The struggle for gay rights continues in America. Most Americans believe we have come a long way in the civil rights movement and in some facets we have. It's wonderful that African Americans can drink from the same water fountain as anyone else. They no longer have to sit in the back of the bus. Women can now vote and smoke in public (where smoking is allowed) if they wish. People are given the freedom of religion as long as it does not involve practicing this in a public school or other public venues that bar practicing religion. But where are the rights for gay men and women? .
Many believe the Stonewall Riots of New York City sparked the modern gay rights movement (Altman). They occurred after the police raided a popular gay bar, the Stonewall Bar, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. Although other homophile groups did already exist in America, the new energy and militancy generated by the riots created new organizations with different goals and methods. The country was greeted with vocal and demanding groups such as the Gay Activists Alliance and the Gay Liberation Front.
The liberal movement called for equal rights for gays. This would entail the abolishment of all anti-homosexual laws, as well as the inclusion of all rights accorded to heterosexuals including marriage. It's sad to think that in the 35 years that has past since that Stonewall raid on June 27, 1969 we are still working on equal rights for gay individuals. Not all anti-homosexual laws have been abolished and gays are still not allowed to marry in most states.
Still today gays are denied the rights that other American Citizens hold. The gay community declares that they are stigmatized and indeed oppressed, denied basic civil and constitutional rights, solely because they are viewed disfavorably by the majority of American citizens and because of the popular belief that they are sexual, psychological deviants or inherently immoral according to the Judaeo-Christian tradition.