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This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 1998.

• 10 – Voters in the US state ofMaine reject a lawenacted in 1997 banning sexual orientation discrimination in the private sector with 51.5 percent against.^[1]

• 21 – The House of Representatives ofCyprus repealsSection 171 of the Criminal Code, which used to criminalize homosexual acts between consenting male adults.^[2]
• 28 -U.S. PresidentBill Clinton signsExecutive Order 13087 to prohibitdiscrimination based onsexual orientation in thecompetitive service of thefederal civilian workforce.^[3]

• 23 – TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit inAbel v. United States of America rules that the government's proffered reasons for passing "don't ask, don't tell" passrational basis review, reversing the District Court.^[4]

• 6 –Matthew Shepard is beaten and pistol-whipped and tied to a fence and left to die in agay bashing incident nearLaramie, Wyoming.^[5][6]
• 9 - TheConstitutional Court of South Africa strikes down the country's sodomy law inNational Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Equality and Another v Minister of Justice and Others; the decision applies with retroactivity to April 27, 1994, the day on which theInterim Constitution came into force.^[7]
• 12 – Matthew Shepard dies from his injuries.^[5][6][8]
• 13 – TheUnited States Supreme Court refuses an appeal inEquality Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, et al. v. The City of Cincinnati, in which theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit had twice found the city's anti-gay Issue 3 constitutional despite the Supreme Court's ruling inRomer v. Evans that struck down a state constitutional amendment that used substantially the same language.^[9]
• 28 – In Canada,Glen Murray is elected as mayor ofWinnipeg, Manitoba. He is the first openly gay man to be elected mayor of a major North American city.^[10]

• 3
  • Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is elected to theUnited States House of Representatives. She is the first open lesbian and the first non-incumbent gay candidate to be elected to federal office.^[11]
  • Voters in Hawaii approveAmendment 2, giving theHawaii State Legislature the power to restrict marriage to mixed-sex couples.^[12]
• 20 – In the U.S. state of Texas, John Lawrence and Tyrone Garner are fined US$125 each after being arrested for having sex in their home. They refuse to pay the fine, resulting in a challenge of the Texas sodomy law which would eventually lead to the 2003 nationwide repeal of sodomy laws inLawrence v. Texas.^[13]
• 23 – TheSupreme Court of the U.S. state ofGeorgia rules 6 to 1 to invalidate that state's sodomy law.^[14]
• 28 – In Allston, Massachusetts, transgender woman of colorRita Hester is murdered. The ensuing candlelight vigil a few days later was attended by 250 people and inspired theTransgender Day of Remembrance, observed each Nov 20 worldwide.^[15]

• 1 – Officials inMiami, Florida, vote 7–6 to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment and housing.^[16]
• 18 – TheMaryland Court of Appeals rules that a parent's access to his or her children cannot be restricted due to his or her sexual orientation.^[17]
• 22 – In New Zealand, Minister of ImmigrationTuariki Delamere announces equality for gay and lesbian couples applying forpermanent residency, to take effect on March 29, 1999.

• October 12 –Matthew Shepard, 21, gay-bashing victim^[5][6][8]
• November 28 – Rita Hester, transgender murder victim^[15]
• November 30 –Simon Nkoli, South African gay-rights and anti-apartheid activist. He was one of the "first Black anti-apartheid activists to publicly identify as gay and HIV-positive".^[18]

• Timeline of LGBT history – timeline of events from 12,000 BCE to present
• LGBT rights by country or territory – current legal status around the world
• LGBT social movements

• Mayhead, Molly A. and Brenda DeVore Marshall (2005).Women's Political Discourse: A 21st-century Perspective. Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN 0-7425-2909-6.

• LGBTQ rights by year
• 1998 in LGBTQ history

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