Leaders of the lesbian and gay movement of the 1970s, 80s and 90s often attempted to hide masculine lesbians, feminine gay men, transgender people, and bisexuals from the public eye, creating internal divisions within LGBT communities. There is debate over what extent lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender people, intersex people, and others share common interests and a need to work together. Political goals include changing laws and policies to gain new rights, benefits, and protections from harm." Bernstein emphasizes that activists seek both types of goals in both the civil and political spheres.Īs with other social movements, there is also conflict within and between LGBT movements, especially about strategies for change and debates over exactly who represents the constituency of these movements, and this also applies to changing education. Sociologist Mary Bernstein writes: "For the lesbian and gay movement, then, cultural goals include (but are not limited to) challenging dominant constructions of masculinity and femininity, homophobia, and the primacy of the gendered heterosexual nuclear family ( heteronormativity). LGBT movements organized today are made up of a wide range of political activism and cultural activity, including lobbying, street marches, social groups, media, art, and research. There is a struggle for LGBT rights today. Some have also focused on building LGBT communities or worked towards liberation for the broader society from biphobia, homophobia, and transphobia.
Ī commonly stated goal among these movements is social equality for LGBT people, but there is still denial of full LGBT rights. The earliest organizations to support LGBT rights were formed in the early 20th century.
Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBT people and their interests, numerous LGBT rights organizations are active worldwide. Earlier movements focused on self-help and self-acceptance, such as the homophile movement of the 1950s. Social movements may focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, or they may focus on liberation, as in the gay liberation movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ( LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society.