Gay Rights Movement – What is It?

Gay men, bisexuals, lesbians, and all other LGBTQ people have always been misunderstood and judged. But whatever labels they put on, they are still human beings who deserve the same rights as straight people. If you haven’t heard the term “Gay rights movement,” it’s referred to a liberation and homosexual rights movement that advocates equal rights for queer people. This gay rights movement aims to eliminate the sodomy laws, which forbid any homosexual acts between adults. So, there is hope for gay men at present that they will finally live a normal life without discrimination, ridicule, and humiliation. We all know there is discrimination against these people in various areas of life, such as employment, public accommodations, housing. Not only is there a gay rights movement to defend people’s human rights, but there are plenty of gay hookup sites where everyone with a homosexual orientation can meet similar-minded users and have a lot of fun.

Gay Rights in the Past

If you think people are cruel to the gay community now, wait to see what it was like before the 20th century. Although there was a stigma around the topic of homosexuality, the legal codes in Europe were silent. But in the Muslim countries, same-sex intimacy was penalized severely, sometimes with execution. At first, homosexual behavior was only immoral in Britain, but later on, lawmakers categorized it as criminal at the beginning of the 16th century. There was hardly any gay rights movement before the end of the 19th century. The first such activity supporting the rights of homosexual men and women was a petition in Berlin, whose founder was the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee. They sponsored rallies, published literature for emancipation, and asked for legal reform in Germany. Little by little, gay nightlife became more accepted and tolerated in the larger German cities, but then the famous dictator Adolf Hitler ended this liberal period.

There was another rights movement outside Germany that advocated for the LGBTQ community. The British Society for the Study of Sex Psychology was founded in 1914, and it was meant for both educational and promotional purposes. The German immigrant in the USA Henry Gerber founded another rights movement called the Society for Human Rights in 1924. Despite these different types of rights movements, the political activity concerning homosexuals was not visible. Moreover, gay men were harassed by everyone, including the police. The situation in Europe changed after the Second World War. Many young people were brought to the cities, and the gay community became more visible and accepted. However, in the United States, the police continued to raid gay bars and arrested the clients. There was a great political activity that was aimed at decriminalizing sodomy.

The Situation Since the Mid-20th century

At the beginning of the mid-20th century, there was a large number of people who tried to form a rights movement to support the LGBTQ community. One of the first queer people rights movements was called the “Culture and Recreation Centre,” founded in Amsterdam in 1946. In the United States, the first major gay rights movement was founded around 1950 and named the Mattachine Society. The name was derived from French and represented the public “homosexuality masking.” There was also a gay rights movement in Western Europe, which started winning legal reform victories. Many other organizations that aimed to start a rights movement for homosexual people increased in Europe and the USA, then spread in other parts of the world.

Summary

There wasn’t just one gay rights movement in the past. There were many, some of them successful, others not so much. You may come across a gay rights movement or parade at present as well. Unfortunately, the majority of people still don’t understand the gay community and its behavior. Furthermore, there is still discrimination against these people in almost every area of life. Gay marriage is officially allowed in 29 countries, but there is no tolerance at all in other places. If you are from the LGBTQ community, you shouldn’t give up so easily. On the contrary, you might participate in a rights movement if it’s organized in your country and fight for equal rights. As for everyone else, they should try to understand queer people and their rights movement and stop being so cruel to them.

Relevant news