Homophile Activism In The 1960's And 1970
Homophile Activism in the United States in the 1960’s & 70’s:
A Tenuous Time
Kari Twogood
EDAD 577: Managing Diversity
Spring 2014
Central Washington University
There is evidence of same sex relationships all the way back to earliest recorded history. Gay history, the history of same sex relationships, both male and female, can’t be taken out of context with the broader spectrum of history. The homophile movement didn’t happen in a vacuum. It is only one aspect of history that is happening on a global stage. It is important to consider the wider influence of activism and actions of all oppressed populations, civil rights movement, feminism, and youth movements. In order to keep this paper as refined …show more content…
The civil rights movement was in the national spot light with the first “sit in” in 1960. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The Freedom Riders were returning from the South in 1961. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 Hirschman wrote, “the Sixties were an explosive coincidence of every imaginable social disruption: a revolution in beliefs, led by youth, and fueled by grievances of race, war, and sex.” CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The March on Washington, one of the critical events of the African American Civil Rights Movement, was organized by Baynard Rustin, a gay man who typically was kept behind the scenes. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 There was homophobia within the civil rights movement at the time that kept him out of the limelight. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The March on Washington set the example for other movements for years to come. It brought civil rights to the attention of mass media. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 Even though Baynard Rustin was kept behind the scenes, he has been acknowledged as one the key players in the civil rights movement and was a pacifist who profoundly influenced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 There were many key people involved in organizations that had great influence on these movements that were gay and even though it has taken time, their direct involvement could be said …show more content…
The Gay Liberation Front expanded quickly across the country in the early Seventies. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 Carl Wittman wrote what came to be the defining document of the Gay Liberation Movement, A Manifesto for Gay Liberation. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The manifesto called for all gays to come out, to talk to people, and to be themselves. It was a call to action that still resonates today. The National Gay Task Force, The Lambda Legal Defense and the Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, were all formed in 1973 taking on leading roles in the continued struggle for gay rights. The same year, the American Psychiatric Association board voted unanimously to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The change in removing homosexuality from the DSM II meant that homosexuals would no longer be viewed as having a psychiatric disorder by
A Tenuous Time
Kari Twogood
EDAD 577: Managing Diversity
Spring 2014
Central Washington University
There is evidence of same sex relationships all the way back to earliest recorded history. Gay history, the history of same sex relationships, both male and female, can’t be taken out of context with the broader spectrum of history. The homophile movement didn’t happen in a vacuum. It is only one aspect of history that is happening on a global stage. It is important to consider the wider influence of activism and actions of all oppressed populations, civil rights movement, feminism, and youth movements. In order to keep this paper as refined …show more content…
The civil rights movement was in the national spot light with the first “sit in” in 1960. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The Freedom Riders were returning from the South in 1961. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 Hirschman wrote, “the Sixties were an explosive coincidence of every imaginable social disruption: a revolution in beliefs, led by youth, and fueled by grievances of race, war, and sex.” CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The March on Washington, one of the critical events of the African American Civil Rights Movement, was organized by Baynard Rustin, a gay man who typically was kept behind the scenes. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 There was homophobia within the civil rights movement at the time that kept him out of the limelight. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The March on Washington set the example for other movements for years to come. It brought civil rights to the attention of mass media. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 Even though Baynard Rustin was kept behind the scenes, he has been acknowledged as one the key players in the civil rights movement and was a pacifist who profoundly influenced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 There were many key people involved in organizations that had great influence on these movements that were gay and even though it has taken time, their direct involvement could be said …show more content…
The Gay Liberation Front expanded quickly across the country in the early Seventies. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 Carl Wittman wrote what came to be the defining document of the Gay Liberation Movement, A Manifesto for Gay Liberation. CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The manifesto called for all gays to come out, to talk to people, and to be themselves. It was a call to action that still resonates today. The National Gay Task Force, The Lambda Legal Defense and the Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, were all formed in 1973 taking on leading roles in the continued struggle for gay rights. The same year, the American Psychiatric Association board voted unanimously to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). CITATION Mil06 \p 110 \l 1033 The change in removing homosexuality from the DSM II meant that homosexuals would no longer be viewed as having a psychiatric disorder by