lgbt awareness essay

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110 LGBT Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

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The LGBT community has made significant strides in recent years towards achieving equal rights and acceptance in society. However, there is still much progress to be made, and one way to continue the conversation is through writing. Essays can be a powerful tool for advocating for change, raising awareness, and sharing personal experiences.

If you are looking for inspiration for your next LGBT essay, we have compiled a list of 110 topic ideas and examples to help get you started.

• The history of the LGBT rights movement
• The impact of media representation on the LGBT community
• Discrimination faced by LGBT individuals in the workplace
• The intersectionality of race and sexuality in the LGBT community
• The effects of conversion therapy on LGBT youth
• The role of religion in shaping attitudes towards the LGBT community
• The portrayal of LGBT characters in literature
• The significance of Pride Month
• The importance of inclusive sex education for LGBT youth
• The challenges faced by transgender individuals in accessing healthcare
• The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the LGBT community
• The representation of LGBT individuals in popular culture
• The experiences of LGBT refugees and asylum seekers
• The impact of anti-LGBT legislation on mental health
• The history of drag culture in the LGBT community
• The role of allies in supporting the LGBT community
• The impact of bullying on LGBT youth
• The experiences of LGBT individuals in the military
• The portrayal of LGBT relationships in film and television
• The importance of LGBT-inclusive policies in schools
• The challenges faced by LGBT parents in adoption and foster care
• The experiences of LGBT seniors in long-term care facilities
• The impact of homelessness on LGBT youth
• The role of social media in connecting the LGBT community
• The representation of bisexuality in the media
• The experiences of LGBT individuals in sports
• The impact of anti-LGBT violence on the community
• The experiences of LGBT individuals in the criminal justice system
• The portrayal of transgender individuals in the media
• The impact of the Stonewall Riots on the LGBT rights movement
• The experiences of LGBT individuals in rural communities
• The role of LGBT advocacy organizations in promoting change
• The impact of social stigma on mental health in the LGBT community
• The experiences of LGBT individuals in the foster care system
• The portrayal of gender nonconforming individuals in popular culture
• The impact of discrimination on access to housing for LGBT individuals
• The experiences of LGBT individuals in the healthcare system
• The portrayal of intersex individuals in the media
• The impact of workplace discrimination on the LGBT community
• The history of the transgender rights movement
• The portrayal of LGBT relationships in literature
• The impact of conversion therapy on LGBT youth
• The portrayal of LGBT individuals in historical narratives
• The impact of social media on LGBT activism
• The portrayal of LGBT individuals in advertising
• The impact of anti-LGBT violence on mental health
• The role of LGBT individuals in the civil rights movement

Writing about LGBT issues can be a powerful way to educate others, raise awareness, and advocate for change. Whether you choose to write about the history of the LGBT rights movement, the impact of media representation, or the experiences of LGBT individuals in various settings, there are countless topics to explore. By using your voice and sharing your perspective, you can contribute to the ongoing conversation about equality and acceptance for all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

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Promoting School Safety for LGBTQ and All Students

Salvatore ioverno.

University of Ghent

Schools are often unsafe for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students; they frequently experience negative or hostile school climates, including bullying and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity at school. Negative school climates and discriminatory experiences can threaten LGBTQ students’ well-being.

Simultaneously, a consistent body of research identifies strategies to support LGBTQ and all students to be safe and thrive at school. First, policies that specifically identify or enumerate protected groups such as LGBTQ students create supportive contexts for all youth. Second, professional development prepares educators and other school personnel with tools to support and protect all students. Third, access to information and support related to sexual orientation and gender identity or expression (SOGIE), including curricula that is SOGIE-inclusive, provides students with resources, support, and inclusion, creating school climate. Fourth, the presence of student-led clubs or organizations such as gender-sexuality alliances (i.e., GSAs) improve students’ school experiences and well-being, and contribute to positive school climate. This article reviews the research foundations of each of these strategies and concludes with recommendations for multiple audiences: policy-makers, school personnel, parents, and students.

Students deserve safe schools. Research-based strategies promote safety for LGBTQ and all students: 1) Explicit anti-bullying policies; 2) Teacher professional development; 3) Gender-Sexuality Alliances; 4) Inclusive curricula & spaces.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students often experience negative school environments, where they are subject to victimization based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. As a result, LGBTQ students are more likely to report negative physical and mental health outcomes than their peers. Over the last decade, four strategies have emerged in the research literature to prevent or at least minimize these risks: specifically inclusive anti-bullying policies, professional development on LGBTQ issues, LGBTQ-related resources, and student-led clubs like Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) ( National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [NASEM], 2019 , 2020 ). This paper summarizes research evidence on each of these safe-school strategies and provides recommendations for multiple audiences, including policy-makers, professional associations in the field of education, schools of education, school personnel, parents, and students.

Before reviewing the evidence, note that studies have used several ways to define sexual orientation and gender identity. We refer to “LGBTQ students,” but when referencing original research we use the language from specific studies. For example, we refer to “LGB” when a study specifically included LGB but not transgender, questioning, or queer youth. Further, most research to date has focused on only sexual orientation (or the experiences of LGB youth) or combines LGB with transgender youth. Thus, most studies have not provided specific attention to transgender and gender diverse youth, although there has been growing research attention to transgender and gender diverse youth ( Day et al., 2018 ; Ioverno & Russell, 2021 ; Olsen & Gülgöz, 2018 ; Olsen et al., 2016 ). Finally, we refer to “school personnel” in order to include teachers as well as other school personnel, including school administrators, classroom aides, cafeteria workers, or bus drivers.

Strategy #1: Inclusive, Enumerated Policies

Enumerated policies are policies that explicitly list characteristics or traits of students that may be the subject of bullying and harassment at school. Inclusive, enumerated policies are a critical tool for creating safe and supportive schools for LGBTQ and all youth ( Black et al., 2012 ; Kull et al., 2016 ).

In March 2021, President Biden made history by signing the Executive Order on Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free from Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity ( Exec. Order 14021, 2021 ). The Executive Order marks the first time that federal policy has provided legal protection against discrimination for LGBTQ students in K-12 education across the United States. However, as a presidential action, the policy lacks permanency and can be swiftly overturned by the next federal administration. Additionally, as a federal policy, federal agencies are responsible for the policy’s implementation and legal action could be pursued under this order only through the federal court system. Given the lack of action from the U.S. Congress, many states have enacted legislation over the past two decades to protect students from bullying and harassment based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression through inclusive, enumerated policies.

Enumerated policies can be protective for students in a number of ways: they provide school educators and administrators with implementation guidance for anti-bullying policies and practices, signal to school communities that LGBTQ-based discrimination will not be tolerated, and provide students with a clear understanding of their rights to safety at school. Studies show that when enumerated policies are present, teachers show more support for their LGBT students ( Swanson & Gettinger, 2016 ) and intervene more frequently when hearing anti-LGBTQ remarks ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ). Further, students protected by enumerated policies are less likely to report homophobic or transphobic attitudes, remarks, and behaviors toward LGBT peers ( Horn & Szalacha, 2009 ; Kosciw et al., 2020 ). This is especially true for transgender youth; Greytak et al. (2013) found that several safe school policies and practices were associated with less victimization for all LGBTQ students, but the positive impact of inclusive policies and GSAs were even stronger for transgender youth than LGB youth.

Multiple studies at state ( Meyer et al., 2019 ), national ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ; Kull et al., 2016 ), and international ( Berger et al., 2017 ) levels find that enumerated policies are associated with improved education environments for LGBTQ and all students. Specifically, in the presence of enumerated policies, LGBT students feel safer at school, hear less homophobic language, experience less identity-based victimization ( Kull et al., 2016 ), report less absenteeism at school ( Greytak, 2013 ), and are less at risk for suicide and substance use ( Frost et al., 2019 ; Hatzenbuehler & Keyes, 2013 ; Konishi et al., 2013 ).

In some cases, students, parents, and school personnel are unaware of safe schools policies and lack knowledge of explicit protections for students who are (or who are perceived to be) LGBTQ ( Schneider & Dimito, 2008 ). When policy implementation lacks appropriate communication, LGBT students may feel less assured of support by their school communities ( Swanson & Gettinger, 2016 ). To counter this, a key strategy for promoting school safety is to disseminate information about school policies so students and educators understand public policies affecting their daily environments ( Hall & Chapman, 2018 ).

Strategy #2: School Personnel Support and Training

Support from school personnel – including school administrators, educators, and staff – is critical to promoting the safety and well-being of vulnerable and marginalized students, including LGBTQ students ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ). Most school personnel desire to support students but may not understand the needs of LGBTQ students. For this reason, training for all school personnel to increase knowledge about supporting LGBTQ students is essential ( Greytak & Kosciw, 2010 ; Payne & Smith, 2011 ).

Studies show that when LGBTQ youth view school personnel as supportive, they feel safer at school, report less absenteeism, experience less victimization based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, feel like they belong in their school community, and maintain higher grade point averages ( Greytak et al., 2013 ; Kosciw et al., 2020 ; Seelman et al., 2012 ).

