Queer radicalism
[1] Due to the nature of LGBTQ+ laws around the world, almost all queer activism that took place before the decriminalization of gay marriage can be considered radical action.
[2] The history of queer radicalism can be expressed through the many organizations and protests that contributed to a common cause of improving the rights and social acceptance of the LGBTQ+ community.
Due to the criminalization and social stigmas surrounding homosexuality, any public LGBTQ+ organization from the early 1950s to the late 1960s is considered radical.
Early queer organizations challenged past social conflicts and addressed human rights issues.
Founded in Los Angeles in 1951, the Mattachine Foundation consisted of a small group of young gay men formerly subscribed to the communist lifestyle.
[5][6] The Daughters of Bilitis would subtly provide a sense of community and support for lesbians, as well as host public discussions and conduct research around homosexuality.
[4] The organization did not provide any information to the general public and encouraged members to refrain from lesbian culture in a heteronormative society.
[7] It was founded by Henry Gerber who would invite members, notably young gay men, privately into his home, where the society would hold meetings.
It was an incredibly short-lived society, as police raided the home after members filed paperwork to the state to run as an organization.
[7] The Society for Human Rights is the first documented LGBTQ+ organization known publicly and a catalyst to queer radicalism in North America.
These riots were a series of violent demonstrations carried out by members of the queer community toward the police after their raid on the Stonewall Inn (New York City) in 1969.
[citation needed] In the United States at the time, homosexuality was still criminalized, causing discrimination and violence against people identifying as LGBTQ+.
When police showed up the night of June 28, 1969, to make arrests relating to homosexuality, they were met with equal force from the patrons of the establishment.
They not only encouraged political engagement within the queer community but were the inspiration for the creation of new LGBTQ+ rights organizations and advocacy groups.
[14] The GAA was founded by 19 members of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and grew into a radical queer, non-violent organization.
[20] Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund is a United States civil rights organization that represents LGBTQ+ communities and people living with HIV in court and helps to change public opinion.
[23] Founded in the United States, GLAAD was formed in 1985 and was originally created to protest against defamatory reporting of gay and lesbian demographics in the media.
[30] This combination of factors led many queer radical activists into action with an increase in public demonstrations and civil disobedience in order to obtain the proper care and treatment of HIV patients and to restore dignity to those affected by the disease.
[32] The organization was initially a formation of a group of activists who were upset by the government's slow response to the crisis as well as the lack of funding for AIDS research.
[34] In terms of media, ACT UP activists use different forms, including art, to raise awareness for AIDS and provide education to the public.
[35] The radical LGBTQ+ advocacy group Queer Nation first appeared after the AIDS crisis in the United States in the early 1990s due to the failure of more traditional gay rights organizations to fully serve the community's needs.
[citation needed] By their use of more confrontational methods, the organization pushed back against the harmful attitudes of mainstream society towards people of the LGBTQ+ community and helped to create an environment for more radical and authentic expressions of queer identity.
These underground groups set out to challenge the oppressive laws and societal values that affected queer individuals across their countries.
[46] In 2011, David Kato, an openly gay person, was bludgeoned to death after working as an advocacy officer for the Sexual Minorities Uganda Group (SMUG).
[54] From the mid-1950s to the early 1970s, various Homophile organizations started to make themselves public in several Western European countries, such as France and Germany.
After Stonewall, many instances of queer radicalism and activism were proven to be increasingly progressive throughout several Western European countries.
Sweden is one of the more progressive European countries, providing access to free sex change surgery and removing homosexuality as a mental disorder.
[56] The regulation of what is "right" or "wrong" when it comes to sexuality has made it challenging for people within the LGBTQ+ to gain any sort of social or political power.
