LGBTQ movements

The gay rights movement, also called the LGBT rights movement, claims to seek equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) persons.

History

The gay rights movement arose in response to laws against homosexual behavior and discrimination and prejudice against homosexuals. One of the first gay rights activists was Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, who lived in 19th-century Germany. Ulrichs actively campaigned for the repeal of German anti-sodomy laws. The first mass gay rights activism movement was centered around Magnus Hirschfeld, Adolf Brand, Gustav Wyneken and Leontine Sagan, in pre-World War II Berlin, Germany. The gay rights movement in Germany was almost completely obliterated or exiled by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement.

In the United States, several secret or semi-secret groups were formed to advance the rights of homosexuals as early as the turn of the twentieth century, but little is known about them (Norton 2005). A better documented group is Henry Gerber’s Society for Human Rights formed in Chicago in 1924), which was quickly suppressed (Bullough 2005).

The first era of the gay rights movement is generally considered to have begun in the fifties. The homophile movement, as it was called, emerged with the formation in Los Angeles and San Francisco of the Mattachine Society, the Daughters of Bilitis and ONE, Inc.. ONE Inc. was the first public homosexual organization in the U.S. (Percy & Glover 2005), and ONE Magazine the first widely circulated gay and lesbian magazine. The homophile movement was fairly conservative and it lobbied within the system for social acceptability. Any demonstrations were orderly and polite (Matzner 2004). By 1969, there were dozens of homophile organizations and publications in the U.S. (Bullough 2002), and a national organization had been formed, but they were largely ignored by the media. This would change with the Stonewall riots (Bullough 2005). In the sixties, the civil rights, black power, anti-war, and feminist movements influenced some LGBT activists to become more militant and radical (Matzner 2004).

The Stonewall riots of 1969 galvanized activists into forming what became known as the Gay Liberation Movement, which is considered to be the second era of the gay rights movement (Percy & Glover 2005). The riots led to the creation in New York City of such groups as the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and the Gay Activists' Alliance (GAA), which engaged in colorful street theater (Gallagher & Bull 1996). The GLF’s ‘A Gay Manifesto’ set out the aims for the fledgling gay liberation movement, and influential intellectual Paul Goodman published his “The Politics of Being Queer” (1969). Chapters of the GLF then spread to other countries. These groups would be the seeds for the various modern gay rights groups that campaign for equality in countries around the globe. One of the values of the movement was gay pride, and the Stonewall riots were commemorated by annual marches that became known as Pride parades and marches. Over the years, the anarchistic Gay Liberation Movement of the 1960s evolved into a more conservative and institutionalized movement that was more commonly referred to as the Gay Rights Movement. The NGLTF and the Human Rights Campaign became major national organizations.

Historian William A. Percy, considers that a third epoch of the gay rights movement began in the early 1980s, when AIDS became the highest priority and decimated its leaders, and lasted until 1998, when HAART made AIDS a chronic illness in developed countries (Percy & Glover 2005). It was during this era that direct action groups such as ACT UP were formed.

The movement today

The gay rights social movement|movement comprises a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and related causes. Although it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also promote the rights of groups of individuals who do not necessarily identify as being gay - see the article Homosexuality and Transgender.

These views are considered controversial by some, and the gay rights movement is opposed by a variety of individuals and groups including some religious and political (traditionally though not exclusively conservative) groups. Despite this controversy, many of these views have been taken up by mainstream professional organizations such as the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association. Anti-gay-rights activists (for example, NARTH), however, say that these mainstream institutions have succumbed to political pressure rather than relying on a rational examination of the facts. An example that is often cited is the controversy over the removal of homosexuality from the DSM. In 1973, homosexuality was removed and replaced with "Sexual Orientation Disturbance" in the DSM-II; this was changed to "Ego-Dystonic Homosexuality" in the DSM-III and was removed entirely from the DSM-IV.

Although it is difficult to generalize, given the wide range of opinions and beliefs within the gay rights movement, in general most members agree upon the following points:

in acceptance of all people regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression;
that all people deserve equal rights and parity in law regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression;
that homophobia (the irrational fear and/or hatred of homosexuals) as well as transphobia is dangerous, not just to gays and lesbians or transgender people, but to all members of society;
views that consider homosexuality or gender variance to be negative (i.e. a sin or a perversion) are irrelevant, misguided or even outright malicious;
that sexual orientation is innate and cannot be consciously changed, referring to homosexuality, heterosexuality and bisexuality equally as unchangeable sexual orientations (although some queer theorists would take issue with certain parts of this argument)
that gender identity is not a choice;
that attempts to alter sexual orientation (see ex-gay, reparative therapy and gender identity) can be dangerous, misguided at best;
that people should be free to express their sexual or gender identity without fear of reprisal and
that homosexuality does not break down the fibers of the "traditional" family; "homophobia" does.