The 1960s and Gay Liberatn | Historil Materialism

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• BARBARA GTGS HELPS LEAD FIRST 'ANNUAL REMR' PROTTSGGS WAS AN ACTIVIST BOTH THE PRE-STONEWALL HOMOPHILE MOVEMENT OF THE 50S AND 60S AND THE POST-STONEWALL GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT. SHE ANIZED THE NEW YORK CHAPTER OF THE DGHTERS OF BILIS AND, 1965 – ALONG WH FRANK KAMENY – GTGS WAS STMENTAL LEADG THE “ANNUAL REMR” PICKETS, WHICH WERE SOME OF THE VERY FIRST PRO-LGBTQ+ PROTTS VISIBLE TO THE AMERIN PUBLIC. ONE RNERSTONE OF HER WORK CLUD PRSURG THE AMERIN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATN TO CLASSIFY HOMOSEXUALY AS A MENTAL DISORR. FOR THREE NSECUTIVE YEARS BEGNG 1970, GTGS ANIZED PROTTS, STORMED TO, AND PARTICIPATED THE ASSOCIATN’S ANNUAL MEETG. IN 1972, GTGS ANIZED A PANEL ON HOMOSEXUALY ALONG WH AN ANONYMO PSYCHIATRIST WHO WAS MASKED AND ED A VOICE MODULATOR. FALLY 1973, THE ASSOCIATN ANNOUNCED S REMOVAL OF THE CLASSIFITN AND VED GTGS TO THE MEETG. ‍COMPTON’S CAFETERIA RT CATALYZ TRANS COMMUNY POWER IN SAN FRANCIS
• GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
• 7 EARLY PNEERS OF THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENTBEFORE THE STONEWALL RTS, THE ACTIVISTS HELPED SET THE STAGE FOR ADVANC THE LGBTQ CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.BY: JOSEPH BENNGTON-CASTROUPDATED: JUNE 8, 2023 | ORIGAL: JUNE 1, 2023PY PAGE LKPRT PAGEBILL MRER/NY DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE VIA GETTY IMAGTHE 1960S SAW SOME MAJOR STRIS LGBTQ ACTIVISM, CLUDG THE GAY “SIP-IN” PROTT AGAST DISCRIMATN OM NEW YORK CY BARS AND THE 1969 STONEWALL RTS. BUT SOME ACTIVISTS TOOK A STAND FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS BEFORE THAT FAMED , OPERATG UNR THE FEAR OF LOSG THEIR JOBS SHOULD THEY BE OUTED OR BEG ARRTED FOR SIMPLY EXISTG HETERONORMATIVE SPAC. THE URAGE OF THE EARLY U.S. QUEER ACTIVISTS SET THE STAGE FOR POLIL VICTORI LGBTQ RIGHTS THE S TO E.WILLIAM DORSEY SWANN (1860–?)JT THREE YEARS BEFORE THE EMANCIPATN PROCLAMATN, WILLIAM DORSEY SWANN WAS BORN THE PROPERTY OF A WHE PLANTATN WOMAN, ACRDG TO REARCH BY CHANNG GERARD JOSEPH. HE GREW UP TO BEE THE FIRST PERSON THE UNED STAT TO FIGHT FOR THE LGBTQ MUNY’S RIGHT TO GATHER THROUGH LEGAL AND POLIL CHANNELS. HE WAS ALSO THE FIRST SELF-PROFSED QUEEN OF DRAG.SWANN HELD DRAG BALLS, OR DANCE PARTI WHICH ATTEN (BLACK MEN, MANY FORMER SLAV) WOULD DRS WOMEN’S SILKS AND SATS. ONE OF THE WASHGTON, D.C. PARTI WAS RAID BY POLICE 1888 AND ABOUT A DOZEN OF THE DRAGGED-UP ATTEN WERE ARRTED, SWANN CLUD.HE WAS TAED SEVERAL MORE TIM AND NVICTED 1896 FOR THE FALSE CHARGE OF “KEEPG A DISORRLY HOE,” OR A BROTHEL. DURG HIS 10-MONTH SENTENCE, SWANN PETNED PRINT GROVER CLEVELAND FOR A PARDON, WHICH WAS NIED. AFTER HIS RELEASE, SWANN NTUED TO THROW BALLS AS THE QUEEN OF DRAG. THE YEAR OF HIS ATH IS UNCERTA, ALTHOUGH SOME LIST AS 1925, WHEN HE WOULD HAVE BEEN 66-67 YEARS OLD.HENRY GERBER (1892–1972)IN 1924, HENRY GERBER FOUND THE FIRST GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN AMERI: THE SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. THE