Gay Is the New Black in America

Over the next two decades, half the states decriminalized homosexual behavior, and police harassment grew less frequent and obvious to the public. Also in 1975, it became legal for gays to hold federal jobs. However all this headway also made room for more opposition. In 1977, Anita Bryant was so successful at obtaining a repeal of a recent gay ordinance in her home state of Florida that by 1980, a league of anti gay clubs had come together to make a force, led in part by Jesse Helms. The AIDS scare that began in the eighties did not help the gay image either, but more citizens joined their ranks in order to combat the oppression and fund a search for the cure, so in the end it actually made the movement stronger. According to the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (2000), by 1999, the anti-sodomy laws of 32 states had been repealed, and in 1996 Vermont granted its gay citizens the right to same sex marriages. Gay rights has come a long way as a social movement, and though it still has a long way to go, it makes a good topic to analyze the process of the social movement.

This investigation assesses the New York City Stonewall Riots of 1969, concerning their influence on the rise of the modern gay rights movement, specifically regarding political emergence, social unity, and demographic shifts. The investigation will attempt to answer the following question: To what extent were the Stonewall Riots of 1969 a catalyst for the LGBT social movement in America?

The struggle for gay rights was not always publicized due to fear for being “ill” for thinking that way. The fight for rights was known in the mental health community as an illness. In the courts where same-sex couples would be denied the right to marry, from the Stonewall riots to the U.S. Supreme Court decision on June 26 of this year, the evolvement and difficulty of those fighting.

The 1960’s was a decade of great change in America, from civil rights for African Americans to equal rights for women, the American people were rising up and discovering that their voice in the political discourse was just as important as those they elected to office. One other such group that awakened and challenged the existing status quo that kept them silent and scared were the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities across the country. From the first large-scale associations of LGBT individuals that formed in San Francisco in the 1950’s to the political and social groups that came to be following the Stonewall Riots of 1969, they would speak out and not allow themselves to be kept down anymore. The aim of this paper is to establish the events and opinions that led up to the uprising at the Stonewall Inn such as perceived and real discrimination by police, medical professionals, and society itself, what actually happened at Stonewall, and how they sparked the modern LGBT movement in the United States over the next half century to the present day.

(1) Yes I do agree with Yourba Richens comparison of the gay rights movement to the civil rights movement. Both movements have the issue where a certain minority is restricted form having the same rights and privileges as the majority. They aren’t given the same treatment, and are usually treated cruelly. In the civil rights movement, the minority had to fight to be treated the same as the majority. In current times, gays had to fight to be treated the same as heterosexual people. Both had to struggle to gain acceptance, and both even still struggle to this day.

Martin Luther King Jr once said “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."’ Many years later, racial segregation became less ubiquitous in society thanks to MLK Jr. But just like the people of the colored race, people who are either, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, etc. were once and still are being discriminated today. However, heroes have risen to take a stand for persecuted people, just like how MLK Jr. did for the colored people, the LGBTQ community also fought for LGBTQ people. History of LGBTQ:

One of the minority groups that came into prominence during this tumultuous time were homophile activists who advocated for an assimilation of gays into society, and relied mostly on pacifist tactics. It wasn’t until the summer of 1969, in a Greenwich Village tavern, where a series of protests served as a catalyst to inspire gays to join together in the fight against inequality through more radical means; thus setting into motion the beginnings of modern American LGBT rights activism and Gay Pride.

The Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and the LGBTQ rights movement happening now seem different on the surface but are more similar underneath. Many of the differences found between the two movements are only comparing the outer layer and not what is going on below that layer. When you look at how similar they are at the core, you will start to see a scary trend in the way people treat minorities in our society. The disturbing truth is people fear differences.

