LBGTQ+
How far has the LGBTQ+ society come? For centuries it was considered to be a mental disorder to be gay. If you were associated with the LGBTQ+ at any form at all you would be discriminated and be considered the “black sheep”. In 95 years the Community has grown, so has the acceptance for the community.
In 1924 The Society for Human rights in Chicago recorded their first gay rights organization, this became the country’s earliest known gay rights organization. Following this happening, about 20 years later a zoologist named Alfred Kinsey published a book called “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male”, this revealed that homosexuality is far more common than what was believed to society. More Organizations and groups formed over the years, in 1956 the first Lesbian rights organization, The Daughters of Bilitis was formed in San Francisco. The news of homosexuality spread across the states like wildfire. A few civilians of the general public did not agree with this because of how “Unnatural” homosexuality is, or due to their religion. This started conflicts between the public when the states started to accept homosexuality. In 1962 Illinois becomes the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults in private. The Stonewall riot, a riot between police and gays in the early hours of June 28, 1969, in the Stonewall Inn. A gay club located in Greenwich Village in New York City. The riot was important because this was the first spark towards LGBT political activism.
Four years later, in 1973 homosexuality is removed from the official list of mental disorders, the same year Harvey Milk runs for city supervisor in San Francisco, winning the Castro District and other liberal neighborhoods. Mayor George Moscone appoints Harvey to the Board Of Permit Appeal in 1976, making Harvey the first openly gay city commissioner in the United States. After five weeks of the Board Of Permit Appeal, Moscone is forced to fire Milk. Milk loses the States Assembly race by fewer than 4,000 votes. By Believing that the Alice B. Toklas LGBT Democratic Club will never support him, Milk co-founds the San Franciso Gay Democratic Club after his election loss.
Hatred for Sexual orientation still rises as time moves. Miami, Florida, in 1977 passes a civil rights ordinance making sexual orientation discrimination illegal in Dade County. A campaign, Save our children, lead by a Singer, Anita Bryant, was launched in response to the ordinance. The largest special election in Dade County history was held for this, 70% voted to overturn the ordinance.
On January 8, 1978, Milk makes national news when he is sworn in as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He wins the election by 30 percent and begins his term by sponsoring a civil right bill that outlaws sexual orientation discrimination. The bill passes and Mayor Moscone signs it into law. In the Summer Los Angeles and San Francisco host Gay Pride marches, the attendance has been greater than ever before.
On November 27, Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone are assassinated by Dan White, another San Francisco City Supervisor, who had resigned recently and wanted his job back but was being passed over because he was not the best fit for the liberal-leaning Board Of Supervisors and the ethnic diversity in the White’s district. Memorials are left for Harvey, some of which are locations, the Plaza at the intersection of market and Castro streets. After Harvey died the San Francisco Gay Democratic cub changes its name to the Harvey Milk Memorial Gay Democratic club.
In the following years, 1979 and 1980 the national march for Lesbian and Gay rights took place in Washington D.C, in October. It was the largest political gathering in support of LGBT rights to date, with about 75,000 people participating. In 1980 the Democratic National Convention held at New York City’s Madison square garden, Democrats took a stance supporting gay rights.
More states start to outlaw discrimination of sexual orientation, Wisconsin is the first in 1982. Following that is the city of Berkeley, California becomes the first city to offer its employees domestic partnership benefits in 1984. In 1993 the “Don’t ask, Don’t Tell” policy instituted for the U.S military, permitting gay me to serve in the military but banning homosexuality activity. April 25, it is estimated 800,000 to one million people participated in the march on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberations.
In 2000 Vermont becomes the first state in the county to legally recognize civil unions between gay or lesbian couples. The law states that couples would be entitled to the same benefits, privileges, and responsibilities as spouses. Eight Years later in February, a New York appeals court unanimously votes that valid same-sex marriage performed in other states must be recognized by employers in New York. May 15, 2008, the California supreme court rules that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in California. On November 4, voters in Californa, Arizona, and Florida approved the passage of measures that ban same-sex marriage. While Arkansas passed a measure intended to bar gay men and lesbians from adopting children. On October 10, Connecticut becomes the second state to have the right to marry same-sex, right after Massachusetts. While it is not treated the same as a heterosexual marriage until November 12 of 2008. In the course of time, more states passed laws and bills that allow same-sex couples to get married. Until June, 26 of 2015 when the U.S supreme court struck down all bans on same-sex marriage, legalized it in all fifty states.
Flags were created to represent the different individual parties of the LGBTQ+. In 1966 Harvey Milk challenged Gilbert Baker, to come up with a symbol of pride for the gay. Gilbert Baker sewed the first gay flag. Though some dispute whether Baker was the sole creator of the flag that started it all. Each color celebrates an aspect of queer pride;
Hot pink: Pride
Red: Life
Orange: Healing
Yellow: Sunlight
Green: Nature
Turquoise: Magic/Art
Indigo: Serenity
Violet: Spirit
After Harvey Milk assassination many people of the LGBTQ+ community wanted the pride flag he commissioned to show his accomplishments for the community and their personal support. The demanded was greater than the available fabric, so the Flag company began selling this version of the flag, as did Gilbert Baker, who had trouble getting hot pink fabric. This became known as the 1978–1999 Pride flag.
The traditional gay pride flag consists of six stripes. In 1979 it was hung from lampposts in San Francisco. Numerous complications over having an odd-number of colors led to turquoise being dropped.
