Gay Rights

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.

The next thing I will be talking about is the Mattachine Society. The Mattachine Society was founded in 1950, and it was considered one of the earliest gay rights movement in the United States. Harry Hay and some of his friends had started this group to protect and form a

It was approximately three a.m. on the twenty-eighth of June, 1969 when outside the Stonewall Inn, a monumental riot began. On Christopher Street in New York City, a police raid had just taken place in the gay bar due to the selling of liquor without a license, and arrests were made to anyone without a minimum of three articles of gender appropriate clothing on in accordance to New York law. This was one of several police raids that occurred in a gay bar in such a small amount of time, and the LGBT community made their anger very clear that morning. The event that took place as a result of these raids known as the Stonewall Riots became the catalyst for the Gay Liberation Front, and the Gay Activist Alliance, as well as many new

There are certainly various points in history that can be construed as trailblazing for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. One event in particular, however, sparked awareness and a call to action that previously could never have been conceptualized in the United States. This unforgettable incident, the Stonewall riots of 1969, altered the public’s view of the gay community and arguably jumpstarted the next revolution in an entirely new civil rights movement.

During the mid 1900’s, New York City’s queer citizens were discriminated against and faced an anti-gay system. The Stonewall Uprisings were a set of raids and riots in the 1960’s that took place for six days involving thousands of people in Greenwich Village. They were the result of hundreds of years of discrimination and violence against gay and transgender people in America as well as the influence of new thinkers like the writers of the “Beat Generation” who were trying to express their individuality and unconventional thinking. Because of this movement, gay liberation and the fight for modern LGBT rights in the United States changed. Activist groups formed and were inspired to find safe places for them to express their sexual orientation

By 1969 there were roughly fifty Homophile organizations in the United States with memberships of a few thousand each. Around this same time, groups of prominent gays and lesbians in the United States began to advocate openly for equal rights. Among these were the Mattachine Society, an advocacy group for gay men, and the Daughters of Bilitis, which, like its male counterpart, “served as a support network for homosexuals who felt maltreated by or secluded from mainstream society” (“Gay Rights Movement”). Both establishments hoped to present a picture of gays and lesbians as no different from heterosexual citizens. However, these organizations were forced to operate largely in secret and under ambiguous names to conceal their purpose. Neither of these groups attracted more than a few hundred members. Therefore, while there was some organized activity for gay rights, the gay community throughout the United States was still essentially underground in the late 1960s. Its bars were only open as long as the police allowed them to stay open and it wasn’t unusual for the police to close down certain gay bars for weeks as a time. In June 1969, the NYPD shut down a number of clubs and bars, but the Stonewall Inn remained open.

And now, gays and lesbians are seeking the same equal rights and protections enjoyed by other groups, including the right to marry.

It is often a misconception that the Stonewall Riots marked the beginning of the gay rights movement. In actuality, the riots served as a vital catalyst for the birth of widespread activism in the LGBT community, but did not mark the movement’s birth. Before Stonewall, there were leftist lobbyists in the Mattachine Society pushing for law reform and there was the lesbian organization, Daughters of Bilitis, who published The Ladder in order to garner acceptance in society.9 This homophile movement was conservative in its actions, working within the system’s rules in effort to gain societal acceptance.9

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.

Homosexuality has been an issue for the public for an extremely long time dating back to even Ancient Rome and Greek. Especially with the birth of Christianity, the religious society has been persecuting anyone claiming homosexuality, forcing people to hide their own sexuality for centuries. It is important to understand and know the past of the homsexuality to understand the reason for their fight and the mentality of their opposition. Homosexuality has never been accepted into the norms of society and was even viewed as a mental disease by the American Psychiatric Association (Bowman). Not until a few decades ago has the movement for gay rights began to kick off. The event that really set off the movement was the Stonewall Riot of 1969. “New York’s gay community had grown weary of the police department targeting gay clubs, a majority of which had already been closed. The crowd on the street watched quietly as Stonewall’s employees were arrested, but when three drag queens and a lesbian were forced into the paddy wagon, the crowd began throwing bottles at the police” (“Stonewall”). This event is regarded as the foundation for the modern gay rights movement including the formation of many gay, lesbian, and bisexual civil rights organizations.

One important issue in our world today is Gay Civil Rights. The question is “Should they have the same rights as straight people?” A lot of people say no, but a lot of people also say yes. Obama passed a law called “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” This law allowed homosexuals to go into the military. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to? There was also a Hate Crime law passed stating there will be no hate crime based on sexual orientation. Lastly there was the Respect for Marriage Act passed that allows homosexuals the same rights as heterosexuals.

“The gay rights movement is not a party. It is not a lifestyle… It is not about sin or salvation. The gay rights movement is an integral part of the American promise of freedom” (Urvashi Vaid). Many people were not supportive of the minority of people coming out to the world and becoming a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The actions of the many who did not accept the idea of being gay, lesbian or transgender, would interfere with their confidence and freedom of being who they want to be. The idea of gay rights was not socially accepted since it had differed from the social norm of a male and female sexually attracted to one another. However, there would be a ‘safe haven’ in most cities for the LGBTQ+ community to thrive and reveal themselves towards the people that truly accepted them for who they are. Although there were very few ‘safe havens’ around, these places would be tormented by the police and many of the people in them would become oppressed since they wanted to be in a place of acceptance. From June 28, 1969 through July 1, 1969, the gay community faced massive oppression from police raids in Greenwich Village, NYC at Stonewall Inn, which caused them to start a riot which ignited a major conflict for the sake of their own safety and freedom. This riot allowed them to show their oppressors that they are human as well and are able to fight back for themselves and for the future generations ahead of them. Due to the lack of a formal compromise between the gay community and the police, many people questioned as well as oppressed them because of certain religious aspects and social norms, but the conflict resulted in the development of the Gay Liberation Front and allowing the LGBTQ+ community to freely express themselves.

In the early hours of morning on June 28th, 1969, New York City, hundreds gathered; All of them connected and protesting for their rights. In Greenwich Village, a poor Manhattan neighborhood, stood a bar where people of all ages, different identities and walks of life came to. The Stonewall Inn had become a sanctuary for many people gave them a chance to be themselves without worry of being accepted, treated unfairly or cruelly because of their sexual identity. During this time in history, there were not many places to go where people could openly be themselves, whether they may be gay, lesbian or transgendered. Some got thrown out of school or the service for being gay and

In addition to strengthening the Civil Rights of the African American community there were several other societal groups that believed they too were not being treated equally. Women and members of the gay community are two of these groups. Beginning its fight for equality in the 1950s as the Mattachine Society, the gay community initially used the education and research approach to combat homosexuality (Carter, 2011). Used by gays to obtain a mental illness diagnosis, this was a way for gays to be tolerated and provided therapy instead being sent to prison (Carter, 2011). One individual that took an alternate route to champion the cause for gay rights was Franklin E. Kameny. Frank Kameny’s reason for advocating for gay rights was that he worked for the government’s Army Map Service until 1957 when he was fired for being gay (Carter, 2011).

Should homosexuals have the same rights as heterosexuals? Regardless of same sex marriage being legal in America, homosexuals have fewer rights than heterosexuals. All people deserve to obtain the same rights and respect regardless of who they choose to love. People are getting disrespected and mistreated all over America, because of which sex they choose to marry. Whether or not one agrees with a person’s sexual orientation or not, it does not give them a right to disrespect and mistreat them.