This freedom to interact and network also helped form and support LGBT subcultures after the war too, furthermore it assisted in expanding support for LGBT groups that had formed prior to the 1960's, such as the Mattachine Society of Los Angeles, California. Early LGBT groups took a careful and assimilation approach because the Cold War had left an oppressive political atmosphere. (Adam, 1995: 69) The Kinsey Reports (two books on human sexual behavior) reported that homosexual acts were pretty common in the 40's and 50's, which is what shed light on LGBT principles and created public awareness.
In the United States, there were not many political circumstances that prevented the growth of the LGBT rights movement up until the presidential election of 1968 where President Nixon was elected into office, from that point on the political atmosphere became unsympathetic towards social movements. The method in which the LGBT movement came about in the United States and Britain is very different based on the two different government political structures. In the United States there was a partition of power which allowed numerous points of approach whereas in Britain, an accessible ruling party could take action regardless of the public's viewpoint. (Engel, 2001) In Canada however the LGBT movement was making substantial progress as early as the 1970's by employing legal tactics to gain awareness, furthermore, the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms created many more opportunities to raise awareness and around this time is when the movement put Canada in the lead when compared to the United States and Britain in terms of its accomplishments regarding LGBT rights. (Smith, 1999).
The political opportunities of the 1960's essentially gave birth to the LGBT movement in a sense that many activists in the LGBT liberation had initially been involved in other movements previously such as the civil rights movement.
