The Struggle For Lgbt Rights

Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their

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 According to the Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (2000), by 1999, the anti-sodomy laws of 32 states had been repealed, and in 1996 Vermont granted its gay citizens the right to same sex marriages.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

LGBT* activists face a crossroads in policy framing: are LGBT* rights human rights, or sexual rights? Scholars argue that neither are necessarily successful in expansion (Mertus 2007). Arguing LGBT* rights as human rights is problematic because the framing relies on sexual identity categories. Mertus argues that this framing method lacks “reflecting the self-critique of identity within LGBT communities that reveals LGBT categories as socially constructed and contested,” which is an issue because it is based on cultural understandings and conflicts with previously existing identities (2007). Arguing LGBT* rights as sexual rights is an improvement, but not by much. Framing sexual rights as human rights instead of LGBT* rights as human rights is argued as more successful, but still difficult (Mertus 2007). Mertus suggests this is because using the “s-term is frightening to international human rights organizations and LGBT activists alike, conjuring up images of taboo sex practices” (2007). This battle with framing LGBT* rights is just one example of the difficulty in policy implementation. There are many obstacles to policy, including state ignorance, inaction, and policy diffusion.

The first homosexual to speak out publicly in defense of homosexuality was a writer named Karl Heinrich Ulrichs on August 29, 1867. So while most people say the gay rights movement is something that's fairly recent, that is untrue. People have been judged for being homosexual for a very long time. Prejudice is something that can cause people to be violent, hateful, and act differently towards certain people to fit in, as shown in To Kill A Mockingbird and in society today towards supporters of gay and trans rights.

In this time society was going through much social change. Protests and movements were very present. In the 1960s women’s rights movements, black power movements, and civil rights protest were going on. This influenced the gay community and sparked energy for them to stand up for their own rights. In 1969 Stonewall riots were occurring in result to the police raiding a gay bar by the name of Stonewall Inn. The legal system in the 1950’s and 1960’s was anti-gay. These groups were being formed to show and prove that society could function. Very few businesses welcomed publicly gay people in the 1950s and 1960s.After the series of riots and the push for social reform gays still faced many obstacles to being openly accepted and integrated into society.

In the United States, as early as the turn of the 20th century several groups worked in hiding to avoid persecution and to advance the rights of homosexuals, but little is known about them. A better documented group is Henry Gerber’s Society for Human Rights, formed in Chicago in 1924. It only existed for a few months before disbanding due to the arrests of several of the Society 's members. Still, it was officially recognized due to having received a charter from the state of Illinois, and produced the first American publication for gays, Friendship and Freedom. The book states, among other

Since religion plays a huge part in America and its government, for many years gays did not have the right to marry, because it was consider as a “sin.” As Kory Schaff says in his article entitled, “Equal Protection and Same-Sex Marriage,” “Religious views that condemn homosexuality continue to influence the exercise of political coercion resulting in the use of state power to deny individuals equal protection” (133). There are still thousands of people who view gay as a “sin” and are actually not happy with the recent changes that happened in favor of gay people. But what made the government change its ideas and laws was the LGBTQ rights movements. Thousand of people, gay or not, came together and started peaceful marchs and praids to support LGBTQ community and fought for their rights, and they were successful to achieve what they wanted. But it is important to realize that they didn’t only wanted the right of marriage. That was a huge part of it, but they are still having marchs and praide because

Concurrent with the foundation of the Mattachine Society (the second gay rights-focused organization in the U.S.) and the publication of Alfred Kinsey’s Sexual Behavior in the Human Male was the beginning of government investigations into persons considered potential security risks, including Communists and homosexuals. It is telling that homosexual employees were considered a risk due to the fact that they were, according to McCarthy, “subject to blackmail,” (over, of course, their sexual orientation and activities.) Guy George Gabrielson, the Republican National Chairman, is quoted in the New York Times as decrying “sexual perverts who have infiltrated our Government in recent years” as “perhaps as dangerous as the actual Communists.” A report submitted to the Senate Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Department asserts that “homosexuals and other sex perverts are not proper persons to be employed in Government for two reasons; first, they are generally unsuitable, and second, they constitute security risks.” Newspaper articles and books that discuss the investigations take much the same attitude; rarely except in gay-specific publications is terminology or tone favorable, even when an author dismisses the idea of homosexuals as

Over the past decades, being gay was something no one talked about. It was a subject that was very taboo and society didn’t accept. People saw it as a stage one goes through and something unnatural. Thanks to the media, more and more celebrities have come out of the closet over the years. Soon people became accepting of the gay community and their life style. Being openly gay, lesbian, transgender, or bisexual in the workforce can lead to discrimination. Gay mirages are also frowned upon by society. Unfortunately, there aren’t many laws that protect gay rights.