CHIGO-BASED ANIZATN PRODUCED FRIENDSHIP AND FREEDOM, THE FIRST AMERIN PUBLITN FOR HOMOSEXUALS.IN 1925, GERBER AND OTHER ANIZATN MEMBERS WERE ARRTED FOR “OBSCENY” AFTER THE POLICE RECEIVED A TIP OM A -FOUNR’S WIFE. THOUGH THE CHARG WERE EVENTUALLY DROPPED, FIGHTG THEM ST GERBER HIS LIFE’S SAVGS AND HIS JOB WH THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE, AS WELL AS THE DISSOLUTN OF HIS ANIZATN.GERBER WENT ON TO LIVE AN UNASSUMG LIFE, WRG ARTICL ABOUT HOMOSEXUAL OPPRSN UNR A PSDONYM, WORKG AND BUILDG MUNY.HARRY HAY (1912–2002)HARRY HAY WAS A MUNIST ACTIVIST WHO -FOUND THE MATTACHE SOCIETY, THE FIRST ENDURG GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN, 1950. HAY WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DIVORCED BY HIS WIFE, FELLOW MUNIST ANA PLATKY, AND EXPELLED OM THE MUNIST PARTY, WHICH NSIRED HIM A SECURY RISK, A FEW YEARS LATER. THE BURGEONG MATTACHE SOCIETY FORCED HAY AND OTHER MUNIST FOUNRS TO STEP DOWN 1953.HAY NTUED HIS QUEER ACTIVISM FOLLOWG HIS EXPULSN. HE WAS ELECTED THE FIRST CHAIR OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAY LIBERATN FRONT—A ANT QUEER RIGHTS GROUP—AFTER THE STONEWALL RTS AND -FOUND THE RADIL FAIRI A LATER. HE SPENT HIS LATER YEARS BEG VOLVED NATIVE AMERIN TWO-SPIR ACTIVISM.DEL MART (1921–2008) AND PHYLLIS LYON (1924–2020)NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARYPHYLIS LYON AND DEL MART, CIR 1970.IN 1955, DEL MART AND PHYLLIS LYON -FOUND THE FIRST MAJOR ANIZATN FOR LBIANS THE UNED STAT—THE DGHTERS OF BILIS. THE UPLE SOON LNCHED AND BEME EDORS OF LADR, THE ANIZATN’S NATNAL PUBLITN AND PLATFORM FOR LBIANS TO ANONYMOLY OR OPENLY WRE ABOUT ISSU PERTENT TO THE MUNY. MART AND LYON WERE ALSO THE FIRST LBIAN UPLE TO JO THE NATNAL ORGANIZATN FOR WOMEN.DGHTERS OF BILIS EVENTUALLY SHUTTERED AS THE QUEER RIGHTS MOVEMENT BEME MORE ANT, BUT MART AND LYON NTUED THEIR ACTIVISM. AFTER MORE THAN FIVE S TOGETHER, THE PAIR WERE THE FIRST OF 90 GAY UPL TO BE ILLEGALLY MARRIED BY SAN FRANCIS’S THEN-MAYOR GAV NEWSOM. THEY WERE MARRIED AGA FOUR YEARS LATER, 2008, AFTER CALIFORNIA LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. DALE JENNGS (1917–2000)A FOUNDG MEMBER OF THE MATTACHE SOCIETY, DALE JENNGS BEME A QUEER RIGHTS HERO WHEN HE PROTTED URT A 1951 CHARGE OF SEXUAL SOLICATN LOS ANGEL. AT THE TIME, ENTRAPMENT BY TECTIV POSG AS GAY MEN BARS, PUBLIC PARKS, AND RTROOMS WAS MON. THOSE CHARGED WH SOLICG POLICE OFFICERS FOR SEX TYPILLY PLEAD GUILTY RATHER THAN FACE BEG OUTED AS GAY. JENNGS, AT HAY’S SUGGTN, FOUGHT THE CHARGE TO BRG ATTENTN TO THE DISCRIMATORY POLICY. IN 1952, THE JURY ADLOCKED FOR ACQUTAL AND THE JUDGE DISMISSED THE CHARGE.THAT YEAR, JENNGS -FOUND ONE INC., WHICH PRODUCED THE NATNAL GAY JOURNAL ONE MAGAZE. IN 1954, A LOS ANGEL POSTMASTER NFISTED THE MAGAZE FOR BEG ''OBSCENE, LEWD, LASCIV AND FILTHY,” WHICH ONE FOUGHT URT. A LOWER URT LED FAVOR OF THE POSTMASTER BUT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT, 1958, UNANIMOLY REVERSED THE CISN, UPHOLDG A NSTUTNAL PROTECTN FOR PRO-GAY WRGS.CHRISTE JENSEN (1926–1989)
• THE 1960S AND GAY LIBERATN
