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The term ‘super straight’ was coined in a viral Tik Tok video. The “sexuality” describes a straight person who refuses to date a trans person of the opposite gender. Many people that identify as super straight would have it proudly in their description, similar to how a trans person or supporter of the community might have their pronouns listed. Those identifying as super straight also tried to support themselves by saying it can’t be transphobic because this is their sexuality. Again, this is a direct attack towards trans people and the rest of the LGBTQIA+ community.

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Frankie Mancini / Gavel Media

TikTok trends have had an enormous impact on popular culture, especially over the past year or so when people turned to TikTok for a sense of community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the good things that amount from the use of TikTok, it can also incite problematic movements and be a place for hate to fester.

Something along those lines happened over recently, when the term 'super-straight' was coined (although there are debates whether it started on the deep internet first) in a video that went viral . The term describes a straight person who is considered uber straight because they won't date a trans person of the opposite gender. This label has incited many debates across the platform. The self-identified 'super-straight' people place this label proudly in their bio, like many people do with their pronouns, seemingly mocking trans people further. When met with backlash, these people also claim they can't be called transphobic because it is their sexuality, and as a liberal society, we accept everyone. This ironic statement has caused outrage on the platform as they are doing exactly the opposite of that: They are being trans-exclusionary and certainly not accepting everyone.

Labels have always been a way for people to find themselves and a safe space with others who feel the same way they do, specifically in the LGBTQ+ community. Although some people see labels as harmful, most people use labels to feel like they belong and to make sense of themselves. The issue with creating a label to identify straight people as 'even more straight' is that it begins to mock those who feel the need to label themselves as anything but straight. Straight people already have a label, they already have a 'community': society. Straight people are not oppressed. Straight people don't need to label themselves further to feel a sense of relief. The creation of this label is purely because straight people, mostly men, needed another way to be hateful. They pose themselves as oppressed to gain more attention and feel more important. They already have the privilege and power; they don't need more.

The fact that they were able to create this label and start a movement demonstrates just how privileged these people are. With no fear of being a victim of a hate crime or even killed, like so many transgender people are, they can do whatever they want with their sexual and gender identity. When trans people fear for their lives everyday, especially trans-women of color, it is extremely frustrating to watch a bunch of privileged straight people mock the LGBTQ+ community with no fear of the consequences.

The label 'super-straight' went beyond just a kid making a stupid video about his so-called sexuality. The video and label reached 4chan, which is a breeding ground for far-right people, who then claimed that this trend and label is going to be used to divide the LGBTQ+ community and use their own accepting tendencies against them , proving even further that this creation isn't just a way to express genitalia preference, but instead a way to incite hate against an already uber-oppressed group of people.

The viral video even led to the creation of colors and a flag, using the colors orange and black, with the male and female gender markers as the symbols on the front. This flag has made its way across the TikTok platform, finding its way into people's profile pictures along with the orange and black square emojis in people's bios. The comment sections on many videos, even ones unrelated to the controversy, are filled with comments that created the symbol of an orange square with a black 'SS' in the middle.

Not surprisingly, this flag and the far-right movement have quickly been related to Nazism. On Twitter, Daniel Paisley wrote that it just took a quick Google search to find that this super-straight idea has been claimed by neo-Nazi's on the conservative internet. These people have now claimed that they're the 'SS' standing for super-straight but also obviously relating to the Nazi military. They have also created a new flag that does not use sex markers, but also infamous 'SS' symbols the Nazi's used. They even go as far to say that March should be Super-Straight Pride month, again mocking the LGBTQ+ community, and have now adapted the term 'Hail SuperStraight Victory'.

It is obvious that this TikTok extends far beyond a harmless 60 second video. Not only does this new term create a platform for transphobic people to validate their internal transphobia, but it has also incited Nazism and extreme hate. Liberals are always criticized for being too tolerant and asked if we're tolerant, why can't we tolerate the far-right. The difference lies in tolerating and accepting someone's valid self-identity versus hate. By attempting to validate their own trans-exclusionary feelings, these super-straight people accidentally started another neo-Nazi, far-right movement, inciting more hate and fear than before.

Super indecisive, couldn't decide what to write besides "Loves Harry Styles", but I promise that isn't my only personality trait

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Super-Straight: The Trend Mocking Sexualities and Inciting Transphobia

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Frankie Mancini / Gavel Media TikTok trends have had an enormous impact on popular culture, especially over the past year or so when people turned to TikTok for a sense of community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the good things that amount from the use of TikTok, it can also incite problematic movements and be a place for hate to fester.

