It has been few weeks since the release of the LBTQ+ film Love, Simon. The movie was adapted from the book Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and was written by Becky Albertalli. The queer film did not only gain a lot of awards but also grossed a $57,505,066 worldwide. Love, Simon is not the only LGBTQ+ that became influential. Moonlight, Carol, Far From Heaven, Pariah, Keep the Lights On, and The Duke of Burgundy were just some of the few.
The LBTQ+ indeed has been making a name in the movie industry, but just like any other journeys, the journey of the LGBTQ+ community in fighting for where they currently are has been a tough one. The history of the LGBTQ movement is painted with years of fighting for their freedom and rights; the same freedom and rights which “normal” people are experiencing today.
One prominent fact of that freedom is same-sex marriage. It has been supported and adopted by a lot of countries all over the world. But ever wondered how the LGBTQ+ community got this far? That, despite the bullying and mockery, how were they able to change the world? Come and join me as we look back and see the history of the LGBTQ movement.
1924
On the year 1924, the veteran Henry Gerber from World War I first initiated the Society for Human Rights in Chicago, making it the first homosexual rights group in America. Aside from that, the newsletter named “Friendship and Freedom” also made a mark in the history by making it the first gay rights publication in the United States.
1958
The first case where the U.S. Supreme Court favors the gay rights. It happened in January on the year 1958 where the U.S. Post Office rejected to distribute the America’s first pro-gay magazine ONE: The Homosexual Magazine. The issue was raised to the U.S. Supreme Court, and for the first time, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the gay rights.
1966
Gays before has not been openly accepted by the society, unlike today. Gays before were refused to be served by a lot of bars. Until the bar Mattachine Society organizes “Sip-In.” Gays would announce that they were gay and would wait to be served in the bars of the New York City. Mattachine Society was one of the first organizations that support the gay rights.
1969
This is the year where the gay civil rights movement started in the United States. It happened on June 28, 1969. The police raid a gay bar named Stonewall Inn located at the New York City, but the gay customers and their supporters took a stand. It did not just stop there, the incident turned into a violent protest and ran into days of riots.
1973
On the year 1973, the homosexuality was removed from the official list of mental illness. The American Psychiatric Association board of directors no longer declared homosexuality a mental illness, which is known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, through a vote by the association’s membership.
1987
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) became the second openly gay member of the Congress. After six years of serving the Capital Hill, Rep. Barney Frank voluntarily confessed that he is gay, making him the first person in the country to do so.
2000
The same-sex marriage was declared legal. It was Vermont who first passed a bill which gives the same-sex couple the freedom and right to get married. The bill also includes equal benefits like any other straight legal marriages.
2009
On October 2009, The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed by the former president Obama and became a law. The law was named after the two victims of hate crimes namely, Mathew Shepard, who was murdered because he was gay, and James Byrd Jr., who was also murdered because he was black. Actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender, identity or disabilities were categorized as hate crimes.
2011
The anti-gay discriminatory law “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” which prevents the openly gay to serve in the U.S. armed forces was revoked by the former president Obama.
2013
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was declared a law in 1996. The act states that the same-sex marriages cannot have the same legal benefits the straight marriages can receive since it is not recognized by the federal government. However, in 2013, the Supreme Court ruled DOMA to be unconstitutional. The same-sex couple could still receive the same federal benefits like the straight couple by getting married in their own states.
2015
#LoveWins. Starting on June 23, 2015, all states must allow the same-sex couples to get married because of the Supreme Court officially making and declaring the same-sex marriage a Constitutional right nationwide.
2016
What happened at the Stonewall Inn back in 1969 became historic and the place was declared a national monument by the Obama administration. The historic riot became the first-ever national monument dedicated to gay rights.
2017
The same-sex adoption was declared legal. On June 26, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States ordered all states to allow the same-sex couple to adopt. The law made legal in all 50 states.
2018
The first transgender signed a contract in joining the US military.
Now, most of the countries are openly accepting the LGBTQ+ community in the society. In fact, you can see them in different fields, teachers, fashion designers, militaries, and many other more. It also includes in music, and even in movies. They have been involved in many things and has been mostly accepted without discrimination. The LGBTQ+ community has indeed changed the world.