• PNEERG PHOTOGRAPHS OF GAY LIFE THE 1960S
• GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT: ONE VICTORY AT A TIME
• THE AMERIN GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
• HOW GAY CULTURE BLOSSOMED DURG THE ROARG TWENTI
• GAY WATER, A NEW NNED CKTAIL, WANTS TO BE THE ANTI-BUD LIGHT
• GOVERNMENT PERSECUTN OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNY IS WISPREADFRANK KAMENY APPEALED HIS 1957 FIRG BY THE U.S. ARMY THE FIRST KNOWN LEGAL PROCEEDGS THAT ED PRO-LGBTQ+ ARGUMENTS. THE 1950S WERE PERILO TIM FOR DIVIDUALS WHO FELL OUTSI OF SOCIETY’S LEGALLY ALLOWED NORMS RELATG TO GENR OR SEXUALY. THERE WERE MANY NAM FOR THE DIVIDUALS, CLUDG THE CLIL “HOMOSEXUAL,” A TERM POPULARIZED BY PNEERG GERMAN PSYCHIATRIST RICHARD VON KRAFFT-EBG. IN THE U.S., PROFSNALS OFTEN ED THE TERM “VERT.” IN THE MID-19TH CENTURY, MANY CI FORMED “VICE SQUADS” AND POLICE OFTEN LABELED THE PEOPLE THEY ARRTED “SEXUAL PERVERTS.” THE ERNMENT’S PREFERRED TERM WAS “VIANT,” WHICH ME WH LEGAL NSEQUENC FOR ANYONE SEEKG A REER PUBLIC SERVICE OR THE ARY. “HOMOPHILE” WAS THE TERM PREFERRED BY SOME EARLY ACTIVISTS, SMALL WORKS OF WOMEN AND MEN WHO YEARNED FOR MUNY AND FOUND CREATIVE WAYS TO RIST LEGAL AND SOCIETAL PERSECUTN. WH DRAFT ELIGIBILY OFFICIALLY LOWERED OM 21 TO 18 1942, WORLD WAR II BROUGHT TOGETHER LNS OF PEOPLE OM AROUND THE UNTRY–MANY OF WHOM WERE LEAVG THEIR HOME STAT FOR THE FIRST TIME–TO FILL THE RANKS OF THE ARY AND THE FERAL WORKFORCE. AMONG THEM WERE GAYS AND LBIANS, WHO QUIETLY FORMED KSHIPS ON ARY BAS AROUND THE WORLD. THEY SERVED SILENCE, ALWAYS FEARFUL THAT REVEALG THEIR INTY TO A POTENTIAL NEW PARTNER OR IEND ULD GET THEM DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED, IF NOT URT MARTIALLED. THE ARY FIRST VELOPED FORMAL PUNISHMENTS FOR HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVR DURG WWI, AND OVER TIME VELOPED CREASGLY PROBG MEANS TO ROOT OUT “VIANTS” OM WH AND PREVENT THEM OM ENLISTG. IN 1953, PRINT DWIGHT EISENHOWER IMPLEMENTED NEW STANDARDS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS THAT BANNED HOMOSEXUALS OM SERVG MANY POSNS. THE LAVENR SRE THOANDS OF MEMBERS OF THE ARY AND CIVIL SERVANTS WOULD BE DISMISSED BEE OF L AGAST HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVR. A FEW ANECDOT SEEMED TO SUPPORT THE ERNMENT’S REASONG HOMOSEXUALS WERE A GRAVE SECURY THREAT BEE THEY ULD BE BLACKMAILED BY FOREIGN ERNMENTS. THE IA WAS HARD TO UNTER AS FEW HOMOSEXUALS WERE A POSN TO PUBLICLY DISCS THEIR INTY.  IN THE YEARS FOLLOWG WWII, HOMOSEXUALS WERE MORE DIRECTLY TIED TO MUNISM. THE COLD WAR PERD GAVE RISE TO SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY, WHO EXPLICLY TARGETED “VIANTS,” NOT ONLY ERNMENT SERVICE, BUT ALSO HOLLYWOOD AS PART OF A LARGER PROJECT TO RID AMERI OF S UNSIRABLE ELEMENTS. THE HIGHLY PUBLICIZED EFFORT TO RID THE U.S. OF MUNISTS ME TO BE KNOWN AS THE “RED SRE,” WHILE THE EFFORT TO DISMISS HOMOSEXUALS WOULD LATER BE TERMED THE “LAVENR SRE.”THERE WERE NO OUT LGBTQ+ ELECTED OFFICIALS THE ENTIRE UNTRY.PLI MURRAY PUBLISH BOOK OUTLG CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT STRATEGY

