LGBTQ Movement and How Society Reacts to It Essay Example

Introduction

Sexuality, today in modern politics, continues to be one of the most contested issues in the contemporary politics. The issue of sexuality is impossible to leave out when talking today about liberal democracy. One of the major factors enabling the shift was the identity politics on the rise at that time in post-world war II. The surge in Lesbian, bisexual, gay and trans (LGBT) politics of identity brings about a focus on the structural shift of the political organizations in the case of contemporary democracies. The LGBTQ individuals are a demographic group that remained silent and not noticeable in the American culture up until after World war II. Before the world war, many LGBTQ members hid their identity due to fear of or even shame. The example of gay men who resided in urban centers formed a caucus, but their group remained a hidden structure. The LGBTQ movement is similar to other movements in our society today as well as those in the past and ought to have space. The LGBTQ movement in our society should get accepted as it seeks to restore the dignity and equality of all the people before the law and constitution. The LGBTQ rights are part of the equality; people should enjoy similar equal rights. Queer people cannot be free in our country if the LGBTQ movement cannot get the acceptance of the society.

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The research paper's primary focus is to analyze the LGBTQ movement in the United States and the contemporary issues surrounding the LGBTQ movement. The analysis will begin by looking at the connection between the LGBTQ movement and other movements as well as the highlight the similarities. The second, the focus will shift to the change from the older LGBTQ movements events. The other section will provide details on what brought the LGBTQ movement to its current state. The next part will highlight what is required to be done to address the matters arising as a result of the change and to address the current state of the LGBTQ movement. The paper concludes with a highlight what is happening to the LGBTQ movement today and summary of the issues in conclusion.

Connection Between LGBTQ to Other Movements

The comparison of LGBTQ movement to other movements elicit debate that supports and also the contrary view that opposes the LGBTQ agenda. The LGBTQ movement was similar to other movements.

The first, Oppression is similar to all the people. The LGBTQ community went through oppression based on their sexual alignment. LGBTQ movement just like other movements such as the African-Americans fight against discrimination against them for their sexuality. The African-Americans fought against racism and the inequality in the rights based on the skin pigmentation. The LGBTQ have gone through oppression over time because of similar issues that face other groups in the quest for justice and equality, for instance, they may not enjoy certain privileges like other people which is an infringement on the human rights that espouse equality under the law.

The second, although the LGBTQ movement cannot get compared to acts like slavery the attempts by certain people or government to deny people their rights by beliefs or morals make the movements to be the same. The LGBTQ community just like other people in the society ought to have the opportunity to live their lives without undue control. Particular sections of the society are against the LGBTQ movement, a similar trend that occurs in other rights groups, for instance, religious organizations (Tremblay & Paternotte, 2015). The same way in other movements just as the civil rights movements such as the African-American fight against racism certain people was very resistant to the establishment of equal rights and opportunities under the law.

The third, the LGBTQ has made many gains on the path to equality just like other movements. When the LGBTQ movement started, it was slow just like the Women's movement in the 1920s but was able to be successful and to achieve justice and equality. In 1920 the women's movement in a federal decision got equal voting rights even though at the time it was an unpopular move. The LGBTQ movement has also achieved recognition under the law as well as same-sex marriage rights even though not in the original form of their quest for equal marriage rights.

The fourth, all the movements including the LGBTQ movement are fighting for freedom. The United States constitution indicates that all people are equal. The civil rights movements such as the African-American movement fought against slavery which took away their freedom. The LGBTQ movement also agitates for liberty and equal rights under the law and constitution.

What Changed from Earlier Events in the LGBTQ Movement

Gay Marriage Growing Support

There have been a lot of changes from the earlier events in the LGBTQ movement, and the growing support of the same-sex marriage has been one of the most significant changes in the past decade. The considerable shift gets attributed to a large number of young adults who make up the millennial generation and who are more open to the issues of LGBTQ rights than the older and previous generations. The earlier times did not tolerate the LGBTQ issues, and therefore the support for Gay marriage is a significant shift today (Tremblay & Paternotte, 2015). The shift accounts for about 14% of the American population that supports.

The comparison of a study conducted in 2013 to another in 2003 indicates a significant mind shift in favor of same-sex marriage. In 2003 33% were in favor whereas 58% were against it. In 2013 49% were in favor, and 44% opposed same-sex marriage. The new survey also indicates that the millennials born since 1986 aged between 18 to 32 favor same-sex marriage compared to other age groups (Bernstein, 2015). The growing support among the millennials is far much more significant than that from the older generations. In 2003 the millennials support was at 51% in 2013 according to the survey it grew exponentially to 70% (Paternotte, 2016). In the older generation as well as the support for gay marriage has gone up in the last decade. The LGBTQ movement got boosted because the acceptance lays the foundation for real change.

