The LGBT Rights : The Gay Rights Movement

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

The history of the gay rights movement goes as far back as the late 19th century. More accurately, the quest by gays to search out others like themselves and foster a feeling of identity has been around since then. It is an innovative movement that seeks to change existing norms and gain acceptance within our culture. By 1915, one gay person said that the gay world was a "community, distinctly organized" (Milestones 1991), but kept mostly out of view because of social hostility. According to the Milestones article, after World War II, around 1940, many cities saw their first gay bars open as many homosexuals began to start a networking system. However, their newfound visibility only backfired on them, as

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.

“This was the Rosa Parks moment, the time that gay people stood up and said no. And once that happened, the whole house of cards that was the system of oppression of gay people started to crumble”. (The Stonewall Uprising) Homosexuals were tired of being made fun of and discriminated for their way of life. “Something snapped. It's like, this is not right”. (The Stonewall Uprising) People were sick of the treatment, the weird looks, the removal of work, the feeling of someone refusing to be next to them, and the constant advice to change or they will end up ruining their lives. So, on June 28th, 1969, around 11:00 at night, in Greenwich Village, New York City, gay people decided to do something. The decided to say no, we aren’t doing this;

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.

Gay rights are a civil rights issue although unrecognized on a par with women or Africans. As the definition of civil rights states “those positive rights, whether political, social or economic, conferred by the government on individuals or groups that had previously been denied them” (Yalof, 108). Homosexuals have been discriminated against historically, by both religious and political groups. There have been cases where they have been discriminated at work, clergy, and the military.

In the 1960s many movements were starting to form. The three main movements that stand out to me are women's liberation, gay liberation, and the civil rights movement. I believe all of these movements have proved a point in the lives of many Americans. Each movement has brought a group of many Americans together to help show their concerns with the situations.

In the United States the issue of civil liberties, or a lack thereof for certain minorities has been prevalent since the 1800’s. The historically renowned Stonewall Incident marked the beginning of the civil rights and equality movement, for the gay and lesbian demographic in America. “On June 27th, 1969, patrons of the Stonewall Inn, a New York City bar popular with gays and lesbians responded to a police raid by throwing beer cans and bottles because they were angry at what they felt was unjustified police harassment” (Bardes et al. 170). Since the incident, gay men and lesbian women have formed various organizations to exert pressure on legislations, the media, schools, and churches. The liberation achieved by the homosexual community of the United States during the Stonewall Incident has lead to the acceptance of openly gay and lesbian representation in Congress, the military, and same-sex marriage in certain states. (Do I need to add a comma to thesis) -- seems long?

The New world was of great wonders discovered by the Vikings, inhabited by the natives ,and stolen by a bitter elite, that punches the great world with an iron fist; the explorer, Columbus starting the brick of colonization, an open path for Europeans to take the land and call it their own to grasp a new life, a dream that is to be savored and fulfilled as growth and prosperity continues to emerges out of the westernmost winds, and south of the Mediterranean sea, dominating the land, free to do whatever they please.

Today, the fight for homosexual right is at the forefront of society, which yields a greater thrust towards full equality to heterosexuals with every passing day. This campaign for equality is known as the Modern Gay Rights Movement. The modern struggle for gay rights started as early as The Civil Rights Movement in 1954, and still continues today (Britannica). The Civil Rights Movement, from 1954-1968, sparked oppressed people to fight for their rights. In this period, shockwaves from blacks’ gaining equality rippled onto the movement for homosexual rights; gays saw new opportunities to gain a public foothold. Additionally, they sought recognition as a viable movement- especially after the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which

everyone deserves rights and equality. Some of them even may view these as negative groups. They may think that the goal of the groups such as LGBT or Black Lives Matter is to prove they are better than the rest of us, but that simply is wrong. As Neu explains, “so far as the politics of marginal positionalities is aimed at denying privileged valuations of either side of dichotomies, the message may ultimately be the same as “Black is Beautiful” or “Gay is Good,” or “Deaf Power.” For the point, typically, is not to say that black is better than white or gay is better than straight or deaf is better than hearing but simply to deny the denigration of the minority position. The point is to demand political equality, equal treatment under the law” (594). They just want to be heared, and they want their needs to be provided by their government because let’s not forget that

The issues LGBT people have faced is nothing new in our society, nor is the idea of being an LGBT individual. It is impossible to date back emotions of people, but general sexuality preference became a focus around the 1600’s. “The practice of governing sexuality reinforced systems of gender, race, and class dominance” (FIELDER, 2015). Sexuality not only became a part of regular conversation, but a determining factor of your position in society. If an induvial had a sexual preference other than heterosexual, they were terrorized. The rights of homosexuals were not respected until 1924 when the first gay right organization was established, The Society for Human Rights founded by Henry Gerber. This did not last long. The gay rights movement would not see another organization until the 1950’s when the Mattachine Society was established by gay rights activist Harry Hay. Sexuality was most questioned within middle class homes. The people to come out mainly consisted of white business men. Though, civil rights of the gay community was being demanded, American women were still being oppressed so they were not as represented in the gay community until the early 1980’s. The acronym “LGBT” was not used until 1988 when activist started to truly include all sexual preferences. In 2008 the film “Milk”, about a gay rights activist and politician named Harvey Milk, was produced. Milk was long gone when the movie was released, but the film reached more people and helped shaped the LGBT

“One thing the gay rights movement taught the world is the importance of being visible.” – Charles M. Blow. The LGBT community haves rights to live normally just as much as people who are not in the LGBT community. Most homosexuals are hated and treated differently because of their sexuality. There will never be an understanding of why does some people choose to be homophobic.

Historically defined as the union between a man and women the idea of marriage has been socially ingrained into the minds of Americans leaving any other possibilities of who love can happen between as unacceptable. These strong societal beliefs are far from the truth yet dictate the ability of homosexuals rights to marry one another. Avoiding defining what marriage entails in the constitution, the issue of whether or not gay people have the right to marry has become a state issue. The conservative idea of marriage is changing as society is undergoing a transformation in its beliefs to a more liberal stance. As a country that has progressed towards being more egalitarian and inclusive in ensuring individuals rights, the right of marriage

To willingly want to fight for the safety and security of your country is courageous, selfless, and deserving of the utmost respect. One would think that more people would not want to risk their lives at war, than those who do. But countless brave souls go off to war because they want to and they love the idea of defending their home and loved ones. So the idea that such institutions would ever deny someone of risking their lives for the country seems absolutely ridiculous. But this was the very harsh reality of the LGBT community who wanted to serve in the military and be proud of not only their country, but also their identity and orientation. The extremely controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy treated the gay and lesbian soldiers