Sexuality Rights In The 20th Century

Sexuality rights is often overlooked in history especially in the 20th century as not many historians talked about the inequality for gays and lesbians therefore it is hard to say this form of inequality shaped the United States. Gay liberation can be linked to feminism as in the 1960s homosexuals also stood up for their own rights in the fight against inequality. Throughout the 20th century gay and lesbians were described as “sinful or mentally disordered”, as it was illegal in most states, seen as irregular and against the traditional American values of heterosexual marriages. McCarthyism pronounced gays to be a source of “national weakness” a focal point that caused controversy around gays and lesbians. Carl Wittman declared a Gay Manifesto stating how San Francisco is a “refugee camp for homosexuals” a place where people had fled from “blackmailing cops, from families who disowned or “tolerated” us”, it shows the inequality as gay people were treated horribly but of fear of abuse has to pretend “everything was OK”. However, with a growth in the gay liberation movement through the rise of many other freedom movements, more riots and protests occurred as they continued to fight for equality in the 1960’s. Wittman encourages homosexuals in his Manifesto to “come out”, to liberate, to be open with everyone’s sexuality because “closest queenery must

Inequality was a major factor in negatively repressing gay rights and shows how inequality in the United States meant it was hard to reshape and change peoples opinions about social issue such as accepting homosexuals into