There’s much to be said about the gay liberation movement, specifically on the impact it had on the public psychologically. Since Stonewall there was a need for exposure. The main purpose of any GLBT event was to establish grounds. We needed to at least be able to put our names on the table before we could actually begin any plan of attack for change. In the early 1970s (even late 1960s), there was a great need for pride parades and protests. It was a dangerous time to be gay and out.
Not only was the public unforgiving, but they were even violent. Reported crimes rates relating to sexual orientation disagreements were not as high as they are now, but that was largely because they were unreported. That of course is probably a result of a number of factors other than the corruption of the police force.
As we moved past the assignation of Harvey Milk there was still a need for the riots. The public needed to know we were “queer and here.”
In the social climate of today there is a new struggle which for the most part is an internal problem in the community. Through all the degradation we tried to resist we inevitably internalized way too much of the stereotypes in hope of devaluing them and formed a frame of mind that would inevitably cause somewhat of a social chasm in our community. The GLBT community was separated between those who reinforced the model of the gay image and those who deliberately tried not to. Both groups were wrong in their own ways.
This quest for self-identity has led us into what I now consider to be the age of gay social enlightenment.
This Is basically a little snipit of what I am defending in my research paper. Let’s see where it goes next!
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