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Conversion “therapy” is the attempt to try and change LGBTQ+ youth sexual or orientation. Many states in America have taken action by prohibiting this “therapy” as a whole. However, while this may seem positive only 19 out of 50 states have passed a bill preventing any conversion. 22 states have no policy, and three are discussing what actions should be taken.

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Movement Advancement Project | Conversion

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This map outlines state and local bans on conversion

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Gay desires, specifically a mans desire for another, was first intolerated by ancient cultures. This behavior started in the Middle Ages, among those who follow Christianity and Islam. Psychologist began to believe that homosexuality was far more than being a temporary behavior. Sigmund Freud started the belief that the “presence of both parents plays an important part. The absence of a strong father in childhood not infrequently favours the occurrence of inversion.” He went to the extent of giving families tips to help their child heterosexuality. Sports clubs and Boy Scouts had been industrialized, endorsing young boys in “proper” masculinity, and the role for a heterosexual male.

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homophobia, culturally produced fear of or prejudice against homosexuals that sometimes manifests itself in legal restrictions or, in extreme cases, bullying or even violence against homosexuals (sometimes called "gay bashing"). The term homophobia was coined in the late 1960s and was used prominently by George Weinberg, an American clinical psychologist, in his book Society and the Healthy Homosexual (1972). Although the suffix phobia generally designates an irrational fear, in the case of homophobia the word instead refers to an attitudinal disposition ranging from mild dislike to abhorrence of people who are sexually or romantically attracted to individuals of the same sex. Homophobia is a culturally conditioned response to homosexuality, and attitudes toward homosexuals vary widely across cultures and over time.

History

Although little is known about premodern women's sexualities, it is largely believed that the sexual desire of one man for another was an acceptable, often venerated form of love in ancient cultures. Intolerance toward homosexual behaviour grew particularly in the Middle Ages, especially among the adherents of Christianity and Islam.

To understand the wider cultural impact of homophobia, awareness of the general societal consensus of the nature of homosexuality is necessary. In Western cultures in the later 19th century, some psychologists began to view homosexuality as more than a temporary behaviour, understanding that it was immutable. As industrialization brought migration from rural to urban areas, the greater density of people in cities permitted same-sex attracted individuals to organize (initially under the cloak of anonymity), which ultimately led to greater visibility and the scientific study of homosexuality.

The term homosexuality was first used in 1868, and the research of Richard von Krafft-Ebing two decades later in Psychopathia Sexualis (1886; trans. into English in 1892) portrayed homosexuality as a fixed sexual desire. In 1905 Sigmund Freud popularized the erroneous notion that homosexuality was the product of a child's upbringing, writing, "The presence of both parents plays an important part. The absence of a strong father in childhood not infrequently favours the occurrence of inversion." Freud even gave child-rearing tips to help parents lead their children to heterosexual adjustment.

With Freud's warning in mind, and because of the long working hours that men spent under industrialization, homosocial organizations (e.g., sporting clubs and the Boy Scouts) were developed to introduce young boys to heterosexual masculine role models in the absence of their fathers. The teaching of masculinity to boys and femininity to girls was (and often remains) falsely believed to be able to prevent children from becoming homosexual.

"Homohysteria"

Gender has long been implicated with sexuality, and the trials of Irish writer Oscar Wilde, who in 1895 was convicted of gross indecency, furthered this belief. The unusual aesthetic appearance that Wilde represented, alongside his penchant for aesthetic art and beauty, helped formulate homosexual suspicion for men who shared Wilde's feminine flair. Wilde's conviction thus helped promote the stereotype that homosexuality existed among feminine men, thereby erroneously disqualifying masculine-acting men from homosexual suspicion.

The power of homophobia is such that homosexual individuals often feel culturally compelled to misrepresent their sexuality (something known as being "in the closet") in order to avoid social stigma. However, homophobia also impacts heterosexuals, as it is impossible to definitively prove one's heterosexuality. Accordingly, heterosexuals and homosexuals wishing to be thought heterosexual are compelled to avoid associating with anything coded as homosexual. This is accomplished through the repeated association with cultural codes of heterosexuality and disassociation from codes for homosexuality. Conversely, the suspicion that someone is homosexual often is cast upon whoever displays behaviour gender-coded appropriate for the opposite sex. For men, competitive team sports, violence, cars, beer, and an emotionless disposition have been associated with masculinity (and thus heterosexuality), while an appreciation of the arts, fine food, individual sports, and emotional expressionism has been associated with homosexuality. This equation is reversed for women.