A critical benchmark for supporting LGBTQ students is intervening when bullying and harassment occurs. National studies over the past five years have exposed the need for further support and training for school personnel on issues of LGBTQ identities. In a recent study, LGBTQ students reported that teachers intervene less often for homophobic remarks compared to racist or sexist remarks ( Kosciw et al., 2018 ; see also Kosciw et al., 2016 ). The lack of effective intervention by school personnel may stem from barriers including fear of backlash, a lack of education about how to support LGBTQ students, and little to no institutional support ( Meyer, 2008 ). A national study ( Greytak et al., 2016 ) from 2016 found that just 26% of teachers said they could support the needs of their LGBT students (e.g. discussing LGBT issues and advocating for inclusive, enumerated policies) without any barriers. The remaining 74% of teachers said they did not participate in supportive actions because of professional pressure from the school community (e.g., lack of administrative support or backlash from parents or community members), personal beliefs (e.g., that addressing LGBT issues is not necessary or appropriate), or practical concerns (e.g., lack of time and limited knowledge about LGBT issues).

Some LGBTQ students report even school personnel using homophobic and transphobic language. In a recent national survey of LGBTQ students, a majority (52.4%) reported hearing homophobic remarks from school personnel, while a strong majority (66.7%) have reported hearing negative remarks about gender identity and expression from school personnel ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ). When educators and school administrators fail to intervene in homophobic remarks or make these kinds of remarks themselves, students become normalized to harmful, anti-LGBTQ language and learn that prejudice is acceptable at school.

Training demonstrably benefits school personnel. Pre-service and in- service professional development for school personnel on subjects of LGBTQ identities can build empathy, awareness, and self-efficacy, developing actionable supportive behaviors for LGBTQ students ( Greytak & Kosciw, 2010 ; Payne & Smith, 2011 ). For example, professional development that incorporates exposure to LGBT people raises awareness of homophobic bullying and builds teachers’ skills to intervene in homophobic behaviors ( Greytak & Kosciw, 2014 ). LGBTQ-specific training must be distinct. In a national sample of secondary school teachers ( Greytak et al., 2016 ), training on LGBT issues relates to more intervention in response to homophobic remarks, but professional development on bullying and harassment in general was not. Teacher training on LGBT issues positively associates with activities to support LGBT students ( Swanson & Gettinger, 2016 ). Students report less bullying in schools with multiple LGBT-supportive practices in place, including providing LGBT-related professional development and having an LGBT point-person available ( Gower et al., 2017 ).

Strategy #3: Student-Led Clubs (GSAs)

Student-led, LGBTQ-focused, school-based clubs (often called gay-straight alliances, or gender-sexuality alliances, i.e., GSAs), are organizations composed of students and advisors that operate like other student extracurricular clubs. Through GSAs, LGBTQ students and non- LGBTQ student allies work together to promote social inclusion and foster a positive school climate for LGBTQ and all students on their school campus. In 2018, national data from the CDC’s School Health Profiles reported that 40% of students across the U.S. attend schools with a GSA or similar club ( Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2019 ). GSAs may be involved in a range of activities, including providing a platform for education and safety, leadership development, school-wide advocacy training, interpersonal support, and recreational activities ( Poteat et al., 2019 ).

Consistently, participation in GSAs is associated with a range of positive outcomes for students: higher grade point averages ( Walls et al., 2010 ), more school belonging ( Toomey & Russell, 2011 ), feeling safe at school ( Ioverno et al., 2016 ), and better mental health ( Poteat et al., 2019 ). In addition, greater involvement in GSAs is linked to more youth empowerment around social justice issues, increased validation from fellow students, and more hope for the future ( Poteat et al., 2019 ).

Regardless of GSA membership, simply having an active GSA at school is linked to a number of benefits for LGBT students ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ; Poteat et al., 2019 ; Walls et al., 2010 ) and heterosexual students ( Poteat et al., 2013 ; Saewyc et al., 2014 ). In a national survey of LGBT high school students, those in schools with GSAs reported less bullying based on sexual orientation or gender identity, less homophobic language, and a greater sense of belonging in their school environment ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ). In the first longitudinal study of LGB youth, having a GSA was associated with decreasing homophobic bullying and increasing feelings of safety one year later ( Ioverno et al., 2016 ). Relatedly, the presence of a GSA in high school can positively predict supportive attitudes towards LGBTQ individuals among college students ( Worthen, 2014 ). Finally, a meta-analysis showed that, across studies, LGBT students with GSAs in their schools are 36% more likely to feel safe and 30% less likely to report homophobic victimization compared to LGBT students in schools without GSAs ( Marx & Kettrey, 2016 ).

In addition to improved school experiences, a growing body of research has connected having a GSA at school with better mental health and health behavior for LGBT students, including lower levels of smoking, drinking and drug use, sex with casual partners ( Heck et al., 2014 ; Poteat et al., 2013 ), psychological distress and depressive symptoms ( Poteat et al., 2019 , Toomey et al., 2011 ), suicidal ideation and behavior ( Poteat & Russell, 2013 ; Saewyc et al., 2014 ; Walls et al., 2013 ), and greater self-esteem ( McCormick et al., 2015 ).

Strategy #4: Access to LGBTQ-Related Resources and Curricula

An effective strategy for creating safe and supportive schools gives all students access to LGBTQ-related resources and LGBTQ-inclusive curricula ( Snapp et al., 2015 ). LGBTQ-related resources refer to information and support services provided in libraries, schools’ websites, or posters on walls in classrooms and hallways. Schools can support the visibility of these resources through in-school assemblies or school-wide announcements or the introduction of LGBTQ-inclusive textbooks and lectures ( Burdge et al., 2013 ; Katz et al., 2016 ). LGBTQ-inclusive curricula integrate topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity within a standard school curriculum (e.g., health education, history, literature, science, or mathematics).

Most LGBTQ students in U.S. schools report that their curricula do not access LGBTQ people, history, or events ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ). Moreover, educators often do not know how or where to access LGBTQ-related materials ( Westheimer & Szalacha, 2015 ) or are worried that parents and/or community members may not support inclusive curricula ( Page, 2017 ). As of 2020, only four U.S. states – California, Colorado, New Jersey, and Illinois – mandate the teaching of LGBTQ history curricula.

Nevertheless, a recent national survey of LGBTQ students ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ) found that when students know how and where to access appropriate and accurate information regarding LGBTQ people at school, they feel that their schools are safer for themselves and other LGBTQ students. Further, students who say that they have learned about LGBT issues at school report less bullying ( Greytak et al., 2013 ; Snapp et al., 2016 ), more safety ( Toomey et al., 2012 ), less absenteeism ( Greytak et al., 2013 ; Kosciw et al., 2020 ), and less homophobic language and negative remarks based on gender expression in their schools ( Kosciw et al., 2020 ). Inclusive curricula are particularly relevant to adolescent sexual health education, but sexuality education (if offered as school curricula at all) has often been either silent about or irrelevant to LGBTQ people and issues ( Pampati et al., 2020 ). Yet in one state-wide study, teacher sensitivity to LGB issues in HIV education was associated with lower sexual risk-taking in LGB youth ( Blake et al., 2001 ).

The identification of “safe spaces” or “safe zones” for LGBT students has emerged in a few studies as a central strategy for promoting positive school climates ( Katz et al., 2016 ). Safe-Zone initiatives aim to promote inclusivity and support by providing voluntary training for school personnel on LGBT issues and providing participants with “safe zone” stickers that they can use to identify spaces (e.g., a classroom or office) where students may feel free to openly discuss topics related to sexual orientation and gender identity ( Ratts et al., 2013 ). The available research on “safe spaces” has shown that such initiatives contribute to greater inclusiveness, safety, and connection at school for LGBT students ( Evans, 2002 ; Katz et al., 2016 ; Kosciw et al., 2020 ).

Conclusions and Recommendations

In the last decade, strong evidence supports four strategies to create safe and supportive schools for LGBTQ and all students ( NASEM, 2019 , 2020 ). Everyone—students, parents, school personnel, and policy-makers—can suggest, support, and help implement the strategies described here. Table 1 provides specific, actionable recommendations for each strategy, for these key stakeholders. All our students deserve safe schools.

Recommendations

• Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) students experience discrimination or bullying at school; such experiences undermine youth health and achievement.
• In the last decade, research has identified strategies to promote school safety and wellbeing for LGBTQ and all students.
• Policies that specifically identify protected groups like LGBTQ students create contexts that are more supportive for LGBTQ and all youth, and are associated with student adjustment and achievement.
• Professional development on LGBTQ-specific topics prepares educators and other school personnel with tools to support and protect LGBTQ and all students.
• Access to information and support related to sexual orientation and gender identity or expression (SOGIE), including curricula that is SOGIE-inclusive, provides students with resources and support and promotes an inclusive school climate.
• Student-led clubs or organizations such as gender-sexuality alliances (i.e., GSAs) improve students’ school experiences and well-being, and contribute to positive school climate.