BARBARA GTGS HELPS LEAD FIRST 'ANNUAL REMR' PROTTSGGS WAS AN ACTIVIST BOTH THE PRE-STONEWALL HOMOPHILE MOVEMENT OF THE 50S AND 60S AND THE POST-STONEWALL GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENT. SHE ANIZED THE NEW YORK CHAPTER OF THE DGHTERS OF BILIS AND, 1965 – ALONG WH FRANK KAMENY – GTGS WAS STMENTAL LEADG THE “ANNUAL REMR” PICKETS, WHICH WERE SOME OF THE VERY FIRST PRO-LGBTQ+ PROTTS VISIBLE TO THE AMERIN PUBLIC. ONE RNERSTONE OF HER WORK CLUD PRSURG THE AMERIN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATN TO CLASSIFY HOMOSEXUALY AS A MENTAL DISORR. FOR THREE NSECUTIVE YEARS BEGNG 1970, GTGS ANIZED PROTTS, STORMED TO, AND PARTICIPATED THE ASSOCIATN’S ANNUAL MEETG. IN 1972, GTGS ANIZED A PANEL ON HOMOSEXUALY ALONG WH AN ANONYMO PSYCHIATRIST WHO WAS MASKED AND ED A VOICE MODULATOR. FALLY 1973, THE ASSOCIATN ANNOUNCED S REMOVAL OF THE CLASSIFITN AND VED GTGS TO THE MEETG. ‍COMPTON’S CAFETERIA RT CATALYZ TRANS COMMUNY POWER IN SAN FRANCIS

