Sexual Revolution

Gay liberation throughout the United States had a purpose for lesbians and gay men to have gay lifestyles be normal. Gay liberation affected politics because gay men and lesbians wanted to inform their peers and family, which changed how citizens would view their sexual orientation. The gay liberation took place during the 1960’s through the 1980’s in which changed many cultures. The culture in the United States changed dramatically because during the 1960s through 1980s , there was an AIDS outbreak. AIDS was a sickness after HIV that would cause an individual’s body to weaken, therefore United States citizens would link AIDS to people who were gay or lesbian. For instance, David Rayside compares the United States to Britain, “After World War II, however, Britain once again stood out in the extent to public anxieties about sexuality were fanned and legal regulation of homosexual activity policed”(40) and “British authorities were especially preoccupied with the condemnation and strict containment of homsexuality.”(40). Homosexuality affected politics because authorities would prioritize the gays and lesbians before anything else. There were clear observations that governments from Britain and United States were not in favor for homosexuality, therefore attempting to change people's views on homosexuality so gays and lesbians would not be accepted into the society. Being accepted into a society requires majority of citizens to approve of other’s decisions. For example, citizens viewing gays or lesbians in public without attempting to discriminate their sexuality. The women’s movement was similar to the gay liberation because it affected politics greatly by hierarchies being

The conditions of the 1960s primed the gay rights movement for an awakening. At this time, the “increased radicalism of the late-Sixties racial and antiwar movements was just manifesting

Within the midst of the sexual revolution, homosexual women struggled to find comfort in the whole sexual revolution. “For most of history, lesbianism was so little understood that it was actually pretty easy for gay women to live out their lives in peace and quiet” (Collins 173). Although it was great that these women were not persecuted for being themselves, it still must have been so difficult to hide themselves. It really brings me back to our modern day because I think it is so cool to think that I lived in the year where gay marriage was legalized. Going along with that though, I can not believe how long it took for homosexual people to be accepted into our society. I could not imagine the feeling of having to hide your true self. I am thankful that the LGBTQ community can finally make their love

Fifty years ago, in the early sixties, being gay was illegal in every providence in Canada, and in every single state in the United States. In the 1950’s, many gay individuals saw the men who had devoted their lives to being out and they knew what a horrible life that made for those men. This caused many gay men to “pass,” or live their entire lives in the closet. They would marry women for the soul purpose of protecting their secret. Before the stonewall riots, many Americans did not even believe gay people existed. Due to the lack of education and bigotry amongst Americans, being gay was very dangerous. Sexual acts in the gay community were commonly done in unsafe places and in public because they simply had nowhere else to go. Homosexuality was not just criminalized it was medicalized (Bawer). If you were gay, you could be subject to go into hospitals and were viewed by society as having a disability and a disease. In April of 1965, the very first gay protest took place in Washington DC. This protest was revolutionary and it began to pave the way for the future of gay men and women and reshape gay culture. In 1969, not long after the first gay protests of 1965, Canada decriminalized homosexual sexual acts in the privacy of one’s own home (Guerre). This was groundbreaking and gave the gay community hope that change was coming. Also, taking place in 1969 were the historic stonewall

There was an obvious double standard when it came to women's sexuality although they argued women desired sexual freedom just as much as men do. The introduction of the pill at the time just amplified this issue. Women simply wanted to prevent pregnancy but the public thought this would result in sexual anarchy. The women of the time felt oppressed by society, their simplest most human desires were deemed immoral. Homosexuality was viewed in almost the same way as female sexuality. Homosexuality was treated as a sin, a mental health problem. Homosexuals were not granted equal rights to the rest of society, they had no sexual freedom, little cultural respect, and were valued less socially. This cultural oppression outraged those affected by it and so they fought for liberation from the ideals that held them back. As Beth states, "In seeking liberation, they meant to change the world and to remake the place of sex in it." (199) The fight for liberation sparked and created the most important outcome in the sexual revolution as it created and unified the groups that later created sexual equality for

During the 1960’s the U.S. saw a surge in sexual freedoms, a period labeled as The “Sexual Revolution,” which was a period of time preceded by earlier decades of evolving attitudes towards sex (John Macionis, 179). However, one main staple from the “Sexual Revolution,” was the changing outlook on traditional attitudes towards women/men, and the roles both sexes play in society. During this time, the culture began to shift from the contradictory standards placed on women, such as, waiting until marriage, sexuality, faithfulness, etc. (Macionis, 179). This decade was a catalyst for the liberation of women, especially since many feminist viewed sexuality with male dominion.