Acknowledgments.

This research was supported by a grant from the William T. Grant Foundation and grant, P2CHD042849, Population Research Center, awarded to the Population Research Center at The University of Texas at Austin by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors acknowledge support for Russell from the Priscilla Pond Flawn Endowment at the University of Texas at Austin.

Author Disclosure Statement . The authors declare that there are no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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New Tactics in Human Rights

Inspiring and equipping activists to change the world. join us., search form, creating and sustaining awareness of lgbtqi rights, conversation details.

• Cooperation and coalition-building

LGBTQI rights are fought for with a spectrum of tactics. In some states, gay citizens and allies march in pride parades and mark themselves with rainbows; in others, activists work in secrecy to protect their safety. Homophobia takes many forms and stems from a multitude of sources, each one different from the next. LGBTQI rights are human rights and must be upheld accordingly, but this lack of uniformity leads to distinct challenges in advocating for these rights on a global scale. Today, activists around the world confront a multitude of bigotry as they fight for the universal protection of queer individuals. In this conversation, participants discussed challenges and strategies for promoting LGBTQI rights through local and international actions across a range of situations.

Thank you to our featured resource practitioners who led the conversation:

• Joel Bedos (IDAHOT Committee)
• Alex Sheldon (Movement Advancement Project)
• Hudad Tolloui (Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO)
• Katsiaryna Borsuk (Frontline Defenders and the Belarusian Queer Film Festival Dotyk)

Advocating for LGBTQI Rights Across Cultural and Religious Lines

Bigotry can stem from cultural biases, interpretations of religions, and social norms—but, as Alex Sheldon pointed out, bigotry often stems from lack of education on LGBTQI people and issues. Many contributors highlighted the importance of education in LGBTQI advocacy. Sheldon discussed the importance of combatting misinformation through the use of evidence-based research and storytelling. Sheldon cites these tactics as useful for dispelling harmful falsehoods such as the myth that LGBTQI people have overcome all of the obstacles to equality, or the thought that being gay is a defect that can be cured. Joel Bedos mentioned stories of change journeys as tools for advocacy. For example, German Chancellor Merkel and President Obama   changed their minds about same-sex marriage—Bedos emphasized the power of these stories as growth models to show people who do not support LGBTQI rights how to change. Katsiaryna Borsuk discussed the effectiveness of advocacy from parents of LGBTQI citizens. Borsuk advocated for this form of storytelling in democratic, transitional, and authoritarian states.

This use of parents and family played into another common sentiment among contributors, which was the use of common values to frame LGBTQI rights. Bedos highlighted the importance of understanding the basis of individual biases and positioning advocacy efforts in relation to positive values while countering specific fears. Sheldon agreed, and stressed the importance of avoiding jargon and combative language when discussing LGBTQI rights. Bedos suggested linking advocacy to values such as care, fairness, and liberty . He mentioned a campaign in Moldova that linked homophobia to fear and acceptance to bravery, showing that the roots of bigotry are ignoble while advocating for LGBTQI rights through appeals to honor. In another post, Bedos discussed how conceptions about family —a concept that is often used to uphold oppressive traditionalism-- can be used to further LGBTQI causes. This tactic is featured in the guide Using family as a frame in social justice activism: A guide for activists and funders in Europe .

As participants noted, part of the power of appealing to common values is that this strategy can be adapted to fit multiple situations. Many commenters focused on the importance of considering context when advocating for LGBTQI rights across cultural, legal, and religious lines. Borsuk brought up the importance of choosing tactics that do not contradict social norms and rules. She cited Pride Parades as a mechanism for raising awareness and gaining support in liberal democratic societies because of established rights to speech and assembly that would not be useful in countries with authoritarian regimes because it could lead to a worsening of conditions. She mentioned the example of Russia’s Anti-Gay Propaganda Law, which outlaws public activities that contradict established family values and morals or could be harmful to children. Meanwhile, Hudad Tolloui showed how the legal structure of Iran informed Iranian activists on how to proceed—Iranian LGBTQI advocates implement new scientific research, emphasize disagreements among clerics, and point to instances where the law has changed over time to further their cause. Commenters emphasized awareness of context as an important tool for advancing LGBTQI freedom despite cultural barriers.

Hold Governments and Communities Accountable for Violations

When roughly one third of countries criminalize same-sex relationships and few offer protection for the safety of LGBTQI citizens, one wonders how to hold these hostile governments responsible for their citizen’s safety. One commenter discussed the effectiveness of data collection as a mechanism for charging states with their citizen’s wellbeing by publicly revealing the number of LGBTQI citizens in a population, the population density of these citizens, and the number of crimes perpetrated against these individuals. However, Borsuk  pointed out that this data is not necessarily useful in oppressive regimes that do not collect this information or register violence against LGBTQI people as hate crimes. In these situations discrimination is documented by LGBTQI initiatives. She also stated her belief that focusing on hate crimes can lead to LGBTQI citizens being seen as victims rather than exposing corrupt legal systems and consistent discrimination.

In the same post, Borsuk advocated for the international community holding governments to universal human rights standards. Bedos emphasized the importance of works such as the Yogyakarta Principles , a work that outline the implementation sexual orientation and gender identity justice in human rights standards, in paving the way for UN legislation that explicitly seeks to address LGBTQI issues. These topics have also been broached in Universal Periodic Reviews. Many contributors agreed that the codification and implementation of these standards pressures governments to protect LGBTQI rights.

Integrate LGBTQI Rights into Human Rights Conversations

As previously stated, many contributors agreed that protections for LGBTQI citizens in international law is crucial for holding governments accountable for violations against queer citizens. Multiple participants also agreed that the way to create this important legislature is by linking LGBTQI rights with human rights. Katsiaryna Borsuk emphasized the importance of this in preventing cultural traditionalism from becoming enshrined in international law. She said that traditionalist groups, such as the Group of Friends of the Family (GoFF) within the UN, push to block LGBTQI rights in international legislature. Therefore, according to Borsuk, connecting LGBTQI rights and human rights is important because it challenges oppressive policies through the ongoing conversation of cultural traditionalism versus the universality of human rights.

Other discussions centered around how integrating LGBTQI rights into conversations about human rights can help a movement gain allies and promote solidarity. Tolloui wrote that this integration can show how rights are interrelated. He said that in Iran , where there are many human rights violations, people sometimes question why a minority community’s rights are important. This sentiment leads to apathy towards LGBTQI movements. Activists fight this through showing LGBTQI rights as human rights and framing them as being connected to the struggles of others, particularly those of women’s rights groups. Borsuk also advocated for solidarity with other causes, stating the importance of “expressing our concerns for their needs and rights no less than ours.” This solidarity can be achieved through the frame of human rights promotion. Bedos agreed, and linked this sentiment back to approaching allies in terms of common values as opposed to common causes—in this case, the common value of upholding human rights and striving for equality that is prevalent among activist communities.

Examples and Resources:

• Barak Obama speaks out and declares support for same-sex marriage : An article from the guardian about Obama’s endorsement for same-sex marriage.
• British Asian LGBTI : A group that specializes in the intersectionality of race and sexuality issues, seeks to unite the British Asian LGBTI community, and works to defend global LGBTI rights.
• Common Cause Communication : An organization that works to frame social justice movements through common cultural values.
• Fight the Fear in Moldova : An interview with Artiom Zavadovsky, who works with GENDERDOC-M, the only NGO in Moldova that works for the defense of LGBTQI rights in Moldova.
• Frameworks Institute : A nonprofit that empirically identifies the most effective ways of reframing social and scientific issues.
• How dinner with a lesbian couple changed Angela Merkel's position on same-sex marriage : An article from the LA Times about Chancellor Merkel’s acceptance of same-sex marriage
• Invisible Majority: The Disparities Facing Bisexual People and How to Remedy Them : A resource from MAP on the unique problems facing bisexual people.
• Lesbians Wish You a Safe Journey to Macedonia : An interview from Sogi Campaings with a member of the Macedonian Lesbian feminist activist group Lezfem about a demonstration in which the group hung welcoming banners on bridges.
• Reclaiming Family Values : A guide for using family as a frame in social justice activism.
• Sexuality and Social Justice: A Toolkit : A resource on some of the most pressing issues related to sexuality, gender identity, and social justice.
• Sogi Campaigns : An organization dedicated to acceptance and equality for all people who do not fit into traditional gender or sexual representations.
• MAP Talking About LGBT Issues Series: Resources from the Movement Advancement Project
• designed to shape discourse on LGBTQI rights with conflicted Americans.
• The Yogyakarta Principles : A universal guide to human rights relating to sexual orientation and gender identity to which all member states of the United Nations must comply.

New Tactics in Human Rights does not advocate for or endorse specific tactics, policies or issues.

Conversation Leaders

Resource Library: Tools for Action

Find resources to support your human rights work.