E., for lbians, gays [homosexual mal], bisexuals, transgenr persons, and queer persons); seeks to elimate sodomy laws; and lls for an end to discrimatn agast LGBTQ persons employment, cred, hog, public acmodatns, and other areas of life. ) Gay rights prr to the 20th century Relig admonns agast sexual relatns between dividuals of the same sex (particularly men) long stigmatized such behavur, but most legal s Europe were silent on the subject of homosexualy and bisexualy. Dpe Paragraph 175 and the failure of the WhK to w s repeal, homosexual and bisexual men and women experienced a certa amount of eedom Germany, particularly durg the Weimar perd, between the end of World War I and the Nazi seizure of power.

GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

In the Uned Stat this greater visibily brought some backlash, particularly om the ernment and the police: the ernment often fired gay civil servants, the ary attempted to purge s ranks of gay soldiers (a policy enacted durg World War II), and police vice squads equently raid gay bars and arrted their patrons. In the Uned Stat the first major male anizatn, found 1950–51 by Harry Hay Los Angel, was the Mattache Society (s name reputedly rived om a medieval French society of masked players, the Société Mattache, to reprent the public “maskg” of homosexualy), while the Dghters of Bilis (named after the Sapphic love poems of Pierre Louÿs, Chansons Bilis), found 1955 by Phyllis Lyon and Del Mart San Francis, was a leadg group for women. In Bra 1957 a missn chaired by Sir John Wolfenn issued a groundbreakg report (see Wolfenn Report) remendg that private homosexual liaisons between nsentg adults be removed om the doma of crimal law; a later the remendatn was implemented by Parliament the Sexual Offenc Act.

In the 1970s and ’80s, gay polil anizatns proliferated, particularly the Uned Stat and Europe, and spread to other parts of the globe, though their relative size, strength, and succs—and toleratn by thori—varied signifintly. Now headquartered Geneva and renamed the Internatnal Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Associatn (ILGA World), plays a signifint role ordatg ternatnal efforts to promote human rights and fight discrimatn agast LGBTQ and tersex persons.

This support, along wh mpaigns by gay activists urgg gay men and women to “e out of the closet” (ed, the late 1980s, Natnal Comg Out Day was tablished, and is now celebrated on October 11 most untri), enuraged gay men and women to enter the polil arena as ndidat. At the lol and natnal levels, the number of openly gay policians creased dramatilly durg the 1990s and 2000s, and 2009 Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir beme prime mister of Iceland, which ma her the world’s first openly gay head of ernment. In Ai, Asia, and Lat Ameri, openly gay policians have had only limed succs wng office; notable electns to natnal legislatur clud Patria Jiménez Flor Mexi (1997), Mike Waters South Ai (1999), and Clodovil Hernans Brazil (2006).