Forty-six years after the Stonewall riot homosexuals finally have the right to marry the person they love. The most interesting person in this article is President Obama bringing up Stonewall in his Inaugural address. In that address he brought up times in history that Americans stood up for basic human rights. He mentioned Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall, all huge events in history we have studied about this year. He stated that, “if we are truly created equal then surly the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.” (Franke-Ruta) Each and every boy and girl that stood protesting in the riot those six days are now able to marry whom they love. It’s these events in history that have prompted others like Obama to stand up for basic rights and to make the changes needed to push our society towards freedom and

(D'Emilio, 490). Rustin did not resort to violent means to achieve equality for the LBGT+ Movement or disappear from the movement entirely due to the negative perception it gave him in the civil rights movement. In an LGBT+ rights rally he attended he sought to inform individuals on the struggles that members of this group face and rose parallels between these challenges and the ones faced by African Americans at this time. In an 1986 speech presented by Rustin at this rally he addressed these parallels and argued that African Americans, while still oppressed, are no longer the primary target of oppression, that that is now the LGBT+ ( “Meet the Gay Activist Behind Martin Luther King Jr.'s Civil Rights Movement”). He argued that the struggle to gain equality demonstrated by the African American community serves as a template for how to achieve change to the LBGT+ community by illustrating how to maintain one’s composure and continue to exercise non-violence strategies to maintain peace while both groups are being attacked, oppressed, judged, looked down upon and ultimately excluded from the rest

When you think of gay rights, you probably think of parades and rainbows. The 21st century LGBT movement has become known for its message of equality for all, and other human liberties such as same-sex marriage. This progress has been very important, and has been fought for over 40 years with a lot of blood sweat and tears. But often this fight is overlooked, or dismissed as being unimportant. Gay marriage was just legalized on a national level in June 26 2015. This means that gay people have been able to only marry for 10 months, while marriage has existed between heteroseuxal couples for hundreds and thousands of years- which Is ridiculous. My book, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution, by David Carter offers a detailed explanation of what helped cause all of this progress to be made. Everything starts somewhere, and Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution offers an excellent description of where the LGBT movement originated.

In this book " American Gay" by Stephen Murray, examines the gay history in America. By exploring the rise of the of the LGBT community he explains how it contributes to the making of LGBT culture. He explains how past events past events like World War II and the Stonewall riot contributed to the modern version of homosexuality. Then he goes on to explain the modern version of homosexuality in America. Murray explores how people in the LGBT community self identify as well as examine their behavior. He analyzes how past events like World War II, the Stonewall riot, and AIDS epidemic contributed to the modern makeup of the LGBT community. He also discusses this idea of rebellion against straight culture like marriage and the military. when

Before 1960, As we know that African Americans lived in segregated schools and public facilities. Their life is more horrible than slavery. During that time there were no openly gay journalists, doctors, lawyers or professors and only two openly gay public figures in the whole country. The situations were very bad and only white peoples were treated like a king and have the power to control anyone. Young African-Americans who began the modern civil rights movement in the 1950s Which provided the model that would change the way everyone in America was treated and there the main purpose is to integrate everybody with equal rights and regulations.Finally, In 1964 the result declared with equal right no matters what color you are .the Civil Rights

Students will also learn that the fight for Civil Rights concerns than just race, moreover, it goes far beyond the identity of “gay” or “straight”.

Differences are dreaded by society today just because of a misunderstanding created through incorrect information given. The only change that has been made from the past until now is that there are more of the community that are seen, not embarrassed, not afraid, and no longer willing to hide what makes us happy. Gays, Lesbians, and Transgender have been hiding amongst the ages from the Roman era until current 2012 and even though many look at the community as infection, it is truth that makes us afraid of what we do not understand compared to what is seen. Just like slavery and women’s right, Gay, Lesbian, Quire, and Bisexuals community have been faced with adversity. Gay rights are an ethical issue because there is limitation set for our community due to sexuality. Sexual discrimination is considering a candidate or worker unfavorably because of a person’s sex, or affiliation with a group or groups related with a specific sex. The law forbids discrimination based on sex when it comes to any aspect of employment, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments, promotions, layoff, training, fringe benefits and any other term or condition of employment. Gender identity discrimination, on the other hand, is more specific to people who don’t conform to stereotypes of gender identity and/or gender expression. Recently, however, some courts have concluded that transgender persons are protected from discrimination under Title VII and other sex discrimination statutes. Neither