Gay Liberation
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In the 1950s and the 1960s, the Gay community faced very strong repression and anti-gay juridical context. Considered to be mentally ill, homosexuals were barred from working for the government and were often rejected when applying for any job. Between 1947 and 1950, 4,380 men had been expelled from the United States military. Underground gay bars were often subject to raids, in which multiple men and women were arrested and sent to jail, they would be treated by electroshock therapy in the hopes of ridding them of this “disease.”[1]
At that time, small homophile groups already existed and fought for gay rights. However their efforts went without any success because their community was so unorganized at the time. At the end of the 1960s the counterculture movement was causing fueling the rise of the anti-war movement, Civil Rights movement (Black Panthers), and feminist movement, which all inspired the Gay community to organize themselves and fight back.
At that time, small homophile groups already existed and fought for gay rights. However their efforts went without any success because their community was so unorganized at the time. At the end of the 1960s the counterculture movement was causing fueling the rise of the anti-war movement, Civil Rights movement (Black Panthers), and feminist movement, which all inspired the Gay community to organize themselves and fight back.
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Although the raids in gay bars were usually considered routine, on
June 28, 1969, the raid that took place at the Stonewall Inn bar in Greenwich
Village did not go as planned. This raid differed from previous raids because
gays, lesbians, and drag queens fought back. They struck back with garbage, glasses,
bricks and parking meters. The Stonewall raid led to five days of restless
confrontations and riots between the Gay community. This chaos led to the birth
of the Gay Liberation Movement.[2]
After the Stonewall riots and the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) multiple homophile groups formed across the country. The activists of the GLF wanted to ally themselves with the Black Panther, Civil Rights and Anti-Vietnam war groups. In the year of 1970, the Black Panthers affirmed their support for the gay liberation movement. In 1971, the Gay Liberation movement joined the anti-war movement to protest against the Vietnam war.[3]
After the Stonewall riots and the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) multiple homophile groups formed across the country. The activists of the GLF wanted to ally themselves with the Black Panther, Civil Rights and Anti-Vietnam war groups. In the year of 1970, the Black Panthers affirmed their support for the gay liberation movement. In 1971, the Gay Liberation movement joined the anti-war movement to protest against the Vietnam war.[3]
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Following the Stonewall riots the Gay liberation movement progressively won victories and made considerable changes. In June 1970, the first gay pride parade was held in New York to commemorate the Stonewall riots with approximately two hundred people in attendance. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association agreed to remove homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. The same year, Harvey Milk, ran for city supervisor in San Francisco as the first openly gay candidate.
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More and more businesses began to target the gay community. The success of the movement led entrepreneurs in every major city to open bars, restaurants, nightclubs, and shops that offered social services for a new clientele. The socioeconomic concentration of the gay population eventually led to the foundation of districts, also known as gay “ghettos”.[4]
The two years following the Stonewall riots was also marked by the creation of gay liberation newspapers in Los Angeles (Advocate), New York (Come Out !), San Francisco (Gay Sunshine), Boston (Fag Rag), and Detroit (Gay Liberation). With the press the movement became more of a major institution.[5] In part, the freedom and acceptance of sexuality inspired during the counterculture led to the organization of the Gay Rights movement, allowing gay men and women to spread their concerns and fight for future acceptance.
The two years following the Stonewall riots was also marked by the creation of gay liberation newspapers in Los Angeles (Advocate), New York (Come Out !), San Francisco (Gay Sunshine), Boston (Fag Rag), and Detroit (Gay Liberation). With the press the movement became more of a major institution.[5] In part, the freedom and acceptance of sexuality inspired during the counterculture led to the organization of the Gay Rights movement, allowing gay men and women to spread their concerns and fight for future acceptance.
[1] Barry Adam, The Rise of a Gay and Lesbian Movement, Boston (1987): Twayne Publishers.
[2] The Oregon Encyclopedia, “Gay and Lesbian Rights Movement,” Accessed December 13, 2013, http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/view/gay_lesbian_rights_movement/.
[3] John D'Emilio, Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities : The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970, Chicago (1983): University of Chicago Press.
[4] University of California Press, “Economics of the Gay Ghetto,” Accessed December 13, 2013, http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft0q2n99kf&chunk.id=d0e1561&toc.id=d0e1353&brand=ucpress
[5] Barry Adam, The Rise of a Gay Lesbian Movement.
[2] The Oregon Encyclopedia, “Gay and Lesbian Rights Movement,” Accessed December 13, 2013, http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/view/gay_lesbian_rights_movement/.
[3] John D'Emilio, Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities : The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970, Chicago (1983): University of Chicago Press.
[4] University of California Press, “Economics of the Gay Ghetto,” Accessed December 13, 2013, http://publishing.cdlib.org/ucpressebooks/view?docId=ft0q2n99kf&chunk.id=d0e1561&toc.id=d0e1353&brand=ucpress
[5] Barry Adam, The Rise of a Gay Lesbian Movement.
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[6]"BOSTON: Gay Pride: 2012 | Conlibe: Political Blog for TRUTH in Politics.." Conlibe Political Blog for TRUTH in Politics. http://conlibe.wordpress.com/massachusetts/home/ (accessed December 17, 2013).
[7]"Stonewall Riots: The Beginning of the LGBT Movement." The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. http://www.civilrights.org/archives/2009/06/449-stonewall.html (accessed December 15, 2013).
[8]"History of the Stonewall Riots - Stonewall Democrats." Stonewall Democrats. http://stonewalldemocratsofeasternmissouri.org/history-of-the-stonewall-riots.html (accessed December 17, 2013).[9]"The California Museum." Harvey Milk -. http://www.californiamuseum.org/inductee/harvey-milk (accessed December 17, 2013).
[9]"The Castro: The Rise of a Gay Community." FoundSF RSS. http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Castro:_The_Rise_of_a_Gay_Community (accessed December 14, 2013).
[7]"Stonewall Riots: The Beginning of the LGBT Movement." The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. http://www.civilrights.org/archives/2009/06/449-stonewall.html (accessed December 15, 2013).
[8]"History of the Stonewall Riots - Stonewall Democrats." Stonewall Democrats. http://stonewalldemocratsofeasternmissouri.org/history-of-the-stonewall-riots.html (accessed December 17, 2013).[9]"The California Museum." Harvey Milk -. http://www.californiamuseum.org/inductee/harvey-milk (accessed December 17, 2013).
[9]"The Castro: The Rise of a Gay Community." FoundSF RSS. http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Castro:_The_Rise_of_a_Gay_Community (accessed December 14, 2013).