7 EARLY PNEERS OF THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENTBEFORE THE STONEWALL RTS, THE ACTIVISTS HELPED SET THE STAGE FOR ADVANC THE LGBTQ CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.BY: JOSEPH BENNGTON-CASTROUPDATED: JUNE 8, 2023 | ORIGAL: JUNE 1, 2023PY PAGE LKPRT PAGEBILL MRER/NY DAILY NEWS ARCHIVE VIA GETTY IMAGTHE 1960S SAW SOME MAJOR STRIS LGBTQ ACTIVISM, CLUDG THE GAY “SIP-IN” PROTT AGAST DISCRIMATN OM NEW YORK CY BARS AND THE 1969 STONEWALL RTS. BUT SOME ACTIVISTS TOOK A STAND FOR LGBTQ RIGHTS BEFORE THAT FAMED , OPERATG UNR THE FEAR OF LOSG THEIR JOBS SHOULD THEY BE OUTED OR BEG ARRTED FOR SIMPLY EXISTG HETERONORMATIVE SPAC. THE URAGE OF THE EARLY U.S. QUEER ACTIVISTS SET THE STAGE FOR POLIL VICTORI LGBTQ RIGHTS THE S TO E.WILLIAM DORSEY SWANN (1860–?)JT THREE YEARS BEFORE THE EMANCIPATN PROCLAMATN, WILLIAM DORSEY SWANN WAS BORN THE PROPERTY OF A WHE PLANTATN WOMAN, ACRDG TO REARCH BY CHANNG GERARD JOSEPH. HE GREW UP TO BEE THE FIRST PERSON THE UNED STAT TO FIGHT FOR THE LGBTQ MUNY’S RIGHT TO GATHER THROUGH LEGAL AND POLIL CHANNELS. HE WAS ALSO THE FIRST SELF-PROFSED QUEEN OF DRAG.SWANN HELD DRAG BALLS, OR DANCE PARTI WHICH ATTEN (BLACK MEN, MANY FORMER SLAV) WOULD DRS WOMEN’S SILKS AND SATS. ONE OF THE WASHGTON, D.C. PARTI WAS RAID BY POLICE 1888 AND ABOUT A DOZEN OF THE DRAGGED-UP ATTEN WERE ARRTED, SWANN CLUD.HE WAS TAED SEVERAL MORE TIM AND NVICTED 1896 FOR THE FALSE CHARGE OF “KEEPG A DISORRLY HOE,” OR A BROTHEL. DURG HIS 10-MONTH SENTENCE, SWANN PETNED PRINT GROVER CLEVELAND FOR A PARDON, WHICH WAS NIED. AFTER HIS RELEASE, SWANN NTUED TO THROW BALLS AS THE QUEEN OF DRAG. THE YEAR OF HIS ATH IS UNCERTA, ALTHOUGH SOME LIST AS 1925, WHEN HE WOULD HAVE BEEN 66-67 YEARS OLD.HENRY GERBER (1892–1972)IN 1924, HENRY GERBER FOUND THE FIRST GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN AMERI: THE SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. THE CHIGO-BASED ANIZATN PRODUCED FRIENDSHIP AND FREEDOM, THE FIRST AMERIN PUBLITN FOR HOMOSEXUALS.IN 1925, GERBER AND OTHER ANIZATN MEMBERS WERE ARRTED FOR “OBSCENY” AFTER THE POLICE RECEIVED A TIP OM A -FOUNR’S WIFE. THOUGH THE CHARG WERE EVENTUALLY DROPPED, FIGHTG THEM ST GERBER HIS LIFE’S SAVGS AND HIS JOB WH THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE, AS WELL AS THE DISSOLUTN OF HIS ANIZATN.GERBER WENT ON TO LIVE AN UNASSUMG LIFE, WRG ARTICL ABOUT HOMOSEXUAL OPPRSN UNR A PSDONYM, WORKG AND BUILDG MUNY.HARRY HAY (1912–2002)HARRY HAY WAS A MUNIST ACTIVIST WHO -FOUND THE MATTACHE SOCIETY, THE FIRST ENDURG GAY RIGHTS ANIZATN, 1950. HAY WAS SUBSEQUENTLY DIVORCED BY HIS WIFE, FELLOW MUNIST ANA PLATKY, AND EXPELLED OM THE MUNIST PARTY, WHICH NSIRED HIM A SECURY RISK, A FEW YEARS LATER. THE BURGEONG MATTACHE SOCIETY FORCED HAY AND OTHER MUNIST FOUNRS TO STEP DOWN 1953.HAY NTUED HIS QUEER ACTIVISM FOLLOWG HIS EXPULSN. HE WAS ELECTED THE FIRST CHAIR OF THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAY LIBERATN FRONT—A ANT QUEER RIGHTS GROUP—AFTER THE STONEWALL RTS AND -FOUND THE RADIL FAIRI A LATER. HE SPENT HIS LATER YEARS BEG VOLVED NATIVE AMERIN TWO-SPIR ACTIVISM.DEL MART (1921–2008) AND PHYLLIS LYON (1924–2020)NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARYPHYLIS LYON AND DEL MART, CIR 1970.IN 1955, DEL MART AND PHYLLIS LYON -FOUND THE FIRST MAJOR ANIZATN FOR LBIANS THE UNED STAT—THE DGHTERS OF BILIS. THE UPLE SOON LNCHED AND BEME EDORS OF LADR, THE ANIZATN’S NATNAL PUBLITN AND PLATFORM FOR LBIANS TO ANONYMOLY OR OPENLY WRE ABOUT ISSU PERTENT TO THE MUNY. MART AND LYON WERE ALSO THE FIRST LBIAN UPLE TO JO THE NATNAL ORGANIZATN FOR WOMEN.DGHTERS OF BILIS EVENTUALLY SHUTTERED AS THE QUEER RIGHTS MOVEMENT BEME MORE ANT, BUT MART AND LYON NTUED THEIR ACTIVISM. AFTER MORE THAN FIVE S TOGETHER, THE PAIR WERE THE FIRST OF 90 GAY UPL TO BE ILLEGALLY MARRIED BY SAN FRANCIS’S THEN-MAYOR GAV NEWSOM. THEY WERE MARRIED AGA FOUR YEARS LATER, 2008, AFTER CALIFORNIA LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. DALE JENNGS (1917–2000)A FOUNDG MEMBER OF THE MATTACHE SOCIETY, DALE JENNGS BEME A QUEER RIGHTS HERO WHEN HE PROTTED URT A 1951 CHARGE OF SEXUAL SOLICATN LOS ANGEL. AT THE TIME, ENTRAPMENT BY TECTIV POSG AS GAY MEN BARS, PUBLIC PARKS, AND RTROOMS WAS MON. THOSE CHARGED WH SOLICG POLICE OFFICERS FOR SEX TYPILLY PLEAD GUILTY RATHER THAN FACE BEG OUTED AS GAY. JENNGS, AT HAY’S SUGGTN, FOUGHT THE CHARGE TO BRG ATTENTN TO THE DISCRIMATORY POLICY. IN 1952, THE JURY ADLOCKED FOR ACQUTAL AND THE JUDGE DISMISSED THE CHARGE.THAT YEAR, JENNGS -FOUND ONE INC., WHICH PRODUCED THE NATNAL GAY JOURNAL ONE MAGAZE. IN 1954, A LOS ANGEL POSTMASTER NFISTED THE MAGAZE FOR BEG ''OBSCENE, LEWD, LASCIV AND FILTHY,” WHICH ONE FOUGHT URT. A LOWER URT LED FAVOR OF THE POSTMASTER BUT THE U.S. SUPREME COURT, 1958, UNANIMOLY REVERSED THE CISN, UPHOLDG A NSTUTNAL PROTECTN FOR PRO-GAY WRGS.CHRISTE JENSEN (1926–1989)

