A Beautiful Revolution: a brief history of LGBTQIA+ movement
Issue 17: a brief history of LGBTQ movement in the US pre and post World War II
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, EVERYONE! Welcome to Issue 17 of Streets to Feminism, an intersectional human rights platform, transcending borders.
Newsletters for this month will be dedicated to celebrating Pride Month and promoting diversity and inclusion. In this week’s newsletter, I’ll discuss the history of social movements, which contributed to bringing the LGBTQIA+ community into the public discourse and a few of the many laws/amendments passed in the US regarding the LGBT community. The newsletter will also contain different terminologies to educate ourselves and to create an inclusive environment for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Also, find some snapshots of international news and developments along with a list of content recommendations.
History of the LGBTQ+ and the associated social movements
Homosexuality is either referred to or briefly mentioned in every culture. It was accepted in ancient India and is briefly mentioned in the religious scriptures. It is also indirectly mentioned in the religious texts of Muslims, Christians and Jews. Though the acceptance of homosexuality varies in different cultures and subcontinents, it is flourished in Ancient Greece and Sappho’s poetry provides us with evidence of lesbian love in the 7th Century BCE.
Few lines of poetry by Sappho
“And her light
stretches over salt sea
equally and flowerdeep fields.And the beautiful dew is poured out
and roses bloom and frail
chervil and flowering sweetclover”
In the earlier times, homosexuality was seen as a deviation from set masculine and feminine roles and thus was widely condemned and persecuted by the state, church and medical authorities. The widespread persecution and condemnation deeply entrenched homophobia. To address homophobia and to spread awareness about the community, various social movements/campaigns were organized.
Before 20th Century
During the era of exploration and empire-building for Europe,
the Europeans objected to same-sex love and the two-spirit people they encountered during their explorations. Referred to them as sin as they deviated from the set gender roles of feminine and masculine. They had limited knowledge of other cultures’ acceptance of homosexuality
Europeans enforced their own criminal laws and declared same-sex love as sodomy
with the rise of European powers and Christian faiths, cross-dressing was prohibited and European dresses, which clearly separated men and women were enforced. Women weren’t allowed to wear pants whereas men weren’t allowed to wear women’s clothing. Cross-dressing became a punishable offence and the trials were sensationalised to stop other people from engaging in same-sex relationships. Example: Joan of Arc - she was burned for dressing up as men and for practising witchcraft
Despite these norms, cross-dressing flourished. Art and theatre became a sanctuary for LGBT individuals to build their careers and their lives. Women and girls too often dressed up as men to seek economic opportunities and to serve in the Army
European Doctors and Scientists Carl Von Westphal (1869), Richard von Kraftt-Ebing (1882) and Havelock Ellis (1897) were the first ones to study and understand a range of sexual behaviours. Found homosexuality and bisexuality to be occurring naturally in a significant section of the population, however, Ellis and Kraftt-Ebing referred to this third sex as abnormal
Sigmund Freud - wrote in the same era. Did not think of third sex as abnormal or homosexuality as an illness. Considered them as naturally occurring phenomena. However, he considered lesbian desires as abnormal and believed that women could overcome lesbian desires in a heterosexual relationship with male dominance
20th Century:
The growth of social media and the coming together of various human rights activists furthered the spread of information regarding LGBTQIA+.
The emergence of a new social climate, where rights of gay men and lesbians were recognised
Berlin Institute of Sexual Science was founded by German Researcher Magnus Hirschfeld. But with the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich, tolerance towards gay culture vanished. Gay men were rounded up and were sent to concentration camps. On May 10, 1933, Nazis destroyed the institute and burned down thousands of books.
In the United States before, during and after World War II
Solidarities forged between men during war and between women who were left behind. Several support groups were formed for gay and lesbian relationships
Blues Music of African American - reflected on lesbian attraction and their struggles
Spread of the civil rights movement, which also demanded fair treatment of gays and lesbians
Mattachine Society was founded in 1950 by Harry Hay and Chuck Rowland. It became the primary organization for gay men
In 1955, a lesbian support network Daughter of Bilitis was established by Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin
1965 - new legislation outlawed racial discrimination. First gay rights demonstrations led by Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings took place in Philadelphia and Washington DC
1969, June 28 - Stonewall Inn riots in New York City. The police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar and the patrons of the bar fought back
1973 - The American Psychiatric Association removed “homosexuality” as an illness as, in the 1950s and 1960s, gay men and lesbians feared psychiatric lockup or jail. In the 1970s, the lesbian organizations demanded the integration of lesbians in national feminist organizations.
