The sources answer the question of how has society adapted it’s the view of gay rights over time. The sources show how in the early 1900’s, society was not accepting at all of homosexual individuals. The source “Havelock Ellis on Gay Life in the American City (1915)” talks about how homosexual people were called sexually inverse, and how they were viewed as sexual predators. It describes how many, who wear the red neckties of the inverse, are also male prostitutes. As the 20th century progressed, some movement towards acceptance was made. In the source “James Justen Recalls Growing Up Gay in the 1950s”, Justen tells of how he remained closeted throughout high school, and then came out to his parents after. He was lucky, his parents were very…
In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969 the streets of Greenwich Village in New York turned from the normal relaxed party scene to a nightmare of riotous proportions. In the next three days the gay liberation movement would hit an influential peak that would carry the movement into the 70’s and influence homophile history forever. Most historians agree that the Stonewall Riots were the marker for the gay liberation movement. While the events that occurred in 1969 changed the way homosexuals viewed liberation the movement began years before. In this essay, I hope to show that the Stonewall Riots became the peak of the gay liberation movement that found its origins in the 1950s.…
According to the History Channel in 1969, the Stonewall Inn (a gay club) was raided by police for the illegal distribution of alcohol. At first the crowd on the street watched quietly as the employees were arrested, but as three drag queens and a lesbian were put into a paddy wagon the onlookers started hurling bottles at the police. The policemen had to take cover in the building until reinforcements came. Soon the crowd was broken up, but they continued to protest in New York for the next several days(The Stonewall Riots). The situation had spiraled out of control because of New York prohibiting homosexuality in public. After the raiding of most of the gay establishments in New York, Stonewall was the last straw in the LGBTQ community and led to discussions about civil rights, advocacy groups, and many more things(The Leadership Conference). Much like the raiding of Stonewall, many occasions that affected the history of the LGBTQ spectrum had some sort of deeper meaning behind…
It provides an overview of the issues that has arisen in organizing the gay rights movement in a homophobic society. It shows that the gay straight alliance club was founded first by a high school girl in Utah, Kelly Peterson. She started this alliance to end the suffering and misery that gay and lesbian individuals faced in high school. This resulted in a huge controversy in which the school board members and state legislators were heavily involved. Peterson along with others constantly protested against the school board’s attempts to shut down the gay straight alliance club. This documentary also showed a strong connection between the gay rights movement and the black civil rights movement. The man who helped organized the march in Washington D.C. for Martin Luther King’s infamous speech was actually a gay person named Rustin. He had great talent in organizing the march and was quite impressive, yet it was unknown to most people. Essentially, this film restores the facades that were left out of our school textbooks. It helps us realize that history is often edited purposely, so that we are not informed of what has actually occurred in the…
The Stonewall riots directly resulted in the birth of two new gay activist groups- the Gay Liberation Front, and the Gay Activists Alliance. The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was formed immediately after the riots by Martha Shelley, Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, Michael Brown, Jerry Hoose, and Jim Owles. Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson went on to become well known LGBTQ+ activists, founding STAR, a foundation advocating for queer and homeless women of color.The GLF took a more radical approach to activism than the Mattachine Society; their main idea was that all gay people coming out would give them liberation, and they were the first homophile group to use ‘gay’ in their name, which was a bold risk. However, they had no real order and…
This event alone catalyzed the start of the modern gay rights movement, although there were many events that are important in the fight for LGBT+ rights, such as in 1962 when Illinois became the first state to decriminalize “homosexual acts” between two consenting adults. However, the most important advances in equality for the LGBT+ community occurred after Stonewall. In 1980 the Democratic party came out and supported rights for the LGBT+ community, and has continued to fight for LGBT+ rights to the current day. In June of 2015, the Supreme Court ruled five to four to grant same-sex couples the right to marry in the landmark court case Obergefell v. Hodges. Even though this was a key moment in LGBT+ history, the movement still faces many issues. A Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act was passed in North Carolina in early 2016. This act is about and has remained in effect despite major protests and even presidential involvement. Biphobia is present, and the community overall tends to ignore the issues of people of color, especially trans people of color. Despite this, the movement has succeeded in many other ways. The gay rights movement has brought LGBT+ issues into the spotlight, and has advanced the fight for equality. The LGBT+ community will continue to fight for the rights of gay, bisexual, and trans people and will continue to give LGBT+ people a…