Celebrating Pride Month: An Essay by Ula Klein, Author of Sapphic Crossings

June is Pride Month, and I’m proud to be a member of the LGBTQ community, working on LGBTQ literary and cultural history. My book,  Sapphic Crossings: Cross-Dressing Women in Eighteenth-Century British Literature  (UVA Press, 2021), looks at the lesbian, transgender and nonbinary histories that many people today haven’t heard of—yet.

Many people associate Pride celebrations with parades, rainbow gear, and parties, and for many people, Pride is associated primarily with gays and lesbians. In fact, sometimes Pride is called “Gay Pride.” What many do not know is that the Stonewall Riots that happened at the end of June 1969—the reason why Pride month is the month of June—were instigated by long-time transgender activists of color, including Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, both of whom worked to promote LGBTQ rights for many years before and after the riots.

Transgender and gay history are intertwined with one another, even if many people don’t always think about them that way. But gender and sexuality are difficult to extricate from one another. After all, gay couples are defined as gay because they are two people of the same gender. Despite the close connections between these categories, they are often talked about, thought about, and written about as separate.

When it comes to historical research into the lives of people who may or may not have been gay or bisexual or transgender, it becomes even harder to label anyone because we can’t go back in time to ask them how they thought of their gender identity or sexual orientation—and how they felt about those things might not easily align with the language that we use today. As any historian of sexuality will tell you, people did not always think of their sexuality as a part of their identity, like their gender, class, or nationality, while gendered categories of existence varied from culture to culture and across time and place.

And yet, I believe it is extremely important to look into the past to find traces of LGBTQ people—not to “label” people of the past, but rather to understand the role of LGBTQ people and identities in the past and today as part of  mainstream  culture, rather than on the peripheries. In my book, I consider people like Mary/George Hamilton, whose story was salaciously retold in an extremely fictionalized manner by major eighteenth-century author Henry Fielding, author of  Tom Jones  and many other novels and plays.

This fictionalized story, published anonymously as  The Female Husband , fascinated eighteenth-century readers, and was widely available throughout Britain from its publication in 1746 and into the nineteenth century. The narrative presents Hamilton as a person assigned female at birth, seduced by a lesbian Methodist, who finally ran away from home in men’s clothing and went on to seduce—and marry—several women in England before being apprehended and charged with fraud and vagrancy by the local courts.

Interestingly enough, Hamilton was outed for being  too good  in bed—the dildo they used was apparently “unrealistic”…not that Hamilton’s wife was complaining! 

Hamilton’s dressing in men’s clothing and using a man’s name places them squarely in the realm of transgender history. And yet, for the narrator of the text, it is Hamilton’s desires for women that are problematic—placing their narrative into the realm of proto-lesbian history.

Hamilton’s case demonstrates how difficult it can be to “label” people of the past. Was Hamilton gender fluid? Transgender? Genderqueer? Butch lesbian? In my book, I move beyond such questions to consider ones that I believe are more important, such as: why was this story so popular for eighteenth-century readers? How is it that eighteenth-century readers would have been familiar with a dildo and what does that familiarity tell us about sexual practices at the time? And why was transgender representation so crucial for representing same-sex female desires in the eighteenth century?

The intertwined history of transgender identity and gay and lesbian identity needs to be acknowledged.  Just like the history of Pride month, the longer history of LGBTQ identities is one made up of many intertwined strands. I’m proud to contribute to excavating and analyzing that history in my book, primarily by looking at what popular literary texts can tell us about how lesbian desires and trans embodiments were represented in narrative.

Ula Klein is Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and author of  Sapphic Crossings: Cross-Dressing Women in Eighteenth-Century British Literature .

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A collection of TED Talks (and more) on the topic of LGBTQIA+.

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TED Talks Daily Book Club: Horse Barbie

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How a sanctuary for self-expression can change lives

A liberating vision of identity that transcends labels

The poetry of everyday language

How Black queer culture shaped history

The online community supporting queer Africans

What happens to people's donated eggs and sperm after they die?

Why US laws must expand beyond the nuclear family

The duality of labels – and how to use them for good

A queer journey from shame to self-love

Language around gender and identity evolves (and always has)

What science taught me about being a Muslim drag quee‪n‬

The Trans Ban

How to come out at work, about anything

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LGBTQIA Studies : Research and topic suggestions

Arts & culture.

• queer performance art
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• bullying in schools; opposition to anti-bullying efforts by those who want to maintain traditional gender roles and stereotypes
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• how people who identify as non-binary navigate a world that sees gender in binary terms
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• the influence of cultural norms and attitudes of a specific century or decade, and how/why people hid their feelings of same-sex attraction
• was there a time period and location in which the social climate was more accepting of same-sex attraction and desire?
• biography of a specific person in history whose trans identity or same-sex attraction was known or documented
• Important Legislation for LGBTQIA+ people

International

• contrast how LGBTQIA+ people experience life in other countries outside of the United States
• compare and contrast laws and culture within the Asian continent
• which countries are the most and least accepting of LGBTQIA+ people
• LGBTQIA+ couples of differing nationalities-- can they live in the same country?
• LGBTQIA+ rights worldwide (focusing on the "LGBTQIA+ climate" in a specific country or region)
• how are transgender people transforming the medical establishment?
• sexual orientation-- what does biological research tell us about it?
• LGBTQIA+ mental health; research shows LGBTQIA+ people have higher overall rates of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders
• the diagnosis of "gender dysphoria" and how it has been reframed and is no longer a pathology
• parenting as a trans, nonbinary or gender fluid person
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• new reproductive technologies for LGBTQIA+ people
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• bisexuality and issues that are unique to bisexual people
• asexuality-- what is means, how it is often misunderstood;
• new efforts at asexual visibility coming out stories/ coming out process;
• challenges to the concept of "coming out"

Society & Politics

• recent backlash against LGBTQIA+ people
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• same-sex marriage -- who supports it, who opposes it, and which countries have legalized it
• Rainbow capitalism

Article Databases

Scholarly and nonscholarly articles on LGBTQ topics can be found in the following sources (accessible to current Northeastern affiliates)

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LGBTI RIGHTS

Around the world, people are under attack for who they are.

Living as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) person can be life-threatening in a number of countries across the globe. For those who do not live with a daily immediate risk to their life, discrimination on the basis of one’s sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression and sex characteristics, can have a devastating effect on physical, mental and emotional well-being for those forced to endure it.

Discrimination and violence against LGBTI people can come in many forms, from name-calling, bullying, harassment, and gender-based violence, to being denied a job or appropriate healthcare. Protests to uphold the rights of LGBTI people also face suppression across the globe. 

The range of unequal treatment faced is extensive and damaging and could be based on:

• your sexual orientation (who you’re attracted to)
• gender identity (how you self-identify, irrespective of the sex assigned at birth)
• gender expression (how you express your gender, for example through your clothing, hair or mannerisms),
• sex characteristics (for example, your genitals, chromosomes, reproductive organs, or hormone levels.)

Amnesty International campaigns to protect and uphold the rights of LGBTI people globally, including their right to life, freedom and safety.

What does it mean to be LGBTI?

The term LGBTI refers to a broad category of people, including those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex, although we recognize that there are many terms around the world that are used by people to define their sexual orientation or gender identity. The terminology used can vary widely depending on historical, cultural and societal contexts.

It is well established in international human rights law that states must take steps to safeguard the rights of LGBTI people.

Gender identity vs sexual orientation

Gender identity refers to each person’s deeply felt internal and individual sense of gender, which may or may not correspond with the sex assigned at birth . An individual’s gender identity may be that of a man, woman, or outside the binary categories of man and woman; it may also be more than one gender, fluid across genders or no gender at all.    

Sexual orientation refers to a person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectionate and sexual attraction to, and intimate and sexual relations with other people. People experience sexual and romantic attraction differently. You can be attracted to people of a different gender, or the same gender as you. Some people are asexual, meaning they experience little to no sexual attraction. 

What does it mean to be transgender?

Transgender (or trans) people have a gender identity that is different from typical expectations of the gender they were assigned at birth.

Some trans people might decide to get legal gender recognition or undergo gender affirmative interventions to help them feel more confident or comfortable living as their true gender.

Being transgender has nothing to do with a person’s sexual orientation. You can be a trans man and be gay – or be a trans woman and be lesbian.

Not all transgender people identify as male or female. Some identify as more than one gender or no gender at all and might use terms like non-binary, agender, genderqueer or gender fluid to describe their gender identity.

What is gender affirmation?

Some trans people decide to affirm their gender identity, which is the process of living your life as the gender you identify with.

There is no single gender-affirming process. Some people may adopt new pronouns, change their name, apply for legal gender recognition, and/or undergo gender-affirming surgery or hormone therapy.

What is gender recognition?

Gender recognition, in theory, allows trans people to align their legally recognized gender with that of their own gender identity. For some trans people, having their gender legally recognized is an essential step towards being able to live freely, authentically and openly.

Unfortunately, even in countries where it is possible to affirm one’s gender identity legally, the process is often dehumanizing, long and expensive.

