Famous children’s author Dr. Seuss once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind". Gay rights, at the moment, are one of the most publicized and well known controversial subjects of this decade. The sides clearly drawn one fighting for rights as simple as being married the other stating that it defames their religion and goes against the definition of marriage, being between a man and a woman. The individuals who are fighting for their civil rights are fallowing the same path that African Americans and women have taken, but the change has started and in over 13 states gays have been given their basic rights and more state are joining in the fight both for and against the topic. History In the United States, there were few endeavors made to make backing gatherings supporting gay and lesbian connections until after World War II, in spite of the fact that prewar gay life thrived in urban settings, for example, Greenwich Village and Harlem throughout the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. The disturbances of World War II permitted at one time separated gay men and ladies to meet as warriors, war laborers, and different volunteers were then removed from residential communities and posted around the world. More stupendous mindfulness, coupled with Senator Joseph Mccarthy's examination of gay people holding government occupations throughout the early 1950s, which then prompted the first American-based political requests for reasonable medicine in mental wellbeing, open strategy, and vocation (Infoplease). The essential association for recognizing gay men as an oppressed social minority was the Mattachine Society, established in 1950 by Harry Hay and ... ... middle of paper ... ...ederal employees (making no mention of additional costs such as Social Security and inheritance taxes) would be $596 million in mandatory spending and $302 million in discretionary spending between 2010 and 2019”(procon.org). This vast increase in spending will only contribute to national debt and our dependency on foreign countries giving the U.S loans. Works Cited Bernard, Tara Siegel, and Ron Lieber. "The Costs of Being a Gay Couple Run Higher." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Oct. 2009. Web. "Gay Rights Timeline: Key Dates in the Fight for Equality." NBC News. Web. Hansen, Trayce. "Dr. Trayce Hansen's Writings." Dr. Trayce Hansen's Writings. 8 Dec. 2009. Web. 07 May 2014. Kathryn Perry, "The Cost of Gay Marriage - In Dollars and Cents," Christian Science Monitor, May 27, 2009 ProCon.org. "Is There a 'Gay' Gene?" ProCon.org. 18 Mar. 2011. Web.
...e social changes brought about this period. He cites the growing sensationalism of sex covered in the media as a prime driver behind the sexual orthodoxy in American culture (Chauncey 1994, 359). During this witch hunt, he draws a silver lining. Using the scholarship of others such as John D’Emilio, he cites that this period brought a greater bond to the gay community by forging brotherhood of adversity which would then come back into play in the 1960’s as an experiential touchstone for the Civil Rights era (Chauncey 1994, 360). Chauncey nestles his own narrative of the gay community in New York within the larger narrative of gay life in America filling in the gaps of secondary sources through his own primary work.
Mattachine, an activist group in New York, called for a meeting July 16 to organize around gay liberation. Dick Leitsch, an old time leader, tried to lead the meeting. “ Acceptance of gays and lesbians would take time,” he explained, but one young man shouted, “we don't want acceptance, we have got to radi...
. Gianoulis, Tina. "Gay Liberation Movement." In St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture., edited by Thomas Riggs, 438-43. 2nd ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: St. James, 2013. Gale Virtual Reference Library (GALE|CX2735801056).
As generations proceeded, institutions such as the American Psychiatric Society began to classify homosexuality as a disease, which was later retracted in the 1970’s and was no longer considered a mental disorder. At this time many homosexuals decided to start “coming out”, a process in which people talk freely about their sexual orientation to family and friends. Then in the1980’s new adversary for the gay community became the forefront of debates worldwide. The AIDS crisis, which seemed to be only contracted in the gay male population, paved the way for brutalizing words such as “queer” that was used to describe all sexual minorities. In the 1990’s where the gay rights movement saw more victories with the United States military instituting the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.” This policy gave homosexuals the right to serve within the military. Then in the year 2000, Vermont became the first state to allow same sex civil unions (Pitas).
