise homosexuality when it repeals its sodomy laws.
1962
Indigenous women of Australia are granted universal suffrage. They were excluded from the 1902 act which allowed Australian women over 21 the right to vote.
1962
The Ontario Human Rights Code takes effect on the 15 June. It prohibits discrimination based on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ancestry or place of origin.
1963
The Equal Pay Act is passed by the United States Congress and makes it a requirement for men and women who work in jobs that demand the same skills to be paid the same wage by their employers.
1963
The prominent feminist Betty Friedan publishes her book The Feminist Mystique. Her book re-evaluates what it means to be a woman in the twentieth-century and is often credited with being the catalyst for starting second-wave feminism.
1964
Single women ratepayers in the United Kingdom gain the right to vote in local elections.
1964
Québec's National Assembly passes Bill 16 which gives married women the same legal rights as their husband.
1965
Barbara Castle is appointed the Minister of Transport, becoming the first woman to hold the title of a Minister of State.
1965
David Secter's film Winter Kept Us Warm, which is based on his own experiences of falling in love with a man, becomes the first ever English-language Canadian film to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.
1965
George Klippert is the last person in Canada to be charged and imprisoned for his homosexuality after admitting to consensual homosexual relations with other men. He is released on the 21 July 1971, two years after homosexuality is decriminalised in Canada.
1967
The Abortion Act is passed in Britain and makes it legal for women to undergo an abortion if they are under 28 weeks pregnant. It comes into effect in April 1968 and does not apply to Northern Ireland.
1967
The General Assembly of the United Nations issues the Declaration of the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. The proclamation includes eleven articles which outline the organisation's views on women's rights.
1967
The Family Planning Act is passed in the United Kingdom, making contraception available for women through the National Health Service.
1967
Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson establishes the Royal Commission on the Status of Women on the 16 February. Its aim is to examine the status of women in Canadian society and make recommendations on how to improve the opportunities of women in the country.
1967
The Sexual Offences Act decriminalises private homosexual relations between men who are over the age of 21 in England and Wales.
1968
Women workers at the Ford car Factory in Dagenham, London strike over not being granted equal pay. It inspires another strike by the female machinists of the Halewood Body and Assembly plant and is a main cause for the passing of the Equal Pay Act in 1970.
1968
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Executive Order 11246 which prohibits all government contractors from discriminating against potential employees based on sex, race, or religion.
1969
Members of the New York LGBT community undergo a series of riots and protests in reaction to a police raid on the popular Stonewall Inn. This event is a watershed in American LGBT history and is a catalyst for the creation of the modern LGBT movement around the world.
1969
California becomes the first state to allow divorce by the consent of both husband and wife.
1969
Pierre Trudeau's recommended amendments to the Criminal Code are passed and homosexuality is decriminalised in Canada.
1970
The Gay Liberation Front has its first meeting in the United Kingdom at the London School of Economics on the 13 October.
1970
A 488 page report is released by the Royal Commission with recommendations designed to create equal opportunities for women in Canadian society. Recommendations include: establishment of a maternity leave program, greater representation of women in federal government and better birth control and abortion rights.
1970
The Equal Pay Act is passed in Britain and makes it illegal for employers to pay women a lower wage than men for doing the same job.
1971
A court in the United Kingdom reaches a decision in February that a person cannot change the sex that they were assigned to at birth.
1971
The Coalition of American Divorce Reform Elements is founded by Richard Doyle. It is one of the first men's rights organisations in the United States.
1971
Neville Bonner becomes the first Australian indigenous member of the Commonwealth Parliament after being appointed to the Senate.
1971
The first Women's Liberation March takes place in London on the 6 March 1971. Over 4,000 women attend.
1972
Over 2,000 men and women attend the first gay pride parade held in London on the 1 July.
1972
Gay News is founded in June and becomes the first British gay newspaper. It is the result of a collaboration between ex-members of the Gay Liberation Front and the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.
