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LGBTQ+ Rights Movement Gabriella Maggi IDS 400 Final Project Part One

Introduction The LGBTQ+ Rights Movement has been an ongoing fight for the community for years, and modern society is ever changing as a result of the movement. Over the years, the community has been fighting for basic rights and equality, bringing the younger generations into a society where identifying as LGBTQ+ and being out and proud is not something to be ashamed of in many people’s cases. The acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community is at an all time high, even getting recognition from the Vatican, where Pope Francis showed his support for same sex civil unions (BBC News). In this paper, I will be analyzing the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement through . the four general education lenses: history, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences History Homosexuality was considered a taboo topic across the world and was widely unaccepted or even tolerated. Prior to World War II, gay and lesbian Americans hid that side of themselves in fear of the lives and being shunned from the community and their families. With the increased populations moving from rural to urban areas, gay and lesbian people living in cities were able to create their own subdivision within the city that was still hidden from the general public. They found they were able to be anonymous in public, but be themselves in the few safe places in the cities. The military was among one of the places that brought hidden gay people together because of the same sex barracks. While some gay people were removed from the military for being caught, many others were able to continue to hide, or those in command simply turned the other .way in many cases Gay and lesbian Americans experienced more freedoms as they were more tolerated throughout the 1940s-1950s, but around the mid 1950s more LGBTQ+ Americans were being fired from jobs and released from the military simply due to their sexual orientation. Religion,

the courts, medical professionals, and society continued to push that being gay was perverted. “In 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued an executive order banning gay men and lesbian women from all federal jobs. State and local governments and some private corporations followed suit, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation began surveillance of known and (. suspected homosexual Americans.” (Sprague, C From the 1950s-1960s, LGBTQ+ Americans were increasingly targeted as society grew to be more intolerant. The rise in police brutality against the community grew because they were seen as a “threat to American society.” The police would often target bars and nightclubs that were known to be places congregated by gay men and women. The Stonewall Riots were a major turning point in the LGBTQ+ movement. The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in lower New York City that was frequented by a majority of Black and Latino gays, lesbians, crossdressers, and .runaways On Friday, June 27, 1969, the police came in citing the suspicion of selling alcohol illegally and shut down the bar. The bartender, bouncer, and others were arrested and the remaining couple hundred patrons were ushered out onto the streets. The final patron to be escorted out put up a fight, resulting in the police to take action to subdue her and the crowd outside to rebel. (Mann, B.) The crowd threw beer bottles, cobblestone from the roads, and coins at the eight officers as they sought shelter inside the bar. The crowd then used a parking meter to tear down the door, which was when extra officers came in riot gear. The crowd left into alleys and other buildings, but continued to protest. The protest continued into the following day, where it grew in their numbers. The protested lasted through the week with bursts of violence, fires, and looting. With the initial protests at Stonewall started to settle, it sparked a nation wide movement. The gay rights movement took their inspiration from the women’s rights movement and

. continued push for political change Humanities The age of social media has brought a lot of attention to the injustices to the LGBTQ+ community, but it has also helped raise awareness and help those who struggle to accept their identity. Social media helps those struggling with their identity find people like them that they can relate to, reach out to, and know they are not alone. They find a community online which offers them the support they need to navigate through the sometimes difficult time of figuring out . their sexuality, coming out, and the reactions from family and friends Also, the increased amount of gay couples shown on television is one of the many ways that helps people in the community to feel accepted. By showing happy healthy relationships that represent you, it helps you not feel “different.” For example, Modern Family showcases a typical modern American family. The patriarch is a divorcee remarried to a younger Latina with a son from a previous relationship, his daughter is a working woman with a family, and his son is a gay man who is married and together they go through the adoption process. In addition to that, the . gay son is played by a gay actor Social media networks also take part in Pride Month by highlighting LGBTQ+ artists, actors, and public figures. For example, Spotify will break down music and podcasts into categories, and there is specific categories for Pride Month, and subcategories of lesbian, gay, non-binary artists. While these are available year-round, they highlight them throughout Pride . Month on their home page The rainbow flag has become a symbol for the LGBTQ+ community across the globe since 1978. It was first flown in the San Francisco pride parade and was designed by Gilbert Baker, an openly gay artist and activist. The flag consisted of eight colors, each with their own

