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.

In many cultures, LGBT citizens have been routinely treated as inferior to heterosexuals, with many countries criminalizing homosexuality with punishments ranging from monetary fines to prison sentences and capital punishment. Sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as HIV/AIDS status, have been used by governments and cultures around the world as tools of discrimination to socially subjugate LGBT citizens. In recent decades, great strides have been made to secure human rights for all LGBT citizens around the globe.

Stonewall, Gay Liberation, and HIV/AIDS

In the U.S., many argue that the LGBT rights movement was born out of a gay liberation struggle that emerged more than forty years ago, culminating in the Stonewall riots of 1969, where LGBT patrons at a New York bar resisted arrest during a police raid. The event gave birth to the gay pride movement, and a host of organizations were started to advance LGBT rights. Many organizations also sprung up in the 1980s and early 1990s in reaction to the HIV/AIDS crisis, which profoundly affected the gay community during that time. As they grew, some organizations placed more of an emphasis on direct action and political resistance, while others borrowed the language of civil rights to portray the LGBT movement as more mainstream. Today, LGBT advocacy groups continue to debate the most effective approaches to outreach, communication, and activism.

Advocacy

Many international and national organizations work exclusively on behalf of LGBT rights. Among these organizations include the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, which documents cases of abuse and discrimination against LGBT citizens around the world; Lambda Legal, which works for the full recognition of civil rights for LGBT people through litigation and public policy work; the Human Rights Campaign, the largest LGBT lobbyist organization in the U.S.; and scores of other organizations including numerous regional and state organizations. Many civil rights and human rights organizations – viewing LGBT rights as a fundamental part of basic human rights -- also work on LGBT issues, both nationally and internationally.

Gay Rights Today

Contemporary LGBT rights encompass a wide range of issues. Nearly a dozen countries and several U.S. states have passed legislation granting marriage rights to same-sex couples, while twenty-four nations have integrated their militaries to allow openly gay and lesbian citizens to serve. LGBT citizens have successfully litigated cases in U.S. and international courts to secure the right to adoption, and have worked with governmental and public health groups to expand HIV/AIDS awareness education and treatment. Today, there are a multiplicity of issues and struggles being undertaken by LGBT activists and organizations throughout the world. The capacity of the global LGBT movement has perhaps never been greater, with issues pertaining to sexual orientation and gender identity sure to occupy a foremost position in American and international politics, as well as the broader human rights movement, for years to come.