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December 2003:   APSA signs contracts with New Orleans hotels for meeting in 2012, including contract language in use since 1990 speaking to the city’s anti-discrimination record.
 
September  2004:  Louisiana approves “Defense of Marriage” Constitutional Amendment saying: “No official or court of the state of Louisiana shall construe this constitution or any state law to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any member of a union other than the union of one man and one woman.”

August 2005:  APSA Council names Annual Meeting Review Committee, chaired by Joan Tronto.  The Committee charge includes a review of siting policy with respect to state policies regarding same-sex marriage at the request of theCommittee on the Status of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and the Transgendered (LGBT).

August 2007:  Committee on the Status of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and the Transgendered petitions Council seeking that APSA shall not hold its national meetings in any state that, in its constitution, allocated marriage rights on the basis of gender or sexual orientation.

August 2007:  Annual Meeting Review Committee reports to Council and recommends no “larger change” in APSA siting policy at this time, and suggests Council itself consider whether to add new elements to siting consideration.  Council notes need for continuing communication with LGBT and wider APSA community on siting and for asking the LGBT committee to fine-tune language in their proposal and provide further clarification of its impact.

October 2007:  A member petition circulates focused on the “incidents of marriage” language in the Louisiana Constitution, calling for a boycott of the New Orleans meeting in 2012.

Fall/Winter 2007: APSA conveys Council discussion to LGBT and Annual Meeting committees and continues discussion of issues raised by Council questions and the member petition, including discussion of a new siting approach (later labeled Proposal 1 for member comment.

April 2008:  The APSA Council meets and discusses several proposals, including proposals from LGBT, Council members, and other committees, in response to siting issues raised by the “incidents of marriage” language in New Orleans.  The Council calls for a period of member feedback.

May 2008:  Member feedback is solicited based on a collection of documents related to the siting discussions.

June 23, 2008:  The APSA Council again meets and adopts new siting policy.