1. Learning Target: I can understand the changes in the Civil Rights Movement over time
Opener: On a scale of 1-4, personally how comfortable with the topic of “gay rights”? Explain

2. The Gay Rights Movement
Video

3. I. The “History” of Gay People
Some scholars have argued that gay people lack a history (in the traditional sense)
Problem of “invisibility”
Concept of homosexuality has changed radically over time
e.g., in 1973 the DSM (The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) removed it from its list of disorders

4. II. Discrimination
In the twentieth century United States, gay people faced a number of obstacles
Entrapment (gay men especially)
Lack of job security
Suspected ties to radical movements increased harassment (state department list)

5. III. Attempts at Integration
Mattachine Society (gay men) and Daughters of Bilitis (lesbian women)
Attempted to convince American society that gay people were only different in their sexual orientation
Tried to do so through literature and very orderly demonstrations
Really, really unsuccessful

6. IV. The Stonewall Riots Riot at the Stonewall Inn June 28, 1969
Police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in Greenwich Village
Crowd gathered and attacked the police
Riots consumed Greenwich Village for several weeks after

9. V. The Gay Rights Movement
Significance of Stonewall
Inspired a new sense of gay pride (militancy in others)
Rise of the Gay Liberation Front, demise of Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis
While gay people became more open about their sexuality, class and gender issues became more apparent as the movement grew (lesbians vs. transvestites, poor gay men vs. wealthy gay men, etc.)

10. V. The Gay Rights Movement
Significance (con’t)
June 28, 1970 saw the first gay pride parade to commemorate the riots.
In 2009, President Obama declared June 2009 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, citing the riots as a reason to "commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans”

12. Further Reading