1973
The United States Supreme Court decides that the US Constitution protects the rights of women to terminate an early pregnancy. This makes abortion legal throughout the United States.
1973
The National LGBTQ Task Force is founded under its inaugural title of National Gay Task Force. It supports the LGBTQ community and helps with activism and events that promote and help safeguard the rights of LGBTQ people.
1973
Balliol is the first all-male college at Oxford University to elect a woman as a tutor and Fellow of the college.
1973
The United States Congress approves a resolution which states that Women's Equality Day will be celebrated on the 26 August of each year in commemoration of the adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment.
1973
The Men's Rights Association is founded after it splits out of the Coalition of American Divorce Reform Elements.
1973
Thirteen Aboriginal women's groups come together to found the NWAC. The NWAC seeks to gain equal opportunities and rights for Aboriginal women.
1973
Maryland becomes the first US state to legally ban same-sex marriage on the 1 January.
1973
The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list as a mental disorder on the 15 December.
1973
In April 1973 Rosella Bjornson becomes the first female pilot of a commercial airline in North America.
1974
Founded under the title of London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, the helpline is the first of its kind for the LGBT community in the United Kingdom.
1974
The Calgary Status of Women Action Committee is established to help coordinate between different groups of the women's movement.
1974
Maureen Colquhoun comes out as gay and becomes the first openly lesbian Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom. Colquhoun is subsequently deselected by the Labour Party in 1977 due to her feminism and sexuality.
1974
The United States Supreme Court decides that it is illegal to force pregnant women to take maternity leave on the false assumption that they will not be able to carry out their duties to an acceptable standard.
1974
Brasenose, Jesus College, Wadham, Hertford and St Catherine's become the first all-male colleges at Oxford University to admit women.
1974
The United Nations adopts the Declaration on the Protection of Women and Children in Emergency and Armed Conflict. The declaration is based upon the notion that women and children are usually the victims of warfare and unrest and advocates for the provision of care for women and children during these situations.
1974
On the 5 January four women, Pat Murphy, Adrienne Potts, Sue Wells and Heather Beyer are arrested at the Brunswick Tavern in Toronto for singing a song called "I Enjoy Being a Dyke." They are taken out of the tavern, harassed by police and three are arrested. This event is seen as a watersheet in LGBTQ activism in Canada because it made the community more aware of police harassment and discrimination.
1974
Kathy Kozachenko becomes the first openly gay or lesbian candidate to be elected to political office when she wins a seat on the Ann Arbor City Council.
1975
The United Nations names the year 1975 to be International Women's Year.
1975
The United States Supreme Court reaches a decision that women can no longer be excluded from jury service.
1975
The first Men and Masculinity Conference is held in Tennessee, Knoxville. This is one of the first gatherings of profeminist men in the United States.
1975
The National Abortion Campaign is founded. It helps aid the fight against proposed Amendments to the 1967 Abortion Act, which made abortion legal.
1975
The first World Conference on Women is held in Mexico City. It is the first United Nations conference to solely discuss women's rights and issues pertaining to women across the globe.
1975
The Sex Discrimination Act makes it illegal to discriminate based on the gender of another person in education, training and work. Women are now allowed to open a bank account in their own name and have a mortgage.
1975
Gerald Ford establishes the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year on the 9 January. The commission is designed to work in conjunction with International Women's Year.
1975
The Employment Protection Act introduces provisions for maternity leave and makes it illegal for employers to sack a woman if she becomes pregnant.
1976
The Domestic Violence and Matrimonial Proceedings Act is passed in Britain with the aim of giving women and children more protection from domestic violence. Women can now be granted civil protection orders against abusers.
1977
Quebec becomes the first Canadian province to prohibit discrimination against homoseuxals and heterosexuals when it includes sexual orientation in its Human Rights Act.