In the 1970s, religious acceptance of gay and lesbians grew with the appointment of the first gay minister in 1972 by the United Church of Christ. A National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce was established to further their political appointments and to launch inclusive human rights campaigns. 1979 - March on Washington for gay rights
the 1980s - this decade was particularly devastating for the LGBT community due to GRID (Gay-Related Immunodeficiency Disease), later known as AIDS. This epidemic was referred to as punishment by God for the LGBT community by the right-wing parties.
1992 - Bill Clinton became the first US President to recognise the rights of gay and lesbians. In 1993, the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” law was signed which banned gay and lesbians from openly serving in the military
April 1997 - Ellen De Generes came out on national television. The period after this saw a rise in gay celebrity power and their media presence
In the 1990s, the LGBT movement expanded to include individuals of different races, colour, class and included transgender and intersex voices.
21st Century
2000 - same-sex civil unions were recognised under the Vermont law
2003 - end of Sodomy laws
2004 - Massachusetts became the first state to witness the same-sex marriage
Gay Marriage became legal in Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada
2011 - Obama repealed the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” law allowing members of the LGBT community to openly serve in the armed forces
June 2015 - Supreme Court of the US recognises same-sex marriage (Obergefell vs. Hodges)
LGBTQIA+ Glossary
It is important to educate ourselves on different terminologies and how to use them correctly. This whole month, we’ll go over these terms.
Agender: a person who doesn’t identify with any gender or who doesn’t intentionally follow the defined genders
Aliagender: a non-binary identity. Refers to a strong identity apart from masculine and feminine
Androgyny: a gender with traits from both masculinity and femininity/a person with both male and female anatomy
Aromantic: an individual who does not experience romantic attraction
Asexual: someone who lacks interests in sexual relationships/someone who experiences very little or no sexual attraction
Assumed Gender: gender of a person assumed by the society based on the assigned sex upon birth
Bicurious: people who are exploring the intensity of their attraction towards people of the same gender as well as the people of different genders
From around the world 🌏
UPDATE: The European Union on Friday adopted a plan to ban Belarus’s carriers from flying over or from landing in the EU. The decision comes after Belarus’s leader abused his power and diverted the landing of a commercial aircraft to arrest its open critic.
For the full story, check out the previous edition here.
#ClothesHaveNoGender
A 15-year-old student, Mikel Gomez was thrown out of school in Spain for wearing a skirt and was also forced to see a psychologist. To retaliate and to express solidarity with the student, male teachers and student also started wearing skirts to school.
First Indigenous woman Governor-General
Cindy Kiro was named the next Governor-General of New Zealand, becoming the indigenous woman to hold the title.
For the full story, check this out.
To Read, Watch and Listen
In one of the previous editions, I discussed women’s participation in politics and how the environment is often not conducive for women to hold political offices. This article in New York Times reflects on female politicians and how cyberbullying and abuses prevent hold women back.
Fake Nudes and Real Threats: How Online Abuse Holds Back Women in Politics
Menstruation Manual: Pratisandhi is a non-profit organization. They have come up with a free menstruation manual that contains extensive information about Menstruation.
Find the link here.
In the last week’s newsletter, we discussed menstrual hygiene and the taboos around menstruation. This article sheds light on Period Positive homes in Rural Maharashtra, India.
These Period Positive Homes Are Changing the Cultural Dialogue on Menstruation in Rural Maharashtra
Israel-Palestine
In a series of a blog post, a friend and I are exploring settler colonialism, ethnic cleansing and forced displacement in the region. The first article is out, which discusses Palestinians and the historical events which led to statelessness.
An awfully long newsletter this week. But I hope you enjoyed reading it because I definitely enjoyed curating it. If you liked it, do share it with your peers. I try to bring relevant stories every week. If you’ve any suggestions or would like to share something, kindly drop an email at streetstofeminism@gmail.com.