Gay Rights Movement 1

Running head: GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Gay Rights Movement

Connie A. McLaren

University of Phoenix
 Gay Rights Movement

The Gay and Lesbian lifestyle is not something new. This hidden and forbidden way of

life has been around for centuries. Due to, sometimes harsh, laws and the way society views the

gay lifestyle, the people of this community became accustomed to hiding their way of life. So

much so, that they sometimes created groups or society’s as an undercover way for gay men and

women to congregate. The gay and lesbian community has been fighting for equality and social

rights for a very long time. The acceptance of the gay lifestyle has come a long way, but the

people of the gay community still have an extremely long road ahead of them with respect to

equality in society. One has to wonder if the gay community will ever feel equal or accepted.

The Gay Rights Movement is a civil-rights movement which supports equal rights for

homosexuals, transsexuals and bisexuals. People in support of gay rights are seeking to do away

with laws which restrain homosexual acts where consenting adults are involved; laws such as

sodomy laws. These supporters feel homosexuals, bisexuals, and transsexuals are discriminated

against, is ways such as “employment, credit, lending, housing, marriage, adoption, public

accommodations and other areas of life (Britannica, n.d., p. 1).” The first known group to

publicly seek equality dates back to 1897, in Berlin and was founded by Magnus Hirschfeld.

There were “25 local chapters in Europe by 1922 (Britannica, p. 1).” However, this group did

not survive World War II, as they were suppressed by the Nazis. (Britannica) “The first U.S.

support group, the Mattachine Society, was founded in Los Angeles c. 1950; the Daughters of

Bilitis, for lesbians, was founded in San Francisco in 1955 (Britannica, p. 1).” These groups

were formed during a time when gay men or women were fearful of admitting their lifestyles in

private, going public was a big step. The Mattachine Society was formed “to fight
antihomosexual attacks and to press for a wider public acceptance of their lifestyle (Davidson,

2002, p. 902).”

Barbara Gittings, founder of the Daughters of Bilitis, was obviously a gay rights activist.

Gittings founded this organization at a time when gay men or women did not dare be seen in

public. The organization was created in the late 1950s. Research shows that one can be hard

pressed to find any lesbian existence in our genealogy. Lesbians or gay men lived undercover,

fearful of being found out. However, there were some brave men and women who took the risk

and because of these few brave souls one can learn much about the gay culture in the United

States. Barbara Gittings and Mable Hampton are two of the brave women whom dared to pursue

rights as lesbians. Mable Hampton was not only a lesbian pioneer surviving World War II and the

1950s, Mable was also a black woman; making survival even more difficult. Not only was it

dangerous being a gay person during the 1950s it was also illegal, making protecting oneself

even more imperative.

During the 1960s life for gay and lesbians began to slowly improve. Illinois was the first

state to “decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults in private (infoplease, 2007,

p. 1)” in 1962. In 1969 the Stonewall riots took place. On a night in June, 1969 police performed

a raid on a gay bar. Raiding gay bars was something that was done routinely. The patrons of the

establishment would sometimes catch wind of a raid and would begin dancing with members of

the opposite sex and be on their best behavior. On this night, June 27, 1969, the patrons decided

enough was enough and decided to fight back. Years later there is still a debate over what started

the riot, was it a lesbian “dressed in man’s clothing who resisted arrest, or a male drag queen who

stopped in the doorway between the officers and posed defiantly, rallying the crowd (Wright,

1999, p. 1)?” The riots continued at various levels of severity for five days, and were so named
because of a “chorus line of mocking queens (Wright, p. 1)” whom formed a line dancing and

singing as they faced the police head on. In the days following the riots discussions amongst the

gay communities took place. These discussions included forming organizations such as the Gay

Liberation Front. Stonewall is now a term amongst the gay community symbolizing the stand

taken to fight for equality and rights in the social community.

During the 1970s and 1980s the gay communities continued to fight for rights and

achieved some notable milestones. In 1973 “The American Psychiatric Association removes

homosexuality from its official list of mental disorders (infoplease, 2007, p. 1).” During the

earlier years men or women whom were found out as being gay were sometimes committed to

mental hospitals, as the medical field viewed homosexuality as a mental disorder. In the early

1980s Wisconsin became the first state to make discrimination against sexual orientation illegal.

Thou these may seem small strides, they were strides all the same. Each hurdle crossed for the

gay and lesbian community was reason for celebration and a feeling of accomplishment. The gay

and lesbian community still had many obstacles to overcome.

In 1993, the U.S. military began the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, supported by

President Clinton. The policy permitted gay and lesbians to serve legally in the military;

however, homosexual activity was banned. Prior to this policy if a military member was found

out, they were discharged. The implementation of this policy did not set easily with military

members and there was much debate and scuttlebutt surrounding the policy.

During the current decade, the Gay Rights Movement has celebrated many

accomplishments. Some of these accomplishments include ‘Civil Unions being legal in

Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey; same sex marriages are legal in Massachusetts, New

York now states that same sex marriages performed in other states must be recognized by
employers in New York, and the House of Representatives has passed a law giving equal rights

to gays, bisexuals and lesbians in the workplace.’ (infoplease) In May 2004, Massachusetts

began allowing same sex marriages. On May 17, 2004, the first day same sex marriages were

allowed there were 1,600 same sex marriages performed during the first month alone. From

May 2004 to May 2005 there were over 6,000 gay and lesbian couples married. “Lesbian

couples outnumbered gay men heading to the altar 65% to 35% (Belge, 2005, p. 1).” Based on

these statistics one can see gay and lesbian couples are just as serious about their relationships as

heterosexual couples. In Provincetown, MA there were 24 man/woman marriages compared to

841 same sex marriages, performed during 2004-2005. (Belge)

There has been much debate surrounding same sex relationships for hundreds of years.

Only the people truly associated with or living in the gay lifestyle know the struggles, fears,

confusion and hopelessness these people feel. The gay lifestyle is not an easy lifestyle even

today. Granted, acceptance has made tremendous strides over the past decades, but gays and

lesbians are still not permitted to truly live and enjoy all aspects of the American dream as

heterosexual couples do. Showing signs of affection in public for a gay couple is still frowned

upon. Some same sex couples will refrain so as not to be mocked or ridiculed; others simply do

not care and will try to live as normally as possible. One cannot be sure if the controversy

surrounding gay rights will ever become less prevalent, or if gays and lesbians will eventually

enjoy the same equal rights as heterosexuals. People are torn between what they feel is right

socially, morally and religiously, just as homosexuals are torn between what they feel internally

and what society says they should or should not feel. Who is to say what is morally right or

wrong? One can only guess how the future decades will evolve, with regard to the Gay Rights

Movement.
 References

Belge, K. (2005). Gay Marriages in Massachusetts: One year Later, May 2005. Retrieved

October 5, 2008, from http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/wedding/a/MassOneYear.htm

Britannica (n.d.). Gay Rights Movement. Retrieved October 5, 2008, from

http://www.answers.com/topic/gay-rights

Davidson, (2002). The Vietnam Era (1963-1975). In Nation of Nations (pp. 880-908). : The

McGraw-Hill Companies.

Head, T. (n.d.). The American Gay Rights Movement. Retrieved October 6, 2008, from

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/gendersexuality/tp/History-Gay-Rights-Movement.htm

infoplease (2007). The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline. Retrieved October 6, 2008,

from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/a0761909.html

Wright, L. (1999). The Stonewall Riots - 1969. Retrieved October 6, 2008, from

http://www.socialistalternative.org/literature/stonewall.html