The Fight for Rights of the LGBTQ Community

Homosexuality has been a controversial topic throughout history and the world for many years. A person who is homosexual is attracted to people of their own gender. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer social movements fight for LGBTQ people in today’s society. Social reform movements may focus on equal rights, such as the twenty first century movement for basic rights such as marriage equality, or they may focus on liberation, as in the gay salvation

movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Earlier movements focused on self-help and self-acceptance. These types of groups were very important because many people in society discriminated and frowned upon people who were homosexual. Although there is not a one central organization that represents all LGBTQ people and their interests, there is a multitude of LGBTQ rights organizations that are active around the world. It was in the 1950’s that many people who expressed themselves as being gay were considered to be mentally insane.

A commonly stated goal among these movements is social equality for LGBTQ people, but there is still denial of full LGBTQ rights. There is still a struggle for LGBTQ rights today. Just like there is a struggle for different races around the world. LGBTQ movements organized today are made up of a wide range of political activism and cultural activity, including protesting, street marches, social groups, media, art, and research.

Early in school one is taught about equal rights between man. Many people throughout history have fought and still continue to fight for equal rights. These people include African Americans, Native Americans, and the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ community did not begin to try and gain equal rights until the twenty first century. Social movements, organizing around the acceptance and rights of persons who might today identify as LGBT or queer, began as responses to centuries of persecution by church, state and medical authorities. Although the community has made efforts to gain equality, they still face persecution and hatred throughout the world today. Homosexuality is not something new. In fact, many historians believe that there is evidence of homosexual activity and same-sex love, whether such relationships were accepted or persecuted, in every documented culture.

Since the beginning of time men and women were given specific roles and were expected to behave in a certain way. In many religions including Christianity, marriage was and still is viewed as something that takes place between man and woman. The idea of people who are of the same gender getting married was foreign and viewed as being morally wrong.

In the United States it was until World War Two that advocates for the rights of homosexuals actually began trying to fight for them. The war caused many people to be more open minded. Which allowed gay men and lesbian women to help with the war effort. One can imagine that even then many of those men and women still pretended to be something that they weren’t.

When one thinks about human rights, he or she may think of unalienable rights that every person is born with. In the United States those rights are explained in the Constitution. In the US all of the rights specified in the Constitution are supposed to be for every woman, man, boy, and girl no matter their ethnic background, age, religion, or even sexuality. In today’s time and even way back before the twenty first century many people seem to have forgotten that.

As stated earlier many religions define marriage as something special that is meant to take place between man and woman. When the LGBTQ comunity started becoming larger and more people decided to be more open about their sexuality, many decided they wanted to get married. Since marriage between two people of the same gender was very uncommon and was frowned upon, many couples were denied the right. This caused many problems throughout the United States. There have even been court cases brought up to the Supreme Court over this issue. Same-sex relationships aren’t even recognized in most states which is extremely saddening. The United States is supposed to be the most advanced country both socially and politically, but issues such as this is what is holding the country back.

The mid twentieth century and the end of it is when activists such as Bob Basker began stirring things up in order to raise awareness for for gays and lesbians to gain equal rights. Many politicians didn’t like him and were against him and his efforts. It is activists like him that helped make the LGBTQ communtity what it is today. He is one of the key individuals that helped them to gain the confidence to stand up for what they believe in. He and many others have fought long and hard to gain equal rights for the LGBTQ community. The road to equal hasn’t always been easy for them, but despite the challenges they continue to fight for what they believe in.

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