Gay rights

For generations, living openly as a gay person in the United States was difficult, and often dangerous. But there's been a dramatic change in public attitudes toward gay people. This week, we explore one of the most striking transformations of public attitude ever recorded. And we consider whether the strategies used by gay rights activists hold lessons for other groups seeking change.

Ancient “song” helps 18,000+ find money effortlessly

Like most civil rights movements in the U.S., the gay rights movement began much earlier than popular histories tell us, dating at least as far back the early 1950s with the founding of the Mattachine Society. Named after medieval bards who wandered around challenging injustices, the society had some impressive early success, then fractured over … Continue reading "How the First Pride Parades Radicalized the Gay Rights Movement in the 1970s"

Giving Stonewall too much credit misses the movement’s growing strength in the 1960s, sociologists note.

From NYC's first Pride parade in 1970 to a monumental Supreme Court ruling in 2020, here's a timeline of the LGBTQ rights movement in the US.

The LGBTQ+ community in Russia has been under pressure for years, but the situation has worsened since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin argues that the war is a proxy battle with the West, which he says aims to destroy Russia and its “traditional family values” by pushing for LGBTQ+ rights. Any public representations of gay and transgender people are banned. Gender-affirming medical care and changing one’s gender in documents are prohibited. A year ago, Russia’s…

“My biggest fear was that I would get arrested. My second biggest fear was that my picture would be in a newspaper or on a television report in my mother’s dress!” – Maria Ritter In the small hours of 28 June 1969, police invaded the Stonewall Inn at 51 and 53 Christopher Street, … Continue reading "A Gay Rights Rally in NYC (1978) – After the Stonewall Riots"