1977
The National Coalition of Free Men is founded by Richard Haddad, Dennis Gilbert, Allan Scheib and Allen Foreman in Maryland, United States. The organisation is designed to operate alongside organisations dedicated to raising a greater consciousness among women.
1977
As a result of the establishment of the National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year, the first National Woman's Conference takes place in Houston, Texas. Around 2,000 delegates attend and produce a National Plan of Action which demand for heavier revisions and policies to improve the life of women in the United States.
1977
The General Assembly of the United Nations invited member states to celebrate International Women's Day on the 8 March of every year. The day is designed to help bring greater awareness to women's rights.
1978
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act prohibits employers from discriminating against women who are pregnant.
1978
At the age of 24, Judy Cameron becomes the first woman to be a pilot for Air Canada.
1978
The Omnibus Bill is passed, making it illegal for pregnancy to be a basis for dismall in a job.
1978
A new Immigration Act is passed in Canada which lifts a ban prohibiting homosexual men from immigrating into Canada.
1978
Gilbert Baker designs the rainbow flag in San Francisco. It has now become the symbol for LGBT movements and gay pride around the world.
1979
The General Assembly of the United Nations signs the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The Convention has been ratified by 189 countries and is designed to protect the rights of women.
1979
Margaret Thatcher becomes the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She is the leader of the Conservative Party and stays in power until 1990.
1979
Robert Douglas Cook becomes the first openly gay candidate in Canada after he runs for West Vancouver-Howe Sound seat in the British Columbia provincial election.
1979
In its Annual report the Canadian Human Rights Commission recommends that 'sexual orientation' be added to the Canadian Human Rights Act.
1979
On the 10 June at the University of Toronto, the Feminist Party of Canada is established. It becomes one of the first organisations that is run by women which campaigns for feminist politics.
1980
The National Women's History Project is founded by Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett and Bette Morgan in Santa Rosa, California. The organisation is established to bring greater awareness of women's contribution to history.
1980
Scotland decides to follow the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 and decriminalises homosexual acts between two consenting men over the age of 21.
1980
Jeanne Sauvé becomes the first female to be Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada.
1980
Following on from the recommendation of the Human Rights Commission, a bill which would have inserted 'sexual orientation' into the Human Rights Act fails to pass the the House of Commons on 2 May.
1981
The Supreme Court of the United States reaches a decision that it is constitutional for only men to have to register for military conscription.
1981
The first Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encuentro is held in Bogota to discuss feminism and the trajectory that the participants wish it to take.
1981
Baroness Young becomes the first female leader of the House of Lords and stays in the position until 1983.
1981
On the 5 February, police raid four gay baths in Toronto and arrest over 300 men. The next evening, over 3,000 people march on the streets of Toronto to protest the arrests.
1982
The National Organisation for Changing Men is established as a product of the National Conference on Men and Masculinity. The organisation campaigned for gay and women's rights and sought to bring a greater awareness to male mental health and men's emotional lives.
1982
The Terrence Higgins Trust is launched to campaign for greater awareness regarding HIV and sexual health. It is named after Terry Higgins; one of the first people in the United Kingdom to die from AIDS.
1982
Northern Ireland decides to follow the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 and decriminalises homosexual acts between two consenting men over the age of 21.
1982
Bertha Wilson becomes the first woman to be appointed as Puisne Justice of the Canadian Supreme Court.
1982
Wisconsin becomes the first US state to make discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal.
1982
The Court of Appeal in Britain reaches the decision that bars and pubs can no longer refuse to serve women as this is a form of discrimination based on sex.
1982
Lou Maletta launches Gay Cable Network from New York City. It is the first television channel in the world to focus on LGBT audiences.
1983
Dame Mary Donaldson is elected as the Lord Mayor of London and becomes the first woman to hold the position.
1983
One in Five is broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom. It becomes the first lesbian and gay TV show to be shown on national television.
1983
The Australian Northern Territory passes a law which decriminalises homosexual acts between men. The age of consent for homosexual relations is set at 18 years of age.
