The History of the LGBT Rights Movement: From Persecution to Equality

The movement for the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people (LGBT) has come a long way – from complete non-acceptance by society to the gradual recognition of their rights.

Now, in the United States, there are the most gay friendly cities in the US.

Early Attempts to Protect Gay Rights

As early as the 19th century, Germany saw the first human rights advocates speaking out against the criminal prosecution of homosexuals. Among the most famous are Karl Ulrichs, Karl Maria Kertbeny, and Magnus Hirschfeld. The latter founded the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee in 1897, which aimed to repeal Paragraph 175 – an anti-homosexual provision of the German Criminal Code.

The 1919 film “Different from the Others,” the first movie to address the issue of homosexuality, also played a role in shaping public opinion.

The Growth of the Movement in the 20th Century

The most important events that gave impetus to the mass LGBT rights movement occurred in the 20th century.

The Stonewall Riots of 1969 in New York City were of great significance. It was a series of protests against a police raid on the Stonewall Inn gay bar. For the first time, members of the LGBT community offered organized resistance to the persecution system.

The Stonewall Riots became the symbolic start of the human rights struggle for sexual minorities. Just a year later, on June 28, 1970, New York City and several other US cities hosted the first gay pride parades.

Since then, similar marches have been held annually around the world to commemorate the 1969 events.

The Modern State of LGBT

At the moment, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation is prohibited at the legislative level in many countries.

In the United States, for example, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles are considered the most gay-friendly cities. LGBT organizations are active here, gay pride events are held, and establishments for non-traditional sexual orientations operate openly.

Nevertheless, discrimination and intolerance persist. The movement continues to actively advocate for full equality of sexual minorities in all spheres of life.