“All of us who are openly gay are living and writing the history of our movement. We are no more—and no less—heroic than the suffragists and abolitionists of the 19th century; and the labor organizers, Freedom Riders, Stonewall demonstrators, and environmentalists of the 20th century. We are ordinary people, living our lives, and trying as civil rights activist Dorothy Cotton said, to ‘fix what ain’t right’ in our society.”
These words belong to American senator and human rights activist Tammy Baldwin. She declared, using only a few words, that any person, regardless of their sexual orientation, wants to live a peaceful, fulfilling life, but unfortunately, people of nontraditional sexuality had to prove that they are equal to others and fight for their rights and place in society since antiquity.
Even though nowadays we frequently hear such messages and issues about the LGBTQ+ community become mainstream, a certain part of the society does not have even basic knowledge about the origins, history, problems, and values of the LGBTQ+ community.
In this article, we will explore some of the first, most courageous, and strenuous steps that were taken to unite and empower the LGBTQ+ community. The LGBTQ+ community is an acronym that means lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and all other non-cisgender or non-heterosexual that is united under the “+” sign.
Noncisgender - people whose gender identity does not match the identity given at birth.
Non-heterosexual - people who have nontraditional or different sexual orientations.
The meaning of the acronym is the following:
Lesbian - a non-male that is attracted to non-males.
Gay - same as homosexual. The word originally was an adjective in the English language that meant “theatrical”; ”shining” “happy” person. But now, it means a person that is attracted to the same sex.
Bisexual - a person who has a romantic attraction towards more than one gender.
Transgender- a non-cisgender person, whose gender identity and expression don’t match their biological sex. This includes transgender women(biological males who identify as women) and transgender men (biological females who identify as men).
And lastly, one of the most interesting and easily used terms, which is nevertheless misunderstood by many.
Queer - an “umbrella” term that unifies sexual minorities.
The term first came into use in the last decade of the 20th century, when people realized that the term gay did not describe all the existing identities. Before the abbreviation got this from and the movement spread all over the world, main changes started in 1924, when Henry Gerber founded the first gay people’s rights association called the Society for Human Rights in Chicago. This gave rise to the events that took place in the 50s. In 1950 American activist Harry Hay founded “Mattachine Society”, which was one of the most powerful, reliable associations in the USA, and fought for the acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community in the society.
Even though punishment for homosexual males has always been harsher than for homosexual women, life was not easy for lesbians. Women had less freedom in romantic and sexual relationships because they were raised from childhood to be more reserved and obedient and had to live up to higher moral standards than men.
In the 19th century sexologists claimed that homosexuality was a mental illness( even though they did not have scientific evidence). This decision made the lives of homosexuals even more dangerous and forced them into hiding.
During World War II the pressure on homosexual people increased, governments repressed and punished them. This pushed lesbian women to create information networks, which became the basis for strong communication and support among lesbian women.
In 1955 in San Francisco first lesbian rights organization, DOB (Daughter of Biliis) was founded. They were protesting police brutality, violence, discrimination, and threats in bars and clubs.
Because homosexual women couldn’t get medical service, weren’t allowed to hold positions in many professions, and couldn’t express themselves because of discrimination due to their sexuality, organizations like DOB were vital for lesbian women.
Years later, many key events took place, such as the legalization of homosexuality in Illinois, the legalization of gay marriage in Maryland, and others, but one of the most decisive and crucial events that shaped history is the Stonewall riots, which created the basis for LGBTQ+ Pride.
Stonewall riots were the answer to the violent assaults on LGBTQ+ society by police. Everything started on June 28, 1969, in Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village, NY. After police tried to violently put down the riots, other people from Greenwich Village united with the LGBTQ+ community. The most notable activists were Marsha Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who were fighting their whole lives for gay and transgender women’s rights.
Unfortunately, Georgia is still not considered a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community, especially considering the recent events. However, Georgia has come a long way and has taken many significant steps in this regard.
In 1999 the law prohibiting sexual intercourse between gay men(5-year imprisonment as punishment) was annulled. Since 2006, Labor Code prohibits discrimination or bullying due to sexual orientation in the workplace. In 2012, motive based on sexual orientation became an aggravating circumstance of a crime. In 2014 the law about the eradication of every type of discrimination was introduced, which prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Even though being homosexual is illegal in almost 70 countries, from 1924 till today LGBTQ+ community has managed to change negative attitudes towards them in many societies. Now, you will encounter rainbow flags and people supporting the LGBTQ+ community, freedom, and equality.
“Equality means more than passing laws. The struggle is really won in the hearts and minds of the community, where it counts the most.” - Barbara Gittings, American LGBTQ+ rights activist.
Author: Mariam Tsitsriashvili
Translator: Ana Tvaladze
Editor: Mariam Beshidze
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