1984
Chris Smith becomes the first openly gay male to sit in the Houses of Parliament for the Islington South and Finsbury constituency.
1984
The Australian state New South Wales decriminalises homosexuality. The age of consent for homosexual relations is set at 18 years old.
1984
The Mankind Project is founded in Wisconsin, United States. The Project is a network of organisations who are dedicated to greater self-awareness and growth for men.
1984
The Terrence Higgins Trust holds the first European AIDS conference.
1984
Jeanne Sauve becomes the first female to be governor general in Canada after her appointment by Elizabeth II.
1985
Kenneth Zeller is the victim of a homophobic hate crime and is murdered by five young men in Toronto's High Park. His death garners national media coverage and prompts the Toronto District School Board to implement one of Canada's first programs to tackle homophobia and violence.
1985
The Equal Pay (Amendment) Act allows women to be paid the same as men for the same work in the United Kingdom.
1986
The United States Supreme Court decides that sexual harassment in the workplace is discrimination based on the sex of an employee and is in direct violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
1986
Unlawful discrimination based on sexual orientation is added to the Ontario Human Rights Code.
1986
The Sex Discrimination (Amendment) Act allows women to retire at the same age as men in the United Kingdom.
1987
ACT UP is established in March of the year in New York City. The organisation will become one of the leading groups in HIV and AIDS activism through its dedicated campaigning.
1987
The Canadian Supreme Court decides that any form of sexual harassment is classed as discrimination based on sex, and employers will be held responsible for allowing it to happen.
1987
Sheila Hellstrom becomes the first women to gain the rank of Brigadier-General in the Canadian Armed Forces.
1987
The United States Congress passes a resolution which designates the month of March to be Women's History Month. The President of the United States issues annual proclamations designation this month as Women's History Month from 1988.
1987
Princess Diana opens the first specialist AIDS hospital ward in Middlesex Hospital. During this visit Diana shatters the incorrect belief that AIDS can be transmitted by touch by shaking the hand of an AIDS patient.
1987
On the 3 February of this year, President Ronald Reagan signs a proclamation declaring the 4 February to be National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The day is intended to celebrate the accomplishments of female athletes and their contribution to sport.
1988
Margaret Thatcher introduces an amendment to the Local Government Act which bans state schools from promoting homosexuality or teaching that it is a "normal family relationship."
1988
Svend Robinson publicly declares that he is gay and becomes the first member of the Canadian Parliament to do so.
1988
Denmark becomes the first country in the world to give legal recognition to same-sex partnerships.
1988
Ethel Blondin-Andrew is elected to the Parliament of Canada as a representative for the Western Arctic in the Northwest Territories and becomes the first indigenous women to sit in the Canadian Parliament.
1989
On the 6 December, Marc Lépine shoots and kills 14 women at the École Polytechnique in Montreal whilst shouting his opposition to feminists and feminism. It becomes the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.
1989
The Canadian Human Rights Commission rules that same-sex couples with children should be considered a family.
1989
After a ruling by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, which states that the Canadian Forces will open all occupations to women, Heather Erxleben becomes the first female Regular Force infantry soldier.
1989
The Supreme Court of Canada reaches a decision that sexual harassment is categorised as a form of sex discrimination.
1990
The National Organization for Changing Men changes its name to the National Organization for Men Against Sexism and adopts anti-racism as one of its key tenets two years later.
1990
Independent taxation is introduced in the United Kingdom. Married women are now taxed separately from their husband after two hundred years of their income being part of the husband's earnings.
1990
Chris Lea wins the leadership contest for the Green Party of Canada. This makes him the first openly gay leader of a political party in Canadian history.
1990
Rosella Bjornson becomes the first Canadian women to be appointed to the rank of captain whilst flying for Canadian Airlines.
1990
Iron John: A Book About Men by Robert Bly is published. It will become synonymous with the mythopoetic men's movement.