Queer radicalism
Queer radicalism can be defined as illegal or violent actions taken by queer groups which contribute to a change in laws and/or social norms. The key difference between queer radicalism and queer activism is that radicalism is often disruptive and commonly involves illegal action. 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. 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.
Early queer organizations
Early queer organizations pre-Stonewall era are exemplary instances of queer radicalism and queer radicalist movements. 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. These organizations have maintained a legacy and set precedence in current queer radicalist and activist movements.The Mattachine Society
The Mattachine Society is considered the earliest gay rights organization in North America, founded after the establishment of the Mattachine Foundation. Founded in Los Angeles in 1951, the Mattachine Foundation consisted of a small group of young gay men formerly subscribed to the communist lifestyle. The Mattachine Foundation was curated on the principles of equal human rights and self-esteem among gay people. Within two years, the Mattachine Foundation expanded from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The Mattachine Society addressed multiple human rights issues, including homophobia and the concept of deviance in a heteronormative society.Daughters of Bilitis
The Daughters of Bilitis was founded in California in 1955 by a lesbian couple, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon. It was the first social and political organization for lesbian women in the United States. 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. The organization did not provide any information to the general public and encouraged members to refrain from lesbian culture in a heteronormative society. This organization began in California; however, chapters arose in different cities around the United States.During the 1960s and the first wave of radical feminism, the Daughters of Bilitis shifted from focusing on lesbian rights to women's rights. This ultimately led to its decline in the mid-1960s, as numerous women in the feminist movement were openly homophobic. While the organization was active for about a decade, it was a significant contributor to early queer radicalism. Its legacy is considered to be part of 21st-century queer radical movements.
Society for Human Rights
The Society for Human Rights was founded in New York City in 1924. It was founded by Henry Gerber who would invite members, notably young gay men, privately into his home, where the society would hold meetings. The Society for Human Rights served a sense of community for local gay men. It was an incredibly short-lived society, as police raided the home after members filed paperwork to the state to run as an organization. Police interference was due to the fact that the Society of Human Rights was publicly addressed and acknowledged as an LGBTQ+ organization. The Society for Human Rights is the first documented LGBTQ+ organization known publicly and a catalyst to queer radicalism in North America.Homophile youth movement in neighbourhoods
The Homophile Youth Movement in Neighborhoods was a queer social movement that was active in the late 1960s. It was founded by Craig Rodwell, a young gay man in New York who was a member of the Mattachine Society at the time. The Homophile Youth Movement was based on the Oscar Wilde house on Mercer Street. The Oscar Wilde House was a place where youth could find literature exclusively about gays and lesbians. It also sold political merchandise for queer social and political movements. It was openly queer, as it had public displays of homosexuality in display windows. It was a building specifically designated for the Homophile Youth Movement.The Homophile Youth Movement was shortly established before the monumental Stonewall Riots in New York City as a headquarters for gay youth to lead rallies and have a sense of community since homosexuality was illegal at the time and gay youth would be excluded due to the gay community mainly mingling in gay bars.
Influence of Stonewall
The Stonewall riots are among some of the most notable radical queer actions from the past. 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 in 1969. They are often recognized as the biggest turning point of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.In the United States at the time, homosexuality was still criminalized, causing discrimination and violence against people identifying as LGBTQ+. Queer spaces were hard to come by, and the Stonewall Inn was one of only a few. 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 refused to break up their gatherings, throwing various objects at the police. Thousands of people joined in the resistance for the next several nights in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Stonewall riots are often remembered as a turning point in LGBTQ+ activism. 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.
Post-Stonewall queer organizations
Gay Activists Alliance
The Gay Activists Alliance was founded in December 1969, six months after the Stonewall riots in New York City. The GAA was founded by 19 members of the Gay Liberation Front and grew into a radical queer, non-violent organization. The GAA specifically focused on the rights, freedoms, and liberty of gay people, with the demand for freedom of expression and dignity, as well as the recognition of being human. By the early 1970s, the GAA became the most influential gay liberation group, with its emphasis on non-violent confrontation.Gay Liberation Front (GLF)
The Gay Liberation Front was formed just one month after the Stonewall rebellion in New York City. The name GLF came from the Algerian National Liberation Front and the Vietnamese National Liberation Front. The GLF's most well-known actions include protesting coverage of LGBTQ+ people by the Village Voice in September 1969 and “Friday of the Purple Hand,” which was a protest outside the offices of the San Francisco Examiner that ended with Examiner employees pouring ink on the crowd.Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
is an LGBTQ+ advocacy group based in the United States. It is also the largest LGBTQ+ political lobbying organization in the United States. The focus of the organization is to protect and expand the rights of LGBTQ+ people. The organization provides resources on coming out, transgender issues, LGBT-related healthcare topics, and information on workplace issues.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. They have played a role in several legal cases regarding gay rights, the most significant being the 2003 Lawrence v. Texas case that overturned sodomy laws in the United States.Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
is the world's largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization. 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.National Centre for Transgender Equality (NCTE)
The National Center for Transgender Equality was created in 2003 by Mara Keisling, the then co-chair of the Pennsylvania Gender Rights Coalition with support from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. The organization is a nonprofit social equality organization that focuses mostly on policy advocacy and media activism to advance the equality of transgender people.AIDS crisis
Queer radicalism as a movement shows some of its roots in the United States in the 1980s in response to the AIDS epidemic. AIDS disproportionately affected members of the LGBTQ+ community, especially gay men. The response from the government was slow and deemed by many members of the queer community as inadequate. In addition, there was a stigma within society leading to discrimination against people living with HIV. 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.ACT UP
was a radical organization that came about in the mid-1980s in response to the AIDS epidemic. 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. With the rapid increase in AIDS cases, the group believed that immediate direct action was the necessary force to bring about change.ACT UP used many different tactics to raise AIDS awareness and demand direct action. Among some, they made an effort to organize protests and marches to draw attention to themselves and disrupt society, for example, the "Stop the Church" protest where participants interrupted a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. The group also engaged in civil disobedience, once occupying the Food and Drug Administration headquarters to make their demand for faster approval of experimental drugs that would treat AIDS. In terms of media, ACT UP activists use different forms, including art, to raise awareness for AIDS and provide education to the public. This included the famous "Silence = Death" slogan and the pink triangle symbol that would become a symbol of queer resistance.