Sanchez, Ray, and Miguel Marquez. "Arizona Lawmakers Pass Controversial Anti-Gay Bill." CNN.com. Cable News Network, 21 Feb. 2014. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
In the 1940s, homophobia was extremely prevalent in the United States. People who were openly gay were often stigmatized. “Homosexuality was discussed as ‘an aspect of three personality disorders: psychopaths who were sexual perverts, paranoid personalities who suffered from homosexual panic, and schizoid personalities’ who displayed gay symptoms” (Kaiser 29). Many regulations and practices discriminated against gays. The military found homosexuality to be a direct threat to strength and safety of the U.S. government and the American people, in general. In 1941 the Army and the Selective Service banned homosexuals from participation in the war (Kaiser 29). All major religions considered it sinful and throughout the country, more and more people found it to be immoral. Life was hard for homosexuals in the early and mid-twentieth century. They were forced to hide their sexuality in order to escape derision or imprisonment.
In 1950, a homosexual man named Harry Hay and a group of homosexual activists decided that they were tired of being treated unequally just because of their sexual orientation (Mattachine Society Today 3). They started the Mattachine Society where they could begin acting and organizing against this type of oppression. They wanted to give male homosexuals support and the sense of pride for being who they were. The main goals were to unify isolated homosexuals and to encourage them to fight for their rights while providing a society of safe and social activities (Mattachine Society Today 9). The group was in for a struggle though: their conservative ways did not satisfy many. The problem was not in their efforts and intentions, but in the fact that their society was politically weak,...
“Equal rights for lesbians and gay men may be the greatest civil rights battle of the 21st century” (Avery 2007, p. 71). Homosexual couples have been fighting a losing battle for years, and their struggle has recently taken the spotlight once again as a burning topic. Over the years, many people have come to support equal love. However, many Americans still advocate the one man-one woman institution of marriage. The fight for equal rights in general has always been a complex issue. African Americans, women, and many other minorities have had to fight for the rights that they hold today. There are many factors involved in gay activism such as support, attitudes, roles, and the implications of the movement. Social psychology takes a particular interest in gay rights and these factors in particular, as it is a current, controversial topic within American society.
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 in the 1950's president Eisenhower banned gays from holding federal jobs and many state institutions did the same. The lead taken by the federal government encouraged local police forces to harass gay citizens. "Vice officers regularly raided gay bars, sometimes arresting dozens of men and women on a single night" (Milestones). In spite of the adversity, out of the 1950s also came the first organized groups of gays, including leaders. The movement was small at first, but grew exponentially in short periods of time. Spurred on by the civil rights movement in the 1960s, the "homophile" (Milestones) movement took on more visibility, picketing government agencies and discriminatory policies. By 1969, around 50 gay organizations existed in the United States. The most crucial moment in blowing the gay rights movement wide open was on the evening of July 27, 1969, when a group of police raided a gay bar in New York City. This act prompted three days of rioting in the area called the Stonewall Rio...
Singleton, Dave. "40 Years Later: A Look Back at the Turning Point for Gay Rights." AARP. AARP, June 2009. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.
Kennedy, Dorothy M., and Jane E. Aaron. " What's Wrong with Gay Marriage?." The Bedford Reader. By X. J. Kennedy. 11th ed. Boston: St. Martin’s, 2012. 570-572. Print.
Nieves, Evelyn. “Same-Sex Marriage Issue Fires Up Gays.” The Washington Post. Nov. 1, 2004. .
Redlingshafer, JoEllen. "The LGBT Movement Must Look Past Gay Marriage." Policymic. Policymic, 2013. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.
Bennett, Jessica. "The Case Against Marriage." Newsweek. Newsweek, 11 June 2010. Web. 11 Dec. 2013.
Meeker, Martin. Contacts desired: Gay and lesbian communications and community, 1940s-1970s. Chicago: University of Chicago P, 2006.