A Primer on Gay Rights
Stonewall. Gay manifesto. Gay pride. HIV/AIDS. Hate crimes. Anti-sodomy laws. Employment non-discrimination. Don't ask, don't tell. Equality. Rights. Same-sex marriage.
The history of gay rights, known more commonly as LGBT (or GLBT) rights is rife with buzzwords that have emerged into the popular lexicon to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) causes and movements. LGBT rights have been debated nationally and internationally for centuries, with activism taking on monikers as varied as homosexuality and free love to the homophile movement, gay liberation, same-gender loving and more. Though not agreed upon by everyone, the phrase LGBT rights was coined in recent decades as a means of creating a term of inclusion that spoke of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people as part of a unified movement for rights pertaining to sexual orientation and/or sexual identity.
Background Posts on Gay Rights
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A short definition of LGBT, and a snapshot of what we mean when we say LGBT (or gay) rights.
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A series of statistics on a few select issues pertaining to LGBT rights.
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A list of recommended readings from the world of print and online that every LGBT rights supporter should know.
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As Anne Frank wrote, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” Enough said. With that, here are ten ways to make a difference for LGBT rights.
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First it was gay cancer, then the Gay Compromise Disorder, then Gay Related Immune Deficiency, then Community-Acquired Immune Dysfunction, and then finally, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. But the history of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. goes well beyond simple name changes.
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Are people born straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender? It’s a question that often invokes a “that’s above my pay grade” response from many academics, researchers, politicians and the like. But the debate over nature vs. nurture in regards to sexuality and sexual orientation has played an important role in the struggle for civil rights for LGBT people, with science becoming increasingly closer to recognizing that genetics play a significant role in determining one’s sexual orientation.
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If small, determined groups of people are the ones who change history, it is no wonder that in the past 100 years, the history of LGBT rights has seen such major advances and milestones. While issues of LGBT rights and gender identity have existed in this country since before European settlement, the struggle to achieve equality for LGBT citizens reached new heights beginning in the 20th century, largely due to the work of organized groups of LGBT individuals and straight allies...
A Short Summary of LGBT Rights
A Few Statistics on LGBT Issues
Recommended Readings for LGBT Rights
An LGBT Person's Guide to the Contemporary History of the U.S.: 1925-1980
Gay Rights Editor
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Michael Jones
- Boston, MA
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Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor.
He is the former Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, as well as the former Director of Communications for Pax Christi USA, a national Catholic peace and justice organization. Mike is a graduate of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and he is also a proud sketch comedy writer.
Writers
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Cristian Asher
- San Francisco, CA
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Cristian is a writer and graphic designer from California, where he and his husband are one of California's 18,000 legally married same-sex couples.
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Rev. Irene Monroe
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Rev. Irene Monroe is the Coordinator of the African American Roundtable of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry (CLGS) at the Pacific School of Religion, and a syndicated queer religion columnist. A native of Brooklyn, Rev. Irene Monroe is a graduate from Wellesley College and Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University, and served as a pastor at an African-American church before coming to Harvard Divinity School for her doctorate as a Ford Fellow.
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Juliet Blalack
- San Jose, CA
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Juliet writes about LGBT rights, with a focus on international issues. She previously lived in Cairo, Egypt, where she freelanced and wrote for an Egyptian magazine. During this time, she broke a story about an Egyptian film nearly censored for lesbian content (see the September issue of Curve). She has also worked with Egyptian NGO Better World. Juliet is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Abbie Kopf
- Dallas, TX
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Abbie Kopf is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of Texas Tech University and currently works as a communications manager for an arts and education nonprofit. She is a freelance writer who has written columns and features on women's issues, volunteerism, gay rights and pop music. Abbie lives in Dallas, Texas.
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Maia Spotts
- NYC, NY
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Once upon a time, Maia was an idealist kid with a theater degree, ready to ship off to law school, intent on improving the ways in which we humans deal with each other. Today, as one part of a two mom, two kid household, she hopes to change the way in which this country defines the strong American family.
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Adam Amel Rogers
- Whittier, CA
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Adam studies the impact of entertainment on society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center. Previously, he worked at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), he served as Director of Alumni for Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) and he dedicated two years of AmeriCorps service with the American Red Cross. Adam lives with his husband in Southern California.
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Nathan Tabak
- Washington, DC
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After graduating from Vassar College in 2008, Nathan worked as a researcher for Media Matters, where he monitored and fact-checked media including Rush Limbaugh, Hannity, and CNN. Since then, he's worked at the LGBT PR firm Renna Communications, where he's done work on behalf of clients including DC for Marriage and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. In October 2009, he spent a week in Bangor, Maine volunteering for the No on 1 campaign, and subsequently blogged about his experiences for thenewgay.net.
