Essay on Gay Rights Movement

Throughout the speech Milk uses pathos to connect emotionally to the different audiences he is addressing. To his straight allies, he proclaims that an ally can not be elected to represent gays because “friends can’t feel the anger and frustration. They can sense it in us, but they can’t feel it. Because a friend has never gone through what is known as coming out.” This topic also strikes a chord in his gay audience, as coming out is a difficult and terrifying process. He addresses other minority groups, asking indirectly for their sympathy and assistance, alluding to the African-American civil rights movement of the sixties, and the Latin American culture’s struggles. He references Anita Bryant, an outspoken right-wing activist, and tells his audiences not to fear her or believe her, for she is wrong in her assumptions about gay people. He also talks of the event in San Francisco where a young man was killed for being gay, causing the audience to sympathize and also create a sense of urgency for people to make a change.

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 According to the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (2000), by 1999, the anti-sodomy laws of 32 states had been repealed, and in 1996 Vermont granted its gay citizens the right to same sex marriages.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.

“The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights

Gays were forced to stay under the shadow. They were afraid to show their own true colors. Harvey Milk was a gay activist who had encouraged people to come out of the closet and join their organization to fight for their rights. He says “Burst down those closet doors and stand up once and for all, and start to fight.” (Document G) In the the quote he explains that people who are scared and haven’t come out of the closet should and help join the movement for equal rights for homosexuals. Harvey Milk’s encouragement had a big impact in the past organizations, his voice and words have impacted the LGBT society in a big way. In document H it shows how people were doing riots to express how they felt. This helped make people aware of their movement and what they want. They were able to express how they felt through these riots. Today, all these riots and LGBT activist work have made an everlasting impact. They had finished their goal and had legalized gay marriage, something they have been fighting for a long time. Even though they face discrimination, they have had made a huge step for equality because of their hard work in the past and

The 1960’s was a change for the world. One of the major things that happened was the Gay Liberation. The 1960’s was a sensitive decade. Would you want to be punished for your sexuality or liking the same gender.? NO, you shouldn’t. You don’t choose who you like or how you feel.

His words still resonate today with anyone who is struggling with their sexual orientation. During the 70's the "LGBTQ+" was just the "GAYS". There was no education or resources for people who didn't fit in the majority view of American norms. The people of the LGBTQ+ were the voiceless people living in the shadow's of America or just in the closets of America like the Boogie Man. Milk gave the LGBTQ+ community a voice and a face and allowed for a start of acceptance of LGBTQ+ into mainstream America. Through his political and social activism he became known as the Mayor of Castro Street. His political life was cut short after just one year in office, who knows what kind of legacy he would have offered the world had he been allowed to live? He was named in "Time" magazine as one of the 100 most influential figures of the 20th century. Not a bad for a short political career that was just over 4 years and tragically cut short.

While there have been many successes for promoting and enacting laws to help support gay and lesbian rights there still much more to be done to ensure such. In reading the Saylor text the first thing discuses is the “unique obstacle” in helping attain civil rights (Saylor 179). Civil rights for gay men and lesbians, is something that has been greatly opposed by religious groups where it sex marriage and in all homosexuality is deemed “flawed behavior” and not an “innate characteristic” (179). In regards to exit polls it is also regarded that only 4 percent of public voting is made have up so lesbian, gay men, and bisexuals. Other opposition for gay rights came in the 1950s with the anti-communist scare where gay people where “harassed” and mocked by politicians and police departments. Latter opposition that is extremely current today would be same sex marriage, which has brought in huge opposition between the federal and state courts. In all, while there have been many accomplishments in gay rights there is still more that must be accomplished regarding equal rights for

The LGBTQ community has struggled for decades to receive equal treatment but despite many advancements, this group of people is still not treated justly. The prevalent discrimination and prejudice enacted against the LGBTQ community can be witnessed on accounts of the Stonewall Riots and laws that affect the community such as not allowing gay men to donate blood, sexual orientation in connection to the military, et cetera. The gay rights movement has united to eradicate these issues through support of the LBGTQ community and to help people understand the process, timing, advantages, dangers, and pitfalls of coming out, as well as recent local and international rulings of the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage and the methods, laws, and attitudes of having children.

All families face challenges in their everyday life. For some, the challenges are easier to handle while for others, surmounting those challenges can be more difficult. Over the years, the LGBT community in the US has faced many hurdles. Whether it’s the legalization of same-sex marriage to adoption rights to alimony, child support and child custody in case of divorce, legislation specific to gay and lesbian couples still has a long way to go.

Often when we think of American civil rights history, we picture the African American struggle for equality; we think of famous court cases like Brown v. Board, a milestone in ending segregation in public schools; we think of Dr. King and the NAACP’s efforts to organize the black community through speeches, boycotts, and peaceful protests. But often times, when we discuss civil rights history in classrooms we tend to overlook the discrimination faced by other minorities and their separate movements towards social equality.

Throughout history, society’s views of homosexuality and of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) have changed. These views have changed how the members of this community feel about their personal identity as a whole. Over the last ten years, homosexuality and the LGBTQ community have become more accepted in society. In fact, a recent victory for the LGBTQ community occurred in June of 2015 when gay marriage become legalized in all fifty states. Despite the immense torture that members of the LGBTQ have received over decades, they are slowly becoming more accepted in today’s society. As society begins to become more tolerant with different ideals, the new and younger generations will continue to become more accepting of the people who identify as members of the LGBTQ community. These members will become more comfortable in their own skin and be allowed the same opportunities so other members of society.

Out of the 316 million people in the United States of America, nine million of them relate as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning collectively known as LGBTQ. This makes up about four percent of the population and while this may seem like a small number, the LGBTQ equal rights movement is as big as ever. While there are many fronts to fight in the war for equal rights, the major points I will be discussing are the history of LGBTQ fight for equal rights, marriage rights and equality, and the mistreatment of LGBTQ youth in regards to bullying in schools, homelessness, and depression/suicide.

“It takes no compromise to give people their rights… it takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no political deal to give people freedom. It takes no survey to remove repression.” This is an extract taken from the biography of Harvey Milk, the first gay person elected into public office in California.

Looking back throughout history at the rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender individuals, it isn’t hard to see that we have made the majority of our strides in the past 10 years. As a society we have decided the time is now to put an end to the lack of rights for people of different sexual orientations. Accepting LGBT individuals and providing them the same rights and protections as all other Americans makes us a more united, respectable Country. Everyone deserves equal treatment and opportunities regardless of what their sexual orientation may be.

In this country there is a flawed assumption that gay people enjoy the same civil right protections as everyone else and there are a lot of stereotypes about gay relationships. Living as a gay individual in this country can be extremely overwhelming and scary. When it comes to marriage between gay couples, controversy is bound to turn up. There are numerous arguments as to why gay marriage is not “right” such as; it offends everything religion stands for, marriage is for procreation, and gay