Other issu of primary importance for the gay rights movement sce the 1970s clud batg the HIV/AIDS epimic and promotg disease preventn and fundg for rearch; lobbyg ernment for nondiscrimatory polici employment, hog, and other aspects of civil society; endg the ban on ary service for gay and lbian dividuals; expandg hate crim legislatn to clu protectns for gays, cludg transgenr dividuals; and securg marriage rights for same-sex upl (see same-sex marriage). Ary’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (1993–2011), which had permted gay and lbian dividuals to serve the ary if they did not disclose their sexual orientatn or engage homosexual activy; the repeal effectively end the ban on homosexuals the ary.

THE 1960S AND GAY LIBERATN

Hodg), and 2020 the Court termed that firg an employee for beg homosexual or transgenr was a vlatn of Tle VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964), which prohibs discrimatn on the basis of sex (Bostock v. It was there that Vermazen first heard discsn of same-sex marriage—an outrageo thought at the time—and the first time he met the late Sheldon Anlson, the Universy of California’s first openly gay regent. Where homosexual activy or viance om tablished genr rol/drs was banned by law or tradnal ctom, such nmnatn might be munited through sensatnal public trials, exile, medil warngs, and language om the pulp.

PNEERG PHOTOGRAPHS OF GAY LIFE THE 1960S

However, throughout 150 years of homosexual social movements (roughly om the 1870s to today), lears and anizers stggled to addrs the very different ncerns and inty issu of gay men, women intifyg as lbians, and others intifyg as genr variant or nonbary. Whe, male, and Wtern activists whose groups and theori gaed leverage agast homophobia did not necsarily reprent the range of racial, class, and natnal inti plitg a broar LGBT agenda. Such eyewns acunts the era before other media were of urse riddled wh the bias of the (often) Wtern or Whe observer, and add to beliefs that homosexual practic were other, foreign, savage, a medil issue, or evince of a lower racial hierarchy.

GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT: ONE VICTORY AT A TIME

The European powers enforced their own crimal s agast what was lled sodomy the New World: the first known se of homosexual activy receivg a ath sentence North Ameri occurred 1566, when the Spanish executed a Frenchman Florida. Biblil terpretatn ma illegal for a woman to wear pants or a man to adopt female drs, and sensatnalized public trials warned agast “viants” but also ma such martyrs and hero popular: Joan of Arc is one example, and the chillg origs of the word “faggot” clu a stick of wood ed public burngs of gay men. ” In Wtern history, we fd ltle formal study of what was later lled homosexualy before the 19th century, beyond medil texts intifyg women wh large cloris as “tribas” and severe punishment s for male homosexual acts.

THE AMERIN GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT

Their wrgs were sympathetic to the ncept of a homosexual or bisexual orientatn occurrg naturally an intifiable segment of humankd, but the wrgs of Krafft-Ebg and Ellis also labeled a “third sex” generate and abnormal. ” German rearcher Magn Hirschfeld went on to gather a broar range of rmatn by foundg Berl’s Instute for Sexual Science, Europe’s bt library archive of materials on gay cultural history. His efforts, and Germany’s more liberal laws and thrivg gay bar scene between the two World Wars, ntrasted wh the backlash, England, agast gay and lbian wrers such as Osr Wil and Radclyffe Hall.

HOW GAY CULTURE BLOSSOMED DURG THE ROARG TWENTI

The blu mic of Ain-Amerin women showsed varieti of lbian sire, stggle, and humor; the performanc, along wh male and female drag stars, troduced a gay unrworld to straight patrons durg Prohibn’s fiance of race and sex s speakeasy clubs. This creasg awarens of an existg and vulnerable populatn, upled wh Senator Joseph McCarthy’s vtigatn of homosexuals holdg ernment jobs durg the early 1950s outraged wrers and feral employe whose own liv were shown to be send-class unr the law, cludg Frank Kameny, Barbara Gtgs, Allen Gsberg, and Harry Hay. Awarens of a burgeong civil rights movement (Mart Luther Kg’s key anizer Bayard Rt was a gay man) led to the first Amerin-based polil mands for fair treatment of gays and lbians mental health, public policy, and employment.

Studi such as Aled Ksey’s 1947 Ksey Report suggted a far greater range of homosexual inti and behavrs than prevly unrstood, wh Ksey creatg a “sle” or spectm rangg om plete heterosexual to plete homosexual. In 1951, Donald Webster Cory published “The Homosexual Ameri, ” assertg that gay men and lbians were a legimate mory group, and 1953 Evelyn Hooker, PhD, won a grant om the Natnal Instute of Mental Health to study gay men.

Throughout the 1950s and 60s, gay men and lbians ntued to be at risk for psychiatric lockup as well as jail, losg jobs, and/or child ctody when urts and clics fed gay love as sick, crimal, or immoral.

GAY WATER, A NEW NNED CKTAIL, WANTS TO BE THE ANTI-BUD LIGHT

The turng pot for gay liberatn me on June 28, 1969, when patrons of the popular Stonewall Inn New York’s Greenwich Village fought back agast ongog police raids of their neighborhood bar. Fstrated wh the male learship of most gay liberatn groups, lbians fluenced by the femist movement of the 1970s formed their own llectiv, rerd labels, mic ftivals, newspapers, bookstor, and publishg ho, and lled for lbian rights mastream femist groups like the Natnal Organizatn for Women. And polil actn explod through the Natnal Gay and Lbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign, the electn of openly gay and lbian reprentativ like Elae Noble and Barney Frank, and, 1979, the first march on Washgton for gay rights.

