LGBTQ+ Activism and the Gay Rights Movement
The United States LGBTQ+ community has long been a marginalized group who has struggled greatly with discrimination, bigotry, and institutional homophobia. While there are still advancements that must be made in order for full liberation of LGBTQ+ individuals to be achieved, the LGBTQ+ community has made critical and significant strides in terms of institutional and social liberation over the past few decades. These accomplishments would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of LGBTQ+ activists and the gay rights movement. LGBTQ+ activism and the gay rights movement have been responsible for massive political change, and has influenced the ways in which marginalized groups organize. …show more content…
Specifically she identifies the historical, political, psychological and social influences that led to the Stonewall Riots, which are largely regarded as the spawn of the gay rights movement. Poindexter, in her examination of gay history, argues that the Stonewall Riots were not actually the beginning of the movement; rather, she suggests that they were an integral turning-point in a long struggle towards gay rights. Furthermore, she describes the sociopolitical model that was utilized during this climactic uprising, which was largely influenced by earlier indigenous rights movements that occurred near that time. Her article emphasizes the importance of understanding the events that led up to the Stonewall Riots and how the use of a collective mobilization as way of achieving liberation for marginalized groups came to be (Poindexter, 1997, p.607-615). Of the LGBTQ+ community’s long battle for liberation, Poindexter states, “There is evidence of tremendous courage of gay and lesbian activists over decades” (Poindexter, 1997, p.