GAY RIGHTS 1950-1970

Kailey Sutton

Originally persecution existed based on a religious concept that same-sex relations was sin so horrendous that it should not even be spoken of. Just as with women, and racial minorities, gay rights took an additional 200 years after the revolution to begin to develop.

Early on it was hard for a person seeking a same-sex relationship to find others like themselves. Oftentimes, it was only safe to look in cities where there was a larger variety of unique individuals. Also, WWII provided an opportunity for same sex couples to meet when they were working at defense plants. Many of these couples moved to cities together where they could live a gay social life, with others like them. However, they did have to keep their sexuality a secret from their landlords and employers.

There was also a conflict between social desires and a pressure to conform. Starting in the 1950’s the police would enact raids on known gay bars and arrest men and women caught in “immoral” sexual acts. Gay rights became a massive political issue by this point. In fact, according to historians, if the oppression had not been so intense then the need for a gay rights movement probably never would have arisen.

The 1950’s marked the emergence of what was known as the homophile movement. Groups such as the Mattachine society (1950), ONE (1952) and The Daughters of Bilitis (1955) formed to further the movement.

Why the movement started

In the early hours of June 28, 1969, a group of gay customers at a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village called the Stonewall Inn, who had grown angry at the harassment by police, took a stand and a riot broke out. As word spread throughout the city about the demonstration, the customers of the inn were soon joined by other gay men and women who started throwing objects at the policemen, shouting "gay power”

The Mattachine Society

Founded by communist party member Harry Hay and four others, the Mattachine Society was extremely secretive due to fear of arrest. Only the five founders knew all of the details. The name Mattachine came from medieval peasant monks who wore masks, because the members of the society too had to wear metaphorical masks. “(We) used to talk about the snake pit of despair we were all in before mattachine, how far we’ve come, and how much farther we have yet to travel.” –Harry Hay

ONE, Inc.

Inspired by the Mattachine Society after being brought to a meeting by his lesbian friend Betty Perdue, Jim Kepner founded ONE, Inc. Kepner also built the International Gay and Lesbian archives, collecting every rare book and periodical he could find on the subject.

Daughters of Bilitis

The daughters of Bilitis was a safe place for Lesbian women to come and discuss their sexual orientation and struggles they have in day to day life. Women would give each other advice on how to cope with and even attempt to eliminate some prejudice.

Harvey Milk

Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.The signifigance of this is that it gave many more Americans the courage to be openly gay. It also gave the LBGT movement a major foothold on the political aspect of the issue.

What The Flag Means(The original flag featured hot pink at the top)

QUESTIONS

1.) What caused the movement to start when it did?2.) Who started the Mattachine Society?3.) Who was Jim Kepner?4.) What was the daughters of Bilitis?5.) When was ONE founded?

Citations

“Gay and Lesbian Rights in The United States- A documentary history” Edited by Walter L. Williams and Yolanda Retter“Gay Rights” By Tina Kafka“Gay Rights” By Tricia Andryszewski“Gay Rights- Revised Edition” Edited by Rachel Kranz and Tim Cusikhttps://www.google.com/search?q=original+gay+flag&safe=strict&rls=com.microsoft:en-US:IE-SearchBox&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=gbFcVYbXBLX-sATgzoCIBg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=673