In some countries, trans people need medical proof before they can get their gender identity legally recognized. This can be an invasive process and also reinforces the misinformed view that being trans is an illness. Unfortunately, despite the World Health Organization updating their guidelines to no longer recognize being transgender as a ‘disorder’, this attitude, is still prevalent in many societies around the world.

Requiring transgender people to undergo unnecessary medical treatments to obtain legal gender recognition violates their right to the highest attainable standard of health, which is protected under international human rights law, including by the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

For transgender people, official identity documents reflecting their gender identity are vitally important for the enjoyment of their human rights. They are not only crucial when travelling but also for everyday life. States must ensure that transgender people can obtain legal recognition of their gender through a quick, accessible and transparent procedure in accordance with the individual’s own sense of their gender identity while preserving their right to privacy.

What does it mean to be non-binary?

Non-binary people have a gender identity that exists outside the categories of male and female. It is an umbrella term for various gender identities that lie outside of the gender binary. While some non-binary people may identify as trans, others may not.

Some non-binary people may use gender-neutral pronouns , such as they/them. Others may use a combination of gendered and gender-neutral pronouns, such as they/he or she/they.  It is important to always respect people’s pronouns. If you aren’t sure what words to use to describe them, find polite ways to ask them.

What does intersex mean?

There is an assumption that everyone’s physical, hormonal and chromosomal characteristics fit neatly into either male or female. But that is not always the case, an estimated 1.7% of children in the world are born every year with variations of sex characteristics.

These variations are diverse; for instance, some children have genitalia outside the standard norms of male and female bodies, others have female reproductive organs but have XY (male) chromosomes, or male reproductive organs and XX (female) chromosomes.

These characteristics might be present at birth or become more apparent during or after puberty. 

Many people with intersex variations are forced to undergo invasive, non-emergency and irreversible “normalizing” surgeries, often when they are children, and therefore cannot consent, but sometimes this can happen later in life. Many people Amnesty International has spoken to that have gone through such surgeries reported lasting negative impacts on their physical and mental health, sexual lives, psychological well-being and gender identity.

When performed without informed consent or adequate information, these surgeries violate people’s right to physical bodily integrity and may have long-term consequences on their right to health and their sexual and reproductive rights, particularly since they can severely impede people’s fertility.  

Keep legal gender recognition legal in Slovakia

Case Study: The impact of Covid-19 on trans people in Asia

Transgender people – who were already subject to deep-rooted and persistent structural inequalities and discrimination – found their pre-existing marginalization exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and related public health measures and suffered disproportionately.

The report examined the ever-present barriers to access to healthcare, employment, education, housing, essential goods and services, and social support that were experienced against a backdrop of lack of legal gender recognition, stigma, discrimination, violence and criminalization.

Our report “Pandemic or not, we have the right to live” documents the experiences of transgender people in 15 countries in South, Southeast and East Asia, and the Pacific Islands during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Discrimination against LGBTI people

We are each protected against discrimination based on our sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression and sex characteristics under international human rights law.

However, in practice, authorities in many countries that have signed international treaties, committing them to protect human rights, continue to implement and introduce legislations that singles out and discriminates against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression.

There are 64 countries around the world which have laws that criminalize homosexuality , many of which can be traced back to European colonization.

In some countries, such as Brunei, Iran, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Uganda and in the northern states in Nigeria, people can be sentenced to the death penalty if they engage in consensual same-sex sexual acts.

Discrimination goes beyond being criminally prosecuted for being an LGBTI person and can include limited access to healthcare, difficulty in securing employment, bullying or harassment in the workplace and much more.

LGBTI identity and intersectionality

Intersectionality is a term coined by black, feminist legal academic, Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, and was first publicly explained in her 1989 essay ‘ Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex.’

The term ‘intersectionality’ was originally used to describe the multiple forms of inequality and discrimination black women face in the USA but has now become an international marker for defining ways that different forms of oppression and discrimination intersect with each other. 

Many countries of the Global South may have their own knowledge and experiences of addressing intersecting oppression. Feminist academic Nivedita Menon gives the example of India – stating that there has been a long history of engaging with multiple, intersecting identities that can be traced back to the anti-imperialist struggle, without any reference to Crenshaw’s work. 

For example, an LGBTI person may experience discrimination because of their gender identity or sexual orientation, and oppression because of their race, class, caste, religion, ethnicity, (dis)ability, or age .  In order to fight back against systems that oppress LGBTI people, we need to deconstruct all systems of oppression , including racism, imperialism, ableism, sexism, xenophobia, ageism or classism.

Pride as a Protest

What is pride.

While Pride is often perceived as a celebration it originally began as a riot against police brutality at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. On 28 June 1969, the Stonewall Inn was raided by the police, as it had been on many occasions before, due to laws which required a ‘man’ or a ‘woman’ to be wearing clothing items which ‘matched’ their gender on their state-issued ID. As the LGBTI community in the Stonewall Inn, primarily led by trans women of colour, fought back, police brutality increased amid six days of riots which was a galvanizing force for LGBTI activism in the USA.

In many states around the world, Pride is still centrally and most importantly a protest which highlights, commemorates, and fights for the rights of LGBTI people.

Pride is marked differently in countries across the world.  Many communities organize parades, marches and concerts that bring LGBTI people, allies, and the public together. But in other places, pride is actively shut down by governments and law enforcement agencies, leading to security risks for those participating.

While Pride has increasingly become one of the most visible modes of celebrating queer joy and resistance, LGBTI activism, protest and ways of coming together as a community have always existed across the world in different iterations. There are also several places in the world where Pride as a concept may not resonate with local LGBTI people, and they prefer to celebrate their identities in subtler, more locally relevant ways.

Case Study: Harassment of LGBTI activists in Poland

The atmosphere of hostility towards LGBTI people in Poland is getting progressively worse. Those who advocate for LGBTI rights face an immediate and hostile response from the state apparatus.

Our report documents the stories of those who uphold LGBTI rights and the repression they face for their peaceful actions.

Amnesty International research highlights examples of how Polish authorities not only fail to adequately protect LGBTI activists but have also targeted LGBTI people. People have faced prosecution just for writing in chalk or hanging a rainbow flag.

What is Amnesty doing to promote LGBTI rights?

Amnesty is committed to ending discrimination against LGBTI people around the world.

We learn from the lived experiences of LGBTI people and make recommendations to governments and other influential leaders on how to improve laws. For example, our research on the rights of intersex people was one of the first of its kind from a human rights perspective and strongly influenced new laws in Denmark, Finland, Greece and Norway.

Amnesty also helps activists around the world by producing resources on various issues that affect LGBTI people. This work takes many forms, from an advocacy toolkit for activists countering discrimination in Sub-Saharan Africa to the Body Politics series aimed at increasing awareness around the criminalization of sexuality and reproduction.

There is still a lot of work to do and we endeavour to continue to push for the fulfilment of all the rights of LGBTI people, in close collaboration with partners, LGBTI groups and activists across the globe.

RELATED CONTENT

Global: saudi arabia bid for the 2034 fifa world cup whitewashes human rights record while joint bid for 2030 leaves key gaps , “we are a family” an interview with stasya and alina, pride ends with mixed feelings in southern africa as lgbti people register wins and setbacks, south korea: supreme court ruling a historic victory for same-sex couples, global: tech systems worldwide are fueling gender inequalities  .

2nd Place Essay: “Definition of gay: stereotypes and the importance of affirming educators”

About Alex Villafuerte

Alex Villafuerte is San Diego Pride's Marketing & Communication Manager. He oversees the marketing for all of Pride's events & programs. Outside of Pride, he has a love for the outdoors, the San Diego brew scene, and naps.

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A brief history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender social movements

Bonnie J. Morris, PhD George Washington University Washington, D.C.

Social movements, organizing around the acceptance and rights of persons who might today identify as LGBT or queer, began as responses to centuries of persecution by church, state, and medical authorities. Where homosexual activity or deviance from established gender roles/dress was banned by law or traditional custom, such condemnation might be communicated through sensational public trials, exile, medical warnings, and language from the pulpit. These paths of persecution entrenched homophobia for centuries—but also alerted entire populations to the existence of difference.

Whether an individual recognized they, too, shared this identity and were at risk, or dared to speak out for tolerance and change, there were few organizations or resources before the scientific and political revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries. Gradually, the growth of a public media and ideals of human rights drew together activists from all walks of life, who drew courage from sympathetic medical studies, banned literature, emerging sex research, and a climate of greater democracy.

By the 20th century, a movement in recognition of gays and lesbians was underway, abetted by the social climate of feminism and new anthropologies of difference. However, throughout 150 years of homosexual social movements (roughly from the 1870s to today), leaders and organizers struggled to address the very different concerns and identity issues of gay men, women identifying as lesbians, and others identifying as gender variant or nonbinary. White, male, and Western activists whose groups and theories gained leverage against homophobia did not necessarily represent the range of racial, class, and national identities complicating a broader LGBT agenda. Women were often left out altogether.