GOVERNMENT PERSECUTN OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNY IS WISPREADFRANK KAMENY APPEALED HIS 1957 FIRG BY THE U.S. ARMY THE FIRST KNOWN LEGAL PROCEEDGS THAT ED PRO-LGBTQ+ ARGUMENTS. THE 1950S WERE PERILO TIM FOR DIVIDUALS WHO FELL OUTSI OF SOCIETY’S LEGALLY ALLOWED NORMS RELATG TO GENR OR SEXUALY. THERE WERE MANY NAM FOR THE DIVIDUALS, CLUDG THE CLIL “HOMOSEXUAL,” A TERM POPULARIZED BY PNEERG GERMAN PSYCHIATRIST RICHARD VON KRAFFT-EBG. IN THE U.S., PROFSNALS OFTEN ED THE TERM “VERT.” IN THE MID-19TH CENTURY, MANY CI FORMED “VICE SQUADS” AND POLICE OFTEN LABELED THE PEOPLE THEY ARRTED “SEXUAL PERVERTS.” THE ERNMENT’S PREFERRED TERM WAS “VIANT,” WHICH ME WH LEGAL NSEQUENC FOR ANYONE SEEKG A REER PUBLIC SERVICE OR THE ARY. “HOMOPHILE” WAS THE TERM PREFERRED BY SOME EARLY ACTIVISTS, SMALL WORKS OF WOMEN AND MEN WHO YEARNED FOR MUNY AND FOUND CREATIVE WAYS TO RIST LEGAL AND SOCIETAL PERSECUTN. WH DRAFT ELIGIBILY OFFICIALLY LOWERED OM 21 TO 18 1942, WORLD WAR II BROUGHT TOGETHER LNS OF PEOPLE OM AROUND THE UNTRY–MANY OF WHOM WERE LEAVG THEIR HOME STAT FOR THE FIRST TIME–TO FILL THE RANKS OF THE ARY AND THE FERAL WORKFORCE. AMONG THEM WERE GAYS AND LBIANS, WHO QUIETLY FORMED KSHIPS ON ARY BAS AROUND THE WORLD. THEY SERVED SILENCE, ALWAYS FEARFUL THAT REVEALG THEIR INTY TO A POTENTIAL NEW PARTNER OR IEND ULD GET THEM DISHONORABLY DISCHARGED, IF NOT URT MARTIALLED. THE ARY FIRST VELOPED FORMAL PUNISHMENTS FOR HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVR DURG WWI, AND OVER TIME VELOPED CREASGLY PROBG MEANS TO ROOT OUT “VIANTS” OM WH AND PREVENT THEM OM ENLISTG. IN 1953, PRINT DWIGHT EISENHOWER IMPLEMENTED NEW STANDARDS FOR CIVIL SERVANTS THAT BANNED HOMOSEXUALS OM SERVG MANY POSNS. THE LAVENR SRE THOANDS OF MEMBERS OF THE ARY AND CIVIL SERVANTS WOULD BE DISMISSED BEE OF L AGAST HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVR. A FEW ANECDOT SEEMED TO SUPPORT THE ERNMENT’S REASONG HOMOSEXUALS WERE A GRAVE SECURY THREAT BEE THEY ULD BE BLACKMAILED BY FOREIGN ERNMENTS. THE IA WAS HARD TO UNTER AS FEW HOMOSEXUALS WERE A POSN TO PUBLICLY DISCS THEIR INTY.  IN THE YEARS FOLLOWG WWII, HOMOSEXUALS WERE MORE DIRECTLY TIED TO MUNISM. THE COLD WAR PERD GAVE RISE TO SENATOR JOSEPH MCCARTHY, WHO EXPLICLY TARGETED “VIANTS,” NOT ONLY ERNMENT SERVICE, BUT ALSO HOLLYWOOD AS PART OF A LARGER PROJECT TO RID AMERI OF S UNSIRABLE ELEMENTS. THE HIGHLY PUBLICIZED EFFORT TO RID THE U.S. OF MUNISTS ME TO BE KNOWN AS THE “RED SRE,” WHILE THE EFFORT TO DISMISS HOMOSEXUALS WOULD LATER BE TERMED THE “LAVENR SRE.”THERE WERE NO OUT LGBTQ+ ELECTED OFFICIALS THE ENTIRE UNTRY.PLI MURRAY PUBLISH BOOK OUTLG CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT STRATEGY

The creasg expansn of a global LGBT rights movement suffered a setback durg the 1980s, as the gay male muny was cimated by the Aids epimic, mands for passn and medil fundg led to renewed alns between men and women as well as angry street theatre by groups like Aids Coaln to Unleash Power (ACT UP) and Queer Natn. In the same era, one wg of the polil gay movement lled for an end to ary expulsn of gay, lbian, and bisexual soldiers, wh the high-profile se of Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer publicized through a ma-for-televisn movie, “Servg Silence. ” In spe of the patrtism and service of gay men and lbians uniform, the unfortable and unjt promise “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” emerged as an alternative to s of ary wch hunts and dishonorable discharg.

Durg the last of the 20th century, lns of Amerins watched as actrs Ellen DeGener me out on natnal televisn April 1997, heraldg a new era of gay celebry power and media visibily—although not whout risks.