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| LGBT movement in the United States | |
|---|---|
| Name | LGBT movement in the United States |
| Caption | Stonewall Inn, Greenwich Village, site of the 1969 Stonewall riots |
| Founded | 20th century |
| Key people | Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Harvey Milk, Bayard Rustin, Edie Windsor, Larry Kramer, Angela Davis, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde |
| Location | United States |
LGBT movement in the United States The movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in the United States encompasses political, legal, cultural, and social efforts by activists, organizations, and communities to secure civil rights, recognition, and social acceptance. Originating in early-20th-century reform and subcultural networks, it accelerated after the Stonewall riots and expanded through legal battles, electoral politics, public health crises, and cultural production. Key actors have included grassroots collectives, advocacy groups, litigators, politicians, writers, artists, and faith leaders.
Early organizing drew on networks surrounding venues like Pearl River-era subcultures, with precursors in the work of Magnus Hirschfeld-influenced reformers and the pulp-era visibility of figures such as Gertrude Stein and Radclyffe Hall. The 1950s saw conservative backlash met by homophile groups like the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis and activists such as Harry Hay and Del Martin. The 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City—with leaders including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera—catalyzed modern queer liberation movements, inspiring organizations like Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists Alliance. The 1970s brought electoral breakthroughs with figures such as Harvey Milk in San Francisco and legal challenges in venues like the New York Court of Appeals. The 1980s AIDS crisis mobilized groups including ACT UP and GMHC, linked to activists like Larry Kramer and legal advocates such as Edwin Cameron-aligned lawyers; cultural response included works by Tony Kushner and Ntozake Shange. The 1990s featured policy struggles over military service culminating in debates around Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), litigated by advocates including Evan Wolfson and challenged by litigants such as Edie Windsor. The 21st century saw marriage equality victories in state courts and the Supreme Court of the United States decisions in United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges, alongside trans rights advocacy spurred by figures like Chelsea Manning and organizations such as National Center for Transgender Equality.
Primary objectives have included legal recognition of relationships pursued by groups like Freedom to Marry and litigators such as Ted Olson, anti-discrimination protections advanced by ACLU and Lambda Legal, and healthcare access foregrounded by Terrence Higgins Trust-influenced public health models and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnerships during the AIDS era. Other goals include transgender healthcare and identity recognition promoted by National Center for Transgender Equality and activists like Kate Bornstein, anti-violence work by The Trevor Project and GLAAD's media advocacy, youth support through PFLAG and campus groups like ACT UP New York University-linked collectives, and intersectional justice pursued by coalitions involving Black Lives Matter allies and leaders such as Bayard Rustin-inspired organizers.
National and local organizations have shaped strategy: Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Lambda Legal, GLAAD, The Trevor Project, National LGBTQ Task Force, PFLAG, National Center for Transgender Equality, Lambda Archives of San Diego, Stonewall Democratic Club, Mattachine Society successor groups, and regional groups like San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN), Los Angeles LGBT Center, GLSEN National, Equality California, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, and Equality Federation. Cultural institutions such as Stonewall Inn, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Lesbian Herstory Archives, New York Public Library, museums like GLBT Historical Society, and festivals including San Francisco Pride, New York Pride, Southern Decadence, and Chicago Pride Parade have provided visibility and preservation. Philanthropic supporters include Gill Foundation and Arcus Foundation while faith-based allies include Metropolitan Community Churches and reform movements like Unitarian Universalist Association.
Landmark litigation, legislation, and policy include the repeal of sodomy laws after Lawrence v. Texas, marriage equality after United States v. Windsor and Obergefell v. Hodges, military service changes from Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal, employment protections via state statutes and municipal ordinances inspired by Employment Non-Discrimination Act proposals, and administrative actions by the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services. Key legal actors include litigators at ACLU, Lambda Legal, and advocates such as Roberta Kaplan; scholarly contributions came from law professors at Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and Columbia Law School. Legislative milestones involved state referenda and acts in Massachusetts, California, New York (state), Oregon, Vermont, and national debates in the United States Congress.
The movement reshaped popular culture through literature by James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Truman Capote, theater by Tony Kushner and Larry Kramer, film by directors such as Pedro Almodóvar-linked auteurs, television series promoted by Ryan Murphy and networks like HBO, and music by artists including k.d. lang and Freddie Mercury-influenced performers. Media representation improved through advocacy by GLAAD and public figures such as Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris, while queer theory and academia grew at institutions like University of California, Berkeley and New York University with scholars like Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. Cultural controversies engaged faith communities including United Church of Christ and political actors like Ronald Reagan-era opponents, while pride events and commemorations at sites like Christopher Street and Stonewall National Monument fostered collective memory.
Surveys by Pew Research Center, Gallup, and academic centers at Williams Institute documented rising self-identification and favorable opinions in states such as California, New York (state), and Massachusetts. Demographic studies used data from the U.S. Census (experimental research), American Community Survey analyses, and health research at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to map LGBT populations across metropolitan areas like San Francisco Bay Area, New York metropolitan area, and Chicago metropolitan area. Public opinion shifts were influenced by campaigns from Freedom to Marry, celebrity endorsements from figures like Barbra Streisand and Lady Gaga, and media coverage by outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Direct-action and protest traditions emerged from groups such as ACT UP, Queer Nation, Stonewall Veterans Association, and campus-based organizations at Columbia University, University of California, Los Angeles, and Harvard University. Campaigns targeted institutions like Food and Drug Administration blood policies, municipal police practices in Stonewall riots-style demonstrations, and corporate practices via shareholder activism engaging companies listed on New York Stock Exchange. Intersectional activism linked to movements like Black Lives Matter, immigrant rights groups including Movimiento Cosecha, and labor unions such as Service Employees International Union (SEIU), while digital organizing leveraged platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and grassroots fundraising through foundations like Open Society Foundations.