Wgs 150 - Gay & Lesbian Activism

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The Gay Liberation Front formed in 1969, almost a month after the Stonewall Riots. The organization called for gay rights and liberation, including job protection, and an end to police harassment, among other things. They focused on the idea that complete sexual liberation for those who identify somewhere in the LGBT community would not come fully until existing social institutions were destroyed. The idea is that familiarity is comforting, and because homosexuals weren't visible in the everyday community because of social structures already set in place, it was hard to normalize them. At the time, “lesbian feminism” came about as well. The gay bar changed during this time; added protection meant a safer meeting place than it had been in previous years.

In November of 1978, the Mayor of San Francisco, George Moscone, and Supervisor Harvey Milk were shot and killed by the city’s former Supervisor Dan White. Milk was openly gay, and White, who was actively anti-gay, had previously served on the city team of Supervisors with Milk. White was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, only getting a sentence of seven years in prison. The public was outraged, and angry LGBT members rioted the streets, which eventually became known as the White Night Riots. The increase of LGBT members involved in politics coincides with the idea that visibility in government works as a means of increased political power (Finding Out, 71). In October of 1979, 75,000 to 100,000 people gathered in Washington, DC, to meet for the first National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay rights (Finding Out, 75).

The road to gay rights have shifted and changed over time, as did the ideals of the LGBT community throughout the years. The early 20th century was very limiting towards the LGBT community, and slowly progressed until the 60s and 70s, after the Stonewell and White Night Riots. The fight for liberation for gays and lesbians are still something discussed today, and the activism we see currently is a result of the way activists had protested and spread information in the past.