To be yourself and express your true identity to a universal conforming world is difficult. The process of discovery is scary but the reality of coming out can be overwhelming, full of resentment and hatred. So, what is one to do when faced with living a lie that pleases the world, but brings discomfort to self? This question is difficult to answer, but the journey of Jessica Lynn to find the answer is a step forward in not only answering the question, but “they” (gender pronoun) provide a guide to those working to loosen similar shackles of fear. More importantly it opens the door for conversation and action of parting from universal ideologies to more diverse and unique ones.…
The GRM tried to eradicate the Gay Liberation Front movement in the UK where radical gay and lesbian activists created several problems in employment discrimination, economic entrenchment, arrests, political conservatism, and lack of attention to sexism and racism (Feather, 2007). The movement organisations proliferated particularly in the USA and Europe by the birth of many organisations such as the Lesbian Task Force, the National Gay and Human Rights campaign during 1970’s and 1980’s. Furthermore, the USA gay activists gained support from the Democratic Party in 1980. In the following years, the GRM was taken into consideration in the passing of government laws and reform acts (Cory, 1951). Outside of the USA, the GRM’s activity was seen…
Gay marriage has been legalized in six US states and the District of Columbia, as of May 10, 2012. Thirty-one states have constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage (“Gay”). The gay rights movement is traced backed to the Stonewall Riots where gays and lesbians fought back against the police that invaded their gay bars (“Gay”). This controversy is whether or not gay marriage should be legal throughout the US.…
In 1969, discrimination attacked LGBT individuals. The gays were so highly discriminated that the mafia was running most of the gay bars and meet up places in the New York City Area. Also, there was a law against cross dressing.…
The riots following the June 28, 1969, police raid on New York City's Stonewall Inn did not start the discussion on gay rights, but they certainly became the catalyst for a national movement. When the Mafia-owned bar that offered a safe place for gay men and lesbians to drink and dance was shut down as part of a citywide crackdown on homosexual life, Greenwich Village erupted into several days of unrest. Violent police beat-downs and open mocking of the authorities by the protesters escalated the neighborhood protest into a full-scale rally for acceptance and equality. Prior to the Stonewall riots, the gay-rights movement had been mostly underground; only two years later, there were organized groups in every major city in…
The struggle by the powerless to achieve social justice is the change having the most impact in our society. This is the fight by the minority of the population for equal rights and respect as the majority. The main minority group that is fighting for their rights in society today is homosexuals.…
The Untied States is a country that is more favorable towards gay men and lesbian women, but not completely. The Society for Human Rights in Chicago, Illinois was the first documented gay rights organization in the United States (“The American Gay Rights Movement”). This dates back to 1924. In 1951, The Mattachine Society was founded. This was the first national gay rights organization, founded by Harry Hay (“The American Gay Rights Movement”). Gays were pulled from military service during the 1950s and in 1953 gays were prohibited from Federal employment (“Milestones”). An FBI surveillance program followed, as homosexual acts were considered criminal. Additionally, the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a mental disorder until 1973 (“The American Gay Rights Movement”). The Stonewall Riots of 1969 was the most pivotal event in the Gay Rights Movement. Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. For the first time, the patrons fought back and initiated a riot that lasted three days (“Milestones”). Following this event, gays throughout the United States were liberated. Throughout the 1970s many other organizations were formed and…
The modern day gay rights movement began in at the Stonewall Inn in New York City on June 28, 1969. The Stonewall Inn was a gay night club that was targeted by police and raided in the middle of the night. The police had a legal right to raid the club due to serving liquor without a license; but New York’s gay community felt targeted, as a majority of gay clubs…
The gay pride or simply pride campaign of the gay rights movement has three main premises: that people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity, that sexual diversity is a gift, and that sexual orientation and gender identity are inherent and cannot be intentionally altered. Marches celebrating Pride (pride parades) are celebrated worldwide. Symbols of gay pride include the rainbow flag, the Greek lambda symbol, and also the pink and black triangles reclaimed from their past use.…