Another huge social and cultural change during this time was the gay liberation movement. During the 1960’s, many groups decided to fight for their rights and equality. One of these groups was the gay and lesbian members of society. Many of these individuals were discriminated against and had no rights, but they decided enough was enough. In the 1960’s, gays decided to begin the fight for their own rights. One example of this was made after New York officers decided to raid the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York’s very own Greenwich Village on June 27, 1969. This type of raid was not unusual, being that many police officers made it a habit of raiding gay and lesbian bars. This became known as the “Stonewall Riot”, which many view as the starting point of the gay liberation movement. The gay liberation movement was the fight by gays and lesbians for equal rights, one of these rights being the right to not be discriminated against, and most importantly, to be able to openly “come out” to their family and friends. The gay liberation movement helped to impact our current times greatly. Today, a gay person has rights just like anyone else. A gay

Generations ago, the United States was a country of the male wardrobe. Today's movements for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community are leveraging the existence of more globalized and open systems. Besides, the promotion of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population have been acknowledged through smart partnerships within conventional, political and economic scene, while the males and heterosexuals are still pervasive.

Known as the Two Sex theory, devised by historian Thomas Laqueur, female sexuality would be characterized purely by a woman’s reproductive potential, where the concept of an innate maternal instinct would become the new prioritized ideal. The female orgasm was renounced by a new essence of masculine superiority. This notion can be asserted with the Phallocentric inclination of the late 18th century, examined by historian Tim Hitchcock, as period characterized by penetration and precedence of the phallus. This “both encouraged and made possible the denigration of female sexuality and perceived passivity.” Consequently this caused the de-emphasis of female sexual pleasure and desire. However, female sexual identity would reemerge with potency, attributed to social flux, the emerging field of sexology and disposition of the interwar years.

Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.

The climate of the 1960s was turbulent. This decade was marked by many political movements, which reflected support for non-establishment themes. During this time the “sexual liberation movement” became a popular cause. This intensified social and political interest helped many disadvantaged groups to receive support and attention that previously had never been received. As part of the nation’s desire for sexual political liberation, gay liberation became visible.

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 led to a sexual revolution. The was because of the greater freedom of the pill. The women;s movement and Supreme Court decision to make explicit books more availible. Movies also became more explicit. By the 1970’s the spreqda of benereal diseases and AIDs caused many young people to avoid casual relations. By the 80’s there an emphasis on virginity and celibacy. The dominant trends of independence, freedom, the consumer markey and wealth in youth culture remained. Pop music, fashion, smoking and drugs continued to be the expressions of youth cutlure. By now, the collaps of consensus was in full swing; the next development would be that of a counter-culture.

In conclusion, women have made a critical improvement to the circumstances in their lives through feminism. Primarily, men used to run everything as they considered themselves superior to women, but through feminism movements, women have been able to acquire equal rights to men, and are still striving to acquire more rights that men take for granted. Feminism is a philosophy that has helped women to acquire equal rights in the society. In addition, feminism is gaining equal opportunities and rights for both men and women, and allowing women to have control of their lives, and the women have achieved this. Feminism had a huge impact on the lives and roles of women in the society. Many women got sick of the strict home life that had been implicated on them by men. They got tired of staying at home and taking care of the family and domestic chores as their only work and decided enough is enough, things had to change. Women wanted equality between men and women in addition to equal opportunities in education, and employment opportunities. Feminism has played a great role on the everyday role of women in the

The Sexual Revolution or also known as the Sexual Liberation was one of the great social achievements of the 1960s that changed the lives of many women (Herzog 371). The Sexual Revolution happened in the 1960s in the West. The emergence of the birth control pill was said to be one of the most important causes of the Sexual Revolution. It brought many changes in women’s thinking and attitudes. The revolution was the movement that saw women raised their voice for their freedom let people aware of it. The revolution had many effects on women and society which still exist till now.