The Gay Rights Movement

Paper Summary:

The end of World War II brought about a great change in the gay community. For the first time, groups of homosexuals lived together in the same communities. This new visibility also brought about new prejudices and gay bars became a constant target for police raids. This paper discusses the history of the gay rights movement, beginning with the initial call for a gay movement by Harry Hay in 1948. The paper looks at the effect of Hay's Mattachine Society on the McCarthy era and the political power it wields. Other issues discussed include the society's "One" magazine, President Eisenhower's ban on homosexuals as government workers, Allen Ginsburg's poem "Howl" and the history of the lesbian movement. The paper looks at the Stonewall Riots of 1969 which resulted in a new form of activism with the creation of 'gay liberation' groups. Finally, the paper looks at the effect of AIDS/HIV on the gay community.

From the Paper:

"In 1958 the first lesbian organization was developed by Barbara Gittings. This was a "homophile" organization much like the Mattachine Society. This group, known as the Daughters of Bilitis argued that homosexuals were oppressed minorities, not people who were sick or deranged. During the 1950's this organization was infiltrated by both the FBI and the CIA. Initially, fear of exposure kept the enrollment low, but when they began to produce their magazine, The Ladder, many began to recognize the organization and the work it was doing. (Out of the Past, Pg 3)"

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