1

The Gay Rights Movement Lundy

The Gay Rights Movement

Emily Lundy

The University of South Carolina

SOWK 222 Social Welfare Institutions, Policies, and Programs

Professor Melania Popa-Mabe

October 27, 2020

2
The Gay Rights Movement Lundy
The Gay Rights Movement

In order for change to be made in any circumstance, those who truly believe in the cause

at hand must be the ones to initiate that first step towards growth with the sole purpose of

successfully accomplishing the changes that are necessary. For the LGBTQ community, the Gay

Rights Movement being started by those exact kinds of people was the turning stone for them

being able to openly express all of who they are and what they provide the modern world. This

movement began with the goal to expand the rights for members of the LGBTQ community who

needed to receive acceptance in society's eyes. For centuries, those who were interested in the

same sex or who were not happy with the body they were born into had been shunned by both

towns and states along with being told by the church that because of who they considered

themselves to be, God no longer accepted them into his Kingdom. As children of the LGBTQ

community who don’t have a faith, this was not as big of an issue. However, for those who were

brought up with a religion similar to that of the Catholic faith, they had a more difficult time not

being accepted by the same God that made them into that person, and could not grasp the idea of

no longer being welcome in His home. Although wrapping their heads around the idea of this

community being equal in society was difficult for many, the day that we live in now is the

epitome of an exponentially beautiful change in both the heart and mind of our nation as a whole.

Not only have some of these strict religions adapted, but governmental protections for LGBTQ

have begun to be put in place as well.

The Gay Rights Movement has been an ongoing fight for equal rights since December of

1924, when the first organization was created in support of the LGBTQ community. This society

for Human Rights was founded in Chicago, by Henry Gerber. During this time, psychologists

and psychiatrists classified homosexuality as a form of illness. Due to this, Gerber’s initial goal
3
The Gay Rights Movement Lundy
of founding this organization did not last long because in due time, it was receiving too much

external pressure and eventually disbanded. Although Gerber’s foundation failed, another

organization called the Mattachine Society came to light. The Mattachine Society was founded

by the support of gay rights’ activist Harry Hay, who successfully rose with the utmost intention

to eliminate discrimination towards the LGBTQ community altogether. All organizations that

followed had the same intentions, as well as similar accomplishments, such as some states

beginning to not only allow, but to also acknowledge same-sex unions and marriages in the eyes

of both church and state. However, there are still states that do not allow these unions to exist,

and this may remain that way for a longer time than most people had hoped for when first

initiating this societal shift of acceptance.

Although the GRM has changed for the better in the long-run, not all good outcomes

came from the growth of this movement. In particular, one of the major setbacks to this

movement was in the 1950s when Dwight Eisenhower signed “Executive Order 10450, [which

banned] homosexuals from working for the federal government or any of its private contractors”

(Milestones). At this point, they believed that homosexuals could not make sane decisions and

were impulsive to the point of destruction. Therefore, the government didn’t want them getting

involved with any affairs that had too much leeway with government business. Another major

setback would be about thirty years later in June of 1977, when Anita Bryant successfully

repealed a gay rights ordinance, and even though she did end up receiving backlash, it was not

enough and did not get reinstated until December of 1998. Also, on September 21, 1996,

President Clinton signed a law called the Defense of Marriage Act. This law took away same-sex

marriage recognition in other states, even if you were legally married in the one that you reside,

and it “defines marriage as a legal union between [only] one man and one woman” (Milestones).
4
The Gay Rights Movement Lundy
Alongside the greater setbacks of the movement that usually involved policy or lawmaking, there

were also minor setbacks involving smaller-scale governmental rejection. This included random

police raids of gay bars and lesbian clubs that left behind three-day riots with minimal news

coverage. During this time in LGBTQ history, the setbacks were more likely to happen due to

the amount of control that the government had over the media before modern day social media

existed. Government control over the media prolonged the nation from learning opposing views

and allowed the government to have Americans to view what they wanted them to view. Even

though the government was able to control the amount of coverage seen by people outside of the

riots to make the issue seem smaller, it infuriated the activists who were a part of it, which

ultimately lit a brighter spark towards a positive shift for Gay Rights.