A homohysteric culture (a term coined by American sociologist Eric Anderson) can be created by the combination of an awareness of homosexuality and a high degree of homophobia. In such a culture, it is believed that anyone might be gay, and, as a result, heterosexuals' social, sexual, and personal behaviours are limited because men fear association with femininity and women fear association with masculinity.

In a homohysteric culture, individuals are concerned with proving their heterosexuality because homosexuality is stigmatized. Conversely, when cultural homophobia is so great that citizens do not generally believe that homosexuality is even possible (as in many contemporary Middle Eastern, African, and Asian cultures), there is no need to prove to one's peers that one is not gay. A manifestation of this notion can be seen in Iran, whose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, said in a speech in the United States in 2007 that his country had no homosexuals. Others have sometimes labeled homosexuality a "white disease." Ironically, in some highly homophobic (yet not homohysteric) cultures, heterosexuals are given more freedom of gendered expression. Men can, for example, hold hands in many highly homophobic cultures (because others do not perceive they can be homosexual), while hand holding among men raises homosexual suspicion in the West.

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homophobia, culturally produced fear of or prejudice against homosexuals that sometimes manifests itself in legal restrictions or, in extreme cases, bullying or even violence against homosexuals (sometimes called "gay bashing"). The term homophobia was coined in the late 1960s and was used

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Marsha P. Johnson was a significant LGBTQ+ figure and AIDS activist. She identified as a transvestite, since transgender hadn’t been commonly used. She was a gay drag queen that started as a nobody. Throughout parts of her life she was homeless. Both she and Sylvia Rivera founded S.T.A.R (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries). This was a foundation to give shelter to homeless LGBTQ+ youth. Johnson is also known for her Stonewall riots. She participated in marches and AIDS activism with the group ACT UP, until her untimely death

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six of the most influential lgbtq+ activists - cnn

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Courage and sacrifice: 6 activists behind LGBTQ progress

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Activism takes different forms, whether it's marching in the streets, speaking on behalf of marginalized people or influencing pop culture to embrace people from society's fringes.

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The Anti Trans bills have taken action against transgender and nonbinary people, such as taking away healthcare, refusing access for use of restrooms, restricting full participation in school as well as sports, making identification documents difficult, and allowing those who are motivated religiously to discriminate against trans people.

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Jump to navigation Skip navigation

Last updated 4/9/2021
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in America continue to face discrimination in their daily lives. While more states every year work to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people, we continue to see state legislatures advancing bills that target transgender people, limit local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate.

*Note: Bills are reported as Active below if they were introduced in their states' 2020 legislative sessions and have carried over to 2021. The status date indicates the convening of the state's 2021 session or the most current activity on a particular bill.
View 2020 Session bills. View 2019 Session bills. View 2018 Session bills.
Anti-LGBTQ Bills:

Anti-Trans Bills

These measures target transgender and nonbinary people for discrimination, such as by barring or criminalizing healthcare for transgender youth, barring access to the use of appropriate facilities like restrooms, restricting transgender students' ability to fully participate in school and sports, allowing religiously-motivated discrimination against trans people, or making it more difficult for trans people to get identification documents with their name and gender.

a. Prohibiting healthcare for transgender youth

b. Single-Sex Facility Restrictions

c. Excluding transgender youth from athletics

d. Restrictions on Identification Documents

e. Other Anti-Trans bills

Religious Exemption Bills

a. Religious Freedom Restoration Acts (RFRAs)

b. Religious Exemptions in Healthcare Implicating LGBTQ People

c. Religious Exemptions in Adoption & Foster Care

d. Religious Exemptions in Schools and Student Organizations

e. Other Religious Exemption Bills

Bills Pre-Empting Local Protections

These bills prevent cities and other local government entities from passing nondiscrimination protections that are more expansive than the protections offered at the state level, including protections for LGBTQ people.

Other Anti-LGBTQ Bills

LGBTQ Equality Bills
a. Nondiscrimination protections b. Protections in healthcare c. Allowing updated gender markers on ID d. Sex work decriminalization bills e. Other good bills

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Legislation Affecting LGBT Rights Across the Country

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Last updated 4/9/2021Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in America continue to face discrimination in their daily lives. While more states every year work to pass laws to protect LGBTQ people, we continue to see state legislatures advancing bills that target transgender people, limit local protections, and allow the use of religion to discriminate.

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Conversion “therapy” is often referred to as “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay therapy,” but they all means a practice that attempts to change the sexual orientation and/or gender identity of a person. Techniques used to “cure” individuals may start from shame, hypnosis, to force vomiting and electric shocks. Overall, the medical community has come to the conclusions hat sexual and gender orientations are characteristics that cannot be