Moving Towards Equality

The growth of acceptance of marriage between the same sex occurs as a broader change in attitude regarding the LGBTQ community. The fights for the LGBTQ rights today are not just a preserve of the developed nations. The developing countries also have a stake in the quest for change. From the earlier events in the LGBTQ movement a lot has changed and the movement today is moving towards realization of equality.

The LGBTQ movement today has changed in comparison to the earlier movement because the broader society today gets driven by greater recognition of LGBTQ rights, for instance, greater respect to an individuals' autonomy. The movement today, especially in the United States, is involved in the quest to achieve equality for the LGBTQ community in the aftermath of realizing same-sex marriage. The LGBTQ movement today is more open than in the previous movement, and most of the LGBTQ community members do not hide their sexuality any longer.

What Brought the LGBTQ Movement to its Present Position?

The primary issue that brought the LGBTQ movement to where it is today is the concentration on one aspect in its agitation for the rights of the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ movement has made tremendous progress in the campaign for equality and same-sex marriage, but today the movement is facing challenges due to the question of same-sex marriage. The LGBTQ peoples' right to marriage and the sustained efforts towards the realization of the same may bring problems to the LGBTQ movement than expected. The concentration of the campaign on the issue of marriage has left other critical matters unaddressed, and that is why issues such as trans-phobia and discrimination are next in the movement course of action.

There are many other issues in the LGBTQ community that are vital for the people apart from same-sex marriage. The issue of marriage is a success to the LGBTQ movement but continues to elicit negative implication from different quotas as well as to threaten the LGBTQ movement by losing critical allies in their quest for equality (Mundy, 2013). The issue of marriage was not comprehensively addressed, and different people have different preferences, for instance, some would prefer domestic partnership. The getting rid of the domestic unions from the same-sex law on marriage exposes the LGBTQ people, for example, forcing them into marriage exposes them to discrimination that even leads to loss of employment opportunities

What Needs to Get Done in the LGBTQ Movement

To understand what needs to get done in the LGBTQ Movements it is essential to take a look at the SWOT analysis to highlight a possible blueprint of the critical issues ahead.

The first, Strengths. There is a mobilized and compassionate base made up of millions of people together with their families mostly who vote for progressive leadership and also volunteer to support justice and equality. The young people have strong attitudes towards equality. Also, the social and legal service groups are innovative and brilliant. There is vibrant infrastructure to assist the people to agitate for issues through the available channels actively.

The second, weaknesses. The weaknesses will significantly assist to identify the areas that require restructuring in the LGBTQ movement. The LGBTQ movement focus is towards formal lesbian or gay equality only and therefore still fails to adequately address the racial, economic and the gender-based inequalities that mostly affect the community such as the low-income earners. In the United States, for instance, there is a significant section the southwest, Midwest and the south zones that have not instituted these rights into practice (Paternotte, 2016). Another weakness that highlights what needs to get done is that few people contribute funds to the LGBT advocacy groups and queer organizations. The movements require facilitation and therefore moving forward to ensure the movement is alive and vibrant the organizers or organizations ought to devise new ways to raise funds. Also, other issues and weaknesses that should get addressed are that of the LBT women's issues which is absent in the mainstream media. The other very essential point regards the leadership of the LGBTQ movement which is aging and the young leaders still do not exhibit the vibrancy and the levels of activism required to ensure the achievement of justice and equality. The LGBTQ movement ought to, therefore, recruit new leaders into the fold to keep the movement alive and relevant.

The third, greater look into the opportunities regarding the requirements of what should get done. The LGBTQ leadership should invest in young leaders together with new emerging institutions. The movement after that ought to broaden its agenda such that it does not only deal with one issue. Another opportunity that should get seized is that of the 29 states in the United States that provide ground and platform to continue the agitation for the LGBTQ rights (Paternotte, 2016). There is an active movement globally, and therefore the LGBTQ movement should grab the opportunity to ensure they converse their issues on the right platforms and follow the proper channels to influence change and legislation. In the same vain the LGBTQ movement has a chance to collaborate with other like-minded people in the society to solidify an electoral coalition made up of LGBTQ people, Latinos, women, African-Americans, progressive men, and environmentalists. The alliance would then become a liberal voting bloc for about five decades (Paternotte, 2016). They should engage other sections of the...