Regarding the positive shift for the benefit of Gay Rights, there were multiple leaps taken

for each setback that was faced. For instance, after 30 years of science and believing

homosexuality to be a mental illness, Evelyn Hooker, a psychologist, found through her research

that “homosexuality is not a clinical entity and that heterosexuals and homosexuals do not differ

significantly. Hooker's experiment [became] very influential [and changed] clinical perceptions

of homosexuality” (Milestones). Following this newfound concept, the date of one of the riots

was not only a minor setback, but also a huge leap because it led to improved rights and

awareness towards the violence of gay people and became an important day in LGBTQ history.

This riot is referred to as the Stonewall riots, in which thousands of LGBTQ members still march

to this day. The march following the Stonewall riots are “considered America's first gay pride

parade,” which took place in New York City, heading towards Central Park and is now a part of

the LGBTQ’s yearly celebration in places around the globe (Milestones). Another win for the

Gay Rights Movement took place in 1980. Politically, this day was very important because it
5
The Gay Rights Movement Lundy
was the day that “the Democrats [became] the first major political party [to endorse] a

homosexual rights platform” (Milestones). Even though this significant day came in 1980, it was

not until 2011 when “President Obama [stated that] his administration will no longer defend the

Defense of Marriage Act, which bans the recognition of same-sex marriage” and reform started

to speed up (Milestones). After the removal of this Act, four years later the Supreme Court

declared same-sex marriage to be legal in all 50 states.

Not including past history of the Gay Rights Movement, many organizations still

continue to do a lot in order to progress LGBTQ rights. Author David Nahmias’ articles, Impact

Fund and Allies say "YES" to Equality Act and Impact Fund Joins Fight Against Transgender

Discrimination at Starbucks, discuss how organizations continue to fight for more rights. Within

his Allies article, he discusses the Equality Act that is supposed to pass through the House to the

Senate sometime this summer if all goes as planned. Nahmias mentions all of the benefits that

would be provided by the Equality Act, not only for the LGBTQ community, but also for women

and people of color. Some of these benefits within the Act “forbids denying access to shared

facilities that do not correspond to a person’s gender identity, empowers the Department of

Justice to enforce the public accommodations law against anti-LGBTQ bias, and codifies sexual

orientation and gender identity as protected classes in the Fair Housing Act, Equal Credit

Opportunity Act, and 28 U.S.C. §1862, which prohibits discrimination in federal jury selection,”

as well as many other preliminary benefits (Allies). Nahmias also discussed a story in his other

article of a transgender woman who had no other option than to quit her job at Starbucks due to

transitioning from a man and not being accepted for it. After making her co-workers aware of the

change she was about to go through and how they should refer to her, her relationship with her

manager went downhill, as their friendship diminished into nothing but intentional mis
6
The Gay Rights Movement Lundy
gendering. He made himself very clear that he did not agree with her decision, and sought out to

make her know it without actually having another conversation with her. After filing for a

lawsuit and losing, Impact Fund joined her and her lawyer to appeal the court's decision. She

wasn’t concerned for her own well-being at that point, but instead wanted to make future

situations better for anyone who would come after her with a similar story.

While many still argue over the rights that should be allowed in the LGBTQ community,

the entire movement as a whole has been a primary source of support for those within the

community itself, as they do not always receive support from their peers and loved ones

surrounding them and still get backlash from people who are stuck in the past. Nonetheless, it is

vitally important for such organizations to exist in order for larger corporations and

governmental groups to continue improving their rights, encourage equality, and to continuously

provide the support that is needed for members of the LGBTQ community to be accepted for

both who they love and who they consider themselves to be.
7
The Gay Rights Movement Lundy
Works Cited:

Milestones in the American Gay Rights Movement. (2020, June 9). American Experience.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/stonewall-milestones-american-g

ay-rights-movement/

Nahmias D. (2019, March 14). Impact Fun and Allies Say “Yes” to Equality Act. Impact Fund.

https://www.impactfund.org/social-justice-blog/category/Equality+Act

Nahmias D. (2020, April 28). Impact Fund Joins Fight Against Transgender Discrimination at

Starbucks. Impact Fund. https://www.impactfund.org/social-justice-blog/wade-starbucks