meaning; hot pink for sex, red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for harmony and violet for spirit. The first flag flown that day was 30 by 60 feet, swan by hand by Baker. In an interview with CNN in 2015, Baker says, “When it went up and the wind finally took it out of my hands, it blew my mind… I saw immediately how everyone around me owned that flag. I thought: It's better than I ever dreamed.” With the success and admiration he saw for the flag at that parade, he wanted to mass produce the flag so it would grow as a symbol of hope for the community. To make production easier, he opted to remove the . hot pink and turquoise colors from the flag, leaving us with the modern day six hue pride flag Social Sciences Approximately 4.5% of the US population identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and of those people, more than 39% report having a mental illness in the last year (Mental Health America). It is extremely important to state that identifying as LGBTQ+ is not a mental illness, or a choice. Many in the community struggle with their mental health, and some studies indicate they will used mental health services two and a half times more than their heterosexual counterparts. Members of the community often experience fear, shame, . discrimination, and other traumatic events that only add to their struggles Research has linked a lot of the mental health crisis within the LGBTQ+ community to the environment the individual is in. This could mean the views of those around and closest to the individual. For instance, if the individual are up with parents who were homophobic and openly voiced those opinions and views around their child who was closeted, the child would be more likely to hide their identity. By hiding their true self based on the views of your parents, . they feel more guilt, fear, and discrimination There are members of the LGBTQ+ community who are also part of additional

marginalized communities. For example, they could be people of color, indigenous, having a physical disability, differing religions, and of low economic status. Those who fit into those additional categories have their own experiences that only they can identify with, making it more difficult to address. Being from low economic status makes getting treatment for their mental illness difficult or even impossible, in some instances, as they do not have the extra money necessary to seek help. In addition, in parts of the country, it is also difficult to find a doctor that . will treat you without any preexisting bias against the LGBTQ+ community Natural Sciences In 1981’s, five young gay men were diagnosed with a rare form of pneumonia in Los Angeles. Not long after, twenty six men in New York City and San Francisco were diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. These cases are the beginning of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. The standout fact of all the cases of the disease and the victims is their sexual orientation, resulting in the name “gay-related immune deficiency” (GRID), but was changed to AIDS when it apparent that gay men were not the only ones that could be effected. Initially, there was not much information on the disease or how it was transmitted, but the little . they did know resulted in fear of and within the gay community This resulted in an increase in antigay views and fear within the general public, they considered gay men and interventions drug users, who were also effected, to be dangerous to society as they were the spreaders of the disease. The LGBTQ+ press called for research, education, and a treatment for the disease, while some public health officials called for mandatory testing and quarantine for gay men. With the increase of antigay views in wake of the AIDS epidemic, it also resulted in the LGBTQ+ community to come together for themselves and their safety. In the middle of a life or death situation, the community took a stance and created a

political movement to help fund research of the disease. The press raised awareness on the crisis, and in the process gained support for gay rights. Due to the lack of information on the disease, . gay men had to take responsibility and educate themselves on the disease In 1987, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) was formed to “counter the political complacency” in regards to AIDS research funding. Aside from seeking more accessible and effective treatment, ACT UP had a high pressure tactic to challenge bigotry and educate safe sex practices as a method of prevention. It wasn’t until the 1990’s when the general public had a better understanding of AIDS/HIV, which resulted in a decrease to the antigay views and an increase to effective AIDS treatment. With some celebrities coming forward as being positive . with HIV or AIDS, the social stigma of the diseases decreased Conclusion The LGBTQ+ Rights Movement has made immense progress over the years, especially within the last six years. With same sex marriage becoming legal nation wide in the United States in 2015, there have been an outpouring of support shown in media, social media, the news, from celebrities, and in political legislation. In recent years, it has become almost customary to ask people what their pronouns are, and, in the more liberal parts of the country, to no longer assume everyone you meet is heterosexual. With the increased acceptance of the community, the younger generations are able to be out and proud of who they are and what makes us all different. Due to the strides made throughout the movement, it is the hope that future generations do not have to experience the fear and discrimination that older generations of the LGBTQ+ . community endured for a better future for the community

References

BBC News. (2020, October 21). Pope Francis indicates support for same-sex civil unions. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54627625

Gabb, J., McDermott, E., Eastham, R., & Hanbury, A. (2019). Paradoxical family practices: LGBTQ plus young people, mental health and wellbeing. Journal Of Sociology. https://doi-

org.ezproxy.snhu.edu/10.1177/1440783319888286

LGBTQ+ Communities and Mental Health. (n.d.). Mental Health America. \ https://www.mhanational.org/issues/lgbtq-communities-and-mental-health

Mann, B. (2021). Stonewall Rebellion Ignites Modern Lesbian and Gay Rights Movement. . Salem Press Encyclopedia

Mental Health in the LGBT Community. (n.d.). Mental Help. / https://www.mentalhelp.net/mental-health-in-the-lgbt-community

Prisco, J. C. (2019, July 19). A colorful history of the rainbow flag. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/pride-rainbow-flag-design-history/index.html

. Sprague, C. (2019). Gay Rights Movement. Salem Press Encyclopedia

Veltman, A., & La Rose, T. (2019). LGBTQ Mental Health: What Every Clinician Needs to .Know. Psychiatric Times, 36(12), 21–23...