Seven years later, people began to rebel. In the ten years between 1960 and 1970, many American organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Lutheran Church publicly announced their opposition to anti-homosexuality laws. In 1968, a “Homosexual Bill of Rights” was adopted which stated: “1. Private consensual sex between persons over the age of consent shall not be an offense. 2. Solicitation for any sexual acts shall not be an offense except upon the filing of a complaint by the aggrieved party, not a police officer or agent. 3. A person’s sexual orientation or practice shall not be a factor in the granting or renewing of federal security clearances or visas, or in the granting of citizenship. 4. Service in and discharge from the Armed Forces and eligibility for veteran’s benefits shall be without reference to homosexuality. 5. A person’s sexual orientation or practice shall not affect his eligibility for employment with

Peace, love, and unity should prevail for people to live with harmony with each other and unless these three factors take course, it would be difficult to consider one another as equal partners in the society. It is very important to note that every person was created differently and therefore, have their own unique features and characteristics and it would be wrong to discriminate against one another on any grounds. However, there are certain human qualities such as homosexuality and lesbianism that are highly controversial in the society today; various factions of people present their views on the issue. There are those who oppose them by terming them as immoral and there are those support them by terming them as human rights (Blackwell, Ricks & Dziegielewski, 2004). One person who stands out openly to call for homosexuals’ rights is the former president’s wife, Hillary Clinton, who made her opinion on this issue public at Geneva where she attended a meeting to celebrate Human Rights Day. In a society dominated by men, Hillary Clinton’s speech is bold and radical. Clinton, a white, heterosexual woman, went against societal norms by advocating for the rights of homosexuals who are abused solely because of their sexual orientation.

Gay Rights has always been a controversial topic. People have fought and argued over this simple human right for years and now we are finally seeing progress. The Gay Rights Movement started on 1924 by Henry Gerber, founder of The Society for Human Rights, the first documented Gay Rights organization according to CNN news. From the start homosexuality was considered a “sociopathic personality disturbance” which was diagnosed by the American Psychiatric Association in April 1952. When homosexuality became a hot topic, President Dwight D. Eisenhower singed an executive order that banned all homosexuals from working for the Federal Government saying” they are a security risk.” Which I can see why it was signed, homosexuals are very sassy and can put you in check which the government wouldn’t like. Fast forward to 2005, the state of California was one of the first states to pass a bill allowing same-sex marriage and on June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court ruled that a state cannot ban same-sex marriage which handed the best victory for gay advocates everywhere in America. Although Gay Rights have come a long way in America there is always room for more improvement such as discrimination on getting a job or adopting just because of your sexual orientation.

Signs of LGBTQ activism was not visible in the United States at all before World War II. On the contrary, there were federal laws around the world where homosexuality was ban, punishable, and even convicted with a death penalty. During the 1530s England enforced the Buggery Act “which made sexual relations between men a criminal offense punishable by death” (Gay Rights Movement, 2015). Similarly, in 1885, Henry Du Pre sponsored an amendment “which created the offense of ‘gross indecency’ for same-sex male

The beginning of the fight for not only same sex marriage being legal, but also having equal treatment for those who are gay began in 1924. “1924 - The Society for Human Rights is founded by Henry Gerber in Chicago. It is the first documented gay rights organization.” (LGBT Rights Milestones Fast Facts) The article explains the fight for gay rights throughout the years. The Society for Human Rights was just the beginning. As people who were gay saw this organization, they felt more confident to be more open with who they were. Although, it also caused many people to become resentful against people who were gay. The Society for Human Right sparked many more organizations and events to come.

Why was the LGBTQ movement started? For people to fully accept LGBTQ people in society. The LGBTQ movement started with the stonewall inn riots on June 28, 1969. The Inn was not one of the best bars you could go to, but homosexuals felt at home here; they were able to be themselves. A single light bulb warned them of a police raid, so they stopped what they were doing so they wouldn’t get arrested for “lewd” conduct. A three-day riot started when the people refused to leave the bar that later became their refuge. After the riot, the stonewall closed and new owners took over and converted the Inn into other hangouts. By the 1900’s gay bars opened on that street where the Stonewall Inn was established (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2017).