What is the prehistory of LGBT activism? Most historians agree that there is evidence of homosexual activity and same-sex love, whether such relationships were accepted or persecuted, in every documented culture. We know that homosexuality existed in ancient Israel simply because it is prohibited in the Bible, whereas it flourished between both men and women in Ancient Greece. Substantial evidence also exists for individuals who lived at least part of their lives as a different gender than assigned at birth. From the lyrics of same-sex desire inscribed by Sappho in the seventh century BCE to youths raised as the opposite sex in cultures ranging from Albania to Afghanistan; from the “female husbands” of Kenya to the Native American “Two-Spirit,” alternatives to the Western male-female and heterosexual binaries thrived across millennia and culture.

These realities gradually became known to the West via travelers’ diaries, the church records of missionaries, diplomats’ journals, and in reports by medical anthropologists. Such eyewitness accounts in the era before other media were of course riddled with the biases of the (often) Western or White observer, and added to beliefs that homosexual practices were other, foreign, savage, a medical issue, or evidence of a lower racial hierarchy. The peaceful flowering of early trans or bisexual acceptance in different indigenous civilizations met with opposition from European and Christian colonizers.

In the age of European exploration and empire-building, Native American, North African, and Pacific Islander cultures accepting of “Two-Spirit” people or same-sex love shocked European invaders who objected to any deviation from a limited understanding of “masculine” and “feminine” roles. The European powers enforced their own criminal codes against what was called sodomy in the New World: the first known case of homosexual activity receiving a death sentence in North America occurred in 1566, when the Spanish executed a Frenchman in Florida.

Against the emerging backdrop of national power and Christian faith, what might have been learned about same-sex love or gender identity was buried in scandal. Ironically, both wartime conflict between emerging nations and the departure or deaths of male soldiers left women behind to live together and fostered strong alliances between men as well. Same-sex companionship thrived where it was frowned upon for unmarried, unrelated males and females to mingle or socialize freely. Women’s relationships in particular escaped scrutiny since there was no threat of pregnancy. Nonetheless, in much of the world, female sexual activity and sensation were curtailed wherever genital circumcision practices made clitoridectomy an ongoing custom.

Where European dress—a clear marker of gender—was enforced by missionaries, we find another complicated history of both gender identity and resistance. Biblical interpretation made it illegal for a woman to wear pants or a man to adopt female dress, and sensationalized public trials warned against “deviants” but also made such martyrs and heroes popular: Joan of Arc is one example, and the chilling origins of the word “faggot” include a stick of wood used in public burnings of gay men.

Despite the risks of defying severe legal codes, cross-dressing flourished in early modern Europe and America. Women and girls, economically oppressed by the sexism which kept them from jobs and economic/education opportunities designated for men only, might pass as male in order to gain access to coveted experiences or income. This was a choice made by many women who were not necessarily transgender in identity. Women “disguised” themselves as men, sometimes for extended periods of years, in order to fight in the military (Deborah Sampson), to work as pirates (Mary Read and Anne Bonney), attend medical school, etc. Both men and women who lived as a different gender were often only discovered after their deaths, as the extreme differences in male vs. female clothing and grooming in much of Western culture made “passing” surprisingly easy in certain environments.

Moreover, roles in the arts where women were banned from working required that men be recruited to play female roles, often creating a high-status, competitive market for those we might today identify as trans women, in venues from Shakespeare’s theatre to Japanese Kabuki to the Chinese opera. This acceptance of performance artists, and the popularity of “drag” humor cross-culturally, did not necessarily mark the start of transgender advocacy, but made the arts an often accepting sanctuary for LGBT individuals who built theatrical careers based around disguise and illusion.

The era of sexology studies is where we first see a small, privileged cluster of medical authorities begin promoting a limited tolerance of those born “invert.” In Western history, we find little formal study of what was later called homosexuality before the 19th century, beyond medical texts identifying women with large clitorises as “tribades” and severe punishment codes for male homosexual acts.

Early efforts to understand the range of human sexual behavior came from European doctors and scientists including Carl von Westphal (1869), Richard von Krafft-Ebing (1882) and Havelock Ellis (1897). Their writings were sympathetic to the concept of a homosexual or bisexual orientation occurring naturally in an identifiable segment of humankind, but the writings of Krafft-Ebing and Ellis also labeled a “third sex” degenerate and abnormal. Sigmund Freud, writing in the same era, did not consider homosexuality an illness or a crime and believed bisexuality to be an innate aspect beginning with undetermined gender development in the womb. Yet Freud also felt that lesbian desires were an immaturity women could overcome through heterosexual marriage and male dominance.

These writings gradually trickled down to a curious public through magazines and presentations, reaching men and women desperate to learn more about those like themselves, including some like English writer Radclyffe Hall who willingly accepted the idea of being a “congenital invert.” German researcher Magnus Hirschfeld went on to gather a broader range of information by founding Berlin’s Institute for Sexual Science, Europe’s best library archive of materials on gay cultural history. His efforts, and Germany’s more liberal laws and thriving gay bar scene between the two World Wars, contrasted with the backlash, in England, against gay and lesbian writers such as Oscar Wilde and Radclyffe Hall. With the rise of Hitler’s Third Reich, however, the former tolerance demonstrated by Germany’s Scientific Humanitarian Committee vanished. Hirschfeld’s great library was destroyed and the books burnt by Nazis on May 10, 1933.

In the United States, there were few attempts to create advocacy groups supporting gay and lesbian relationships until after World War II. However, prewar gay life flourished in urban centers such as New York’s Greenwich Village and Harlem during the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s. The blues music of African-American women showcased varieties of lesbian desire, struggle, and humor; these performances, along with male and female drag stars, introduced a gay underworld to straight patrons during Prohibition’s defiance of race and sex codes in speakeasy clubs.

The disruptions of World War II allowed formerly isolated gay men and women to meet as soldiers and war workers; and other volunteers were uprooted from small towns and posted worldwide. Many minds were opened by wartime, during which LGBT people were both tolerated in military service and officially sentenced to death camps in the Holocaust. This increasing awareness of an existing and vulnerable population, coupled with Senator Joseph McCarthy’s investigation of homosexuals holding government jobs during the early 1950s outraged writers and federal employees whose own lives were shown to be second-class under the law, including Frank Kameny, Barbara Gittings, Allen Ginsberg, and Harry Hay.

Awareness of a burgeoning civil rights movement (Martin Luther King’s key organizer Bayard Rustin was a gay man) led to the first American-based political demands for fair treatment of gays and lesbians in mental health, public policy, and employment. Studies such as Alfred Kinsey’s 1947 Kinsey Report suggested a far greater range of homosexual identities and behaviors than previously understood, with Kinsey creating a “scale” or spectrum ranging from complete heterosexual to complete homosexual.

The primary organization for gay men as an oppressed cultural minority was the Mattachine Society, founded in 1950 by Harry Hay and Chuck Rowland. Other important homophile organizations on the West Coast included One, Inc., founded in 1952, and the first lesbian support network Daughters of Bilitis, founded in 1955 by Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin. Through meetings and publications, these groups offered information and outreach to thousands.

These first organizations soon found support from prominent sociologists and psychologists. In 1951, Donald Webster Cory published “The Homosexual in America,” asserting that gay men and lesbians were a legitimate minority group, and in 1953 Evelyn Hooker, PhD, won a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to study gay men. Her groundbreaking paper, presented in 1956, demonstrated that gay men were as well-adjusted as heterosexual men, often more so.

But it would not be until 1973 that the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as an “illness” classification in its diagnostic manual. Throughout the 1950s and 60s, gay men and lesbians continued to be at risk for psychiatric lockup as well as jail, losing jobs, and/or child custody when courts and clinics defined gay love as sick, criminal, or immoral.

In 1965, as the civil rights movement won new legislation outlawing racial discrimination, the first gay rights demonstrations took place in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., led by longtime activists Frank Kameny and Barbara Gittings. The turning point for gay liberation came on June 28, 1969, when patrons of the popular Stonewall Inn in New York’s Greenwich Village fought back against ongoing police raids of their neighborhood bar. Stonewall is still considered a watershed moment of gay pride and has been commemorated since the 1970s with “pride marches” held every June across the United States. Recent scholarship has called for better acknowledgment of the roles that drag performers, people of color, bisexuals, and transgender patrons played in the Stonewall Riots.

The gay liberation movement of the 1970s saw myriad political organizations spring up, often at odds with one another. Frustrated with the male leadership of most gay liberation groups, lesbians influenced by the feminist movement of the 1970s formed their own collectives, record labels, music festivals, newspapers, bookstores, and publishing houses, and called for lesbian rights in mainstream feminist groups like the National Organization for Women. Gatherings such as women’s music concerts, bookstore readings, and lesbian festivals well beyond the United States were extraordinarily successful in organizing women to become activists; the feminist movement against domestic violence also assisted women to leave abusive marriages, while retaining custody of children became a paramount issue for lesbian mothers.

Expanding religious acceptance for gay men and women of faith, the first out gay minister was ordained by the United Church of Christ in 1972. Other gay and lesbian church and synagogue congregations soon followed. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), formed in 1972, offered family members greater support roles in the gay rights movement. And political action exploded through the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Human Rights Campaign, the election of openly gay and lesbian representatives like Elaine Noble and Barney Frank, and, in 1979, the first march on Washington for gay rights.

The increasing expansion of a global LGBT rights movement suffered a setback during the 1980s, as the gay male community was decimated by the Aids epidemic, demands for compassion and medical funding led to renewed coalitions between men and women as well as angry street theatre by groups like Aids Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) and Queer Nation. Enormous marches on Washington drew as many as one million gay rights supporters in 1987 and again in 1993. Right-wing religious movements, spurred on by beliefs that Aids was God’s punishment, expanded via direct mail. A New Right coalition of political lobby groups competed with national LGBT organizations in Washington, seeking to create religious exemptions from any new LGBT rights protections.

In the same era, one wing of the political gay movement called for an end to military expulsion of gay, lesbian, and bisexual soldiers, with the high-profile case of Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer publicized through a made-for-television movie, “Serving in Silence.” In spite of the patriotism and service of gay men and lesbians in uniform, the uncomfortable and unjust compromise “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” emerged as an alternative to decades of military witch hunts and dishonorable discharges. Yet more service members ended up being discharged under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

During the last decade of the 20th century, millions of Americans watched as actress Ellen DeGeneres came out on national television in April 1997, heralding a new era of gay celebrity power and media visibility—although not without risks. Celebrity performers, both gay and heterosexual, continued to be among the most vocal activists calling for tolerance and equal rights. With greater media attention to gay and lesbian civil rights in the 1990s, trans and intersex voices began to gain space through works such as Kate Boernstein’s “Gender Outlaw” (1994) and “My Gender Workbook” (1998), Ann Fausto-Sterling’s “Myths of Gender” (1992) and Leslie Feinberg’s “Transgender Warriors” (1998), enhancing shifts in women’s and gender studies to become more inclusive of transgender and nonbinary identities.

As a result of hard work by countless organizations and individuals, helped by internet and direct-mail campaign networking, the 21st century heralded new legal gains for gay and lesbian couples. Same-sex civil unions were recognized under Vermont law in 2000, and Massachusetts became the first state to perform same-sex marriages in 2004; with the end of state sodomy laws ( Lawrence v. Texas , 2003), gay and lesbian Americans were finally free from criminal classification. Gay marriage was first legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Canada; but the recognition of gay marriage by church and state continued to divide opinion worldwide. After the impressive gains for LGBT rights in postapartheid South Africa, conservative evangelicals in the U.S. began providing support and funding for homophobic campaigns overseas. Uganda’s dramatic death penalty for gays and lesbians was perhaps the most severe in Africa.

The first part of the 21st century saw new emphasis on transgender activism and the increasing usage of terminology that questioned binary gender identification. Images of trans women became more prevalent in film and television, as did programming with same-sex couples raising children. Transphobia, cissexism, and other language (such as “hir” and “them”) became standardized, and film and television programming featured more openly trans youth and adult characters. Tensions between lesbian and trans activists, however, remained, with the long-running Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival boycotted by national LGBT groups over the issue of trans inclusion; like many woman-only events with a primarily lesbian base, Michfest had supported an ideal of ingathering women and girls born female. The festival ended after its 40th anniversary in August 2015.

Internet activism burgeoned, while many of the public, physical gathering spaces that once defined LGBT activism (bars, bookstores, women’s music festivals) began to vanish, and the usage of “queer” replaced lesbian identification for many younger women activists. Attention shifted to global activism as U.S. gains were not matched by similar equal rights laws in the 75 other countries where homosexuality remained illegal. As of 2016, LGBT identification and activism was still punishable by death in 10 countries: Iran, Iraq, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Uganda, and Yemen; the plight of the LGBT community in Russia received intense focus during the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, to which President Obama sent a contingent of out LGBT athletes. Supportive remarks from the new Pope Francis (“Who am I to judge?”) gave hope to LGBT Catholics worldwide.

Perhaps the greatest changes in the U.S. occurred between spring 2015 and spring 2016: in late spring 2015 Alison Bechdel’s lesbian-themed Broadway production Fun Home won several Tony awards, former Olympic champion Bruce Jenner transitioned to Caitlyn Jenner, and then in June of 2015, the Supreme Court decision recognized same-sex marriage ( Obergefell v. Hodges ). By spring 2016 the Academy Awards recognized films with both lesbian and transgender themes: Carol and The Danish Girl . And the Supreme Court had avowed that a lesbian family adoption in one state had to be recognized in all states.

However, the United States also saw intense racial profiling confrontations and tragedies in this same period, turning LGBT activism to “intersectionality,” or recognition of intersections issues of race, class, gender identity, and sexism. With the June 12, 2016, attacks on the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, that intersectionality was made plain as straight allies held vigils grieving the loss of young Latino drag queens and lesbians of color; with unanswered questions about the killer’s possible identification with ISIS terrorism, other voices now call for alliances between the LGBT and Muslim communities, and the greater recognition of perspectives from those who are both Muslim and LGBT in the U.S. and beyond. The possible repression of identity which may have played a role in the killer’s choice of target has generated new attention to the price of homophobia—internalized, or culturally expressed—in and beyond the United States.

An earlier version of this essay was written as an appendix for a lesson plan for high school psychology teachers called The Psychology of Sexual Orientation: A modular lesson plan/teaching resource for high school psychology teachers (login required). The full lesson plan is part of a series of 19 unit lesson plans developed as a benefit for APA members, which are available in the members-only section of the APA website.

Additional selected resources:

• Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic , Houghton Mifflin, 2006
• Kate Bornstein, Gender Outlaws: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us , Routledge, 1994
• Michael Bronski, A Queer History of the United States , Beacon Press, 2011
• Devon Carbado and Dwight McBride, eds. Black Like Us: A Century of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual African-American Fiction , Cleis Press, 2002
• David Carter, Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution , Macmillan, 2004
• Debbie Cenziper and Jim Obergefell, Love Wins: The Lovers and Lawyers Who Fought the Landmark Case for Marriage Equality , Harper Collins Publishers, 2016
• Lillian Faderman, The Gay Revolution: The Story of the Struggle , Simon & Schuster, 2015; and To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done for America – A History , Houghton Mifflin, 1999
• Leslie Feinberg, Transgender Warriors , Beacon Press, 1996
• Sue-Ellen Jacobs, Two-Spirit People: Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality and Spirituality , University of Illinois, 1997
• David Johnson, The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government , University of Chicago Press Books, 2004
• Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua, This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color , Persephone Press, 1981
• Daphne Scholinski, The Last Time I Wore a Dress , Riverhead Books 1998
• Randy Shilts, And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic , St. Martin’s Press, 1987
• Donn Short, Don’t Be So Gay! Queers, Bullying, and Making Schools Safe , UBC Press, 2013
• Ryan Thoreson, Transnational LGBT Activism , University of Minnesota Press, 2014
• Urvashi Vaid, Virtual Equality , Anchor Books, 1995

Additional resources

• LGBT resources and publications
• Transgender issues in psychology
• Safe and Supportive Schools Project
• Providing services and supports for youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, or two-spirit (PDF, 1.73MB)

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Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Pride Month is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan. The Stonewall Uprising was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as "Gay Pride Day," but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the "day" soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBTQ Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Memorials are held during this month for those members of the community who have been lost to hate crimes or HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally.

In 1994, a coalition of education-based organizations in the United States designated October as LGBT History Month. In 1995, a resolution passed by the General Assembly of the National Education Association included LGBT History Month within a list of commemorative months. National Coming Out Day (October 11), as well as the first "March on Washington" in 1979, are commemorated in the LGBTQ community during LGBT History Month.

Annual LGBTQ+ Pride Traditions

The first Pride march in New York City was held on June 28, 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising . Primary sources available at the Library of Congress provide detailed information about how this first Pride march was planned and the reasons why activists felt so strongly that it should exist. Looking through the Lili Vincenz and Frank Kameny Papers in the Library’s Manuscript Division, researchers can find planning documents, correspondence, flyers, ephemera and more from the first Pride marches in 1970. This, the first U.S. Gay Pride Week and March, was meant to give the community a chance to gather together to "...commemorate the Christopher Street Uprisings of last summer in which thousands of homosexuals went to the streets to demonstrate against centuries of abuse ... from government hostility to employment and housing discrimination, Mafia control of Gay bars, and anti-Homosexual laws" (Christopher Street Liberation Day Committee Fliers, Franklin Kameny Papers). The concept behind the initial Pride march came from members of the Eastern Regional Conference of Homophile Organizations (ERCHO), who had been organizing an annual July 4th demonstration (1965-1969) known as the " Reminder Day Pickets ," at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. At the ERCHO Conference in November 1969, the 13 homophile organizations in attendance voted to pass a resolution to organize a national annual demonstration, to be called Christopher Street Liberation Day.

As members of the Mattachine Society of Washington, Frank Kameny and Lilli Vincenz participated in the discussion, planning, and promotion of the first Pride along with activists in New York City and other homophile groups belonging to ERCHO.

By all estimates, there were three to five thousand marchers at the inaugural Pride in New York City, and today marchers in New York City number in the millions. Since 1970, LGBTQ+ people have continued to gather together in June to march with Pride and demonstrate for equal rights.

Watch documentary footage of the first Pride march, "Gay and Proud," a documentary by activist Lilli Vincenz:

Gay and Proud

Executive and legislative documents.

The Law Library of Congress has compiled guides to commemorative observations, including a comprehensive inventory of the Public Laws, Presidential Proclamations and congressional resolutions related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender and Queer Pride Month .

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Essay Samples on LGBT

Should lgbt be accepted in the community: fostering inclusion and equality.

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Accepting the LGBT Community: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion

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Is Healthcare a Basic Human Right: Access of LGBT to Healthcare

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The Arguments For And Against Gay Marriage

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• Organization

The Experience of Coming Out and Accepting Bisexuality

In my early years of childhood, growing up I always sensed that I might not be heterosexual, with crushes on both male and females. At the age of 12 I remembered learning about bisexuality and had a sudden feeling of happiness – I finally felt...

• Bisexuality
• Human Sexuality

Criticisms of Weinberg's Model of Understanding Own Bisexuality

Weinberg et al. (1994) applied this theory's concept and found that people were going through several steps to reach a bisexual orientation. Originally, individuals encountered uncertainty about emotions and behaviors. Next the person identifies and starts to apply the 'bisexuality' tag and soon begins to...

Bisexual People’s Disclosure Experience to Their Families

“Analyzing qualitative data from 45 bisexual individuals, we examine 2 questions: (a) How do cultural representations of bisexuality influence disclosure experiences in families and family members’ reactions and (b) how do the relationships among family members influence the disclosure process?’ This is the exact statement...

• Social Inequality

Exposure to LGBTQ in Social Studies in Schools

In the article Bringing LGBTQ Topics into the Social Studies Classroom, Brad M. Maguth and Nathan Taylor highlight the importance of including discussion of LGBTQ (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, and Queer) individuals and the struggles they face into the modern social studies classroom. Maguth and...

Discrimination against LGBTQ Community: Inequality in the Workplace

One common group of people who get discriminated at their workplace today is the LGBTQ community. Though more liberal states such as California or New York have very good laws in place that protect this community of individuals, other states unfortunately have very limited laws...

• Homosexuality
• Transphobia

How Homophobia and Transphobia Are Manifested in Schools

Introduction Despite the improvements made to school policies in the last two decades, homophobia and transphobia are still apparent in educational contexts. Blumenfeld and Raymond (1998) define homophobia as “the fear of being labelled homosexual and the irrational fear, dislike or hatred of gay males...

Respecting the Members of LGBTQ+ Community

Equality, peace and acceptance are the things that every people in the LGBTQ+ community longing for. Transgender who belongs to the LGBTQ+ are the people who feels that their personal identity does not match with their sex. They are ashamed of who they really are....

LGBTQIA Deserve Respect Like Everyone Else

LGBT is one of the most popular issues at present. LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender which is used to refer to anyone who is non- heterosexual. It is now extended to LGBTQIA which means Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and asexual....

Teaching Nonviolence Protesting, as a Way to Change the Country for the Better

How does culture change? The American culture has changed a great deal over the past decades. It was 50 years ago when people could discriminate on the basis of race, religion, and gender. It was only forty years when interracial marriage was illegal in this...

• Civil Rights
• Nonviolence

Impacts of Adoption and Factors to Consider During Adoption

Adoption is fairly common, talked about topic in today’s society. With an estimate of over 437,000 children in the United States who were in foster care during the year of 2016. It has long been a solution for children and infants who find themselves without...

The Succesful Gaz Activist Strategies in the 80s and 90s

The 1970s saw advances for both gay liberation and lesbian feminism which, while distinct, shared strategies such as demonstrating, lobbying, and litigating. The lesbian and gay movement during this period did not have formal centralized organizations, and gay liberationists struggled amongst themselves to define their...

Legal Conciousness against the Discriminatory Laws and Stereotypes

Legal consciousness examines the place of law in everyday life, and in the lives of ordinary people (Hull, 2016). Legal consciousness examines the role of law in everyday life, and focuses on how people use, think, and approach the law (Harding, 2006). Specifically, legal consciousness...

• Discrimination
• Stereotypes

The Spread of HIV and AIDS in Phillippines and Ways to Prevent It

Introduction Sexually transmitted illnesses (STDs) are infections that spread person to person through intimate contact, STDs have an effect on everyone even babies, teenagers, healthy person, prosperous or the poor. According to WebMD (2019), it produces bacteria, parasites and viruses that have an effect on...

Normalization of HIV/AIDS Through Art

The AIDS epidemic was associated with homosexuality due to the initial similar cases among gay males. In particular, it was observed and identified by the immunologist Dr. Michael Gottlieb in the Los Angeles area. Gottlieb began to serve as a faculty member of the David...

Impact of Same-Sex Marriage and LGBT People in US

Keith O'Brien once said, “Same-sex marriage would eliminate entirely in law the basic idea of a mother and a father for every child. It would create a society which deliberately chooses to deprive a child of either a mother or a father” (O’Brien). O’Brien implies...

The World Without Social Justice

Martin Luther King once said, “We may all have come from different ships, but we're in the same boat now”. In the world we’re living now social justice has always been a big role in our society, you realized it or not. Social justice works...

• Martin Luther King
• Social Justice

Human Rights: How Is The LGBTQ + Community Being Treated Globally?

The reason we chose this topic for our global perspectives group project was to raise awareness on the LGBTQ + Community. For our research question, as a group, we decided to focus on same-sex marriages and coming out as being someone that is included in...

Equal Rights of LGBTQ In Every Aspect of Life Especially in Education

As of now and the as we can see that one of the major problem right here in our Country which is the Philippines is The Discrimination of the Third Sex which is the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual and Queer) in which they are...

Overview Of Disorders Of Sexual Differentiation (DSD): Definition, Care, Diagnosis

What is DSD? Sexual differentiation is an important and complex process in fetal development requiring specific interaction between genes, proteins, and hormones. Abnormalities in this process characterize Disorders of Sexual Differentiation (DSD). The 2006 Consensus defines DSD by congenital conditions in which development of chromosomal,...

• Sex, Gender and Sexuality

The Center For Lgbtq Philanthropy

The Center for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) Philanthropy is the best organization at supporting LGBTQ people in the Arizona Community. This charity is a small portion within the Arizona Community Foundation (ACF). It spreads the funds it raises throughout many charities in the...

• Philanthropy

The Issue Of Gender Identity In The Music Video “It Pulls Me Under” By Butterfly Boucher

Whether Americans realize it or not, pop culture has a large influence on how members of society views diversity. The songs they listen to, movies they watch, and their favorite television shows all portray different messages that can alter their perspectives. The song “It Pulls...

• Gender Identity
• Music Industry

The Issue Of The Acceptance Of The LGBTQ Community Members

Looking forward into 2019 I think an important topic of discussion should be the equality and acceptance of members from the LGBTQ community. This topic has always had a place close to my heart even though I myself identify as straight. Growing up you meet...

• Personal Experience

Best topics on LGBT

1. Should LGBT Be Accepted in the Community: Fostering Inclusion and Equality

2. The Journey to LGBT Community Acceptance

3. Accepting the LGBT Community: Embracing Diversity and Inclusion

4. LGBT and Non-LGBT Families: A Comparative Analysis

5. Targett: Navigating Backlash and Inclusivity in its LGBTQ+ Merchandise Selection

6. The Dodgers’ Controversial Pride Night Celebration

7. LGBTQ Representation in Disney’s Movie “Elemental”

8. Examining the History, Significance, and Future of San Diego Pride

9. Why “The Chosen” Show Faces Backlash Over Pride Flag

11. Is Healthcare a Basic Human Right: Access of LGBT to Healthcare

12. Media Analysis Of Media’s Stance Against And For Gay Marriage

13. The Arguments For And Against Gay Marriage

14. Lgbt Rights And Gay Marriage In The Usa

15. The Fight For Legalization Of Gay Marriage And Gay Rights

• Social Media
• National Honor Society
• Cultural Identity
• Social Conflicts
• American Identity
• Community Violence
• Interpersonal Relationship

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Home / Essay Samples / Sociology / LGBT / LGBTQ+ Rights: Navigating Society’s Challenges

LGBTQ+ Rights: Navigating Society's Challenges

• Category: Sociology , Social Issues
• Topic: Community Violence , Gender Discrimination , LGBT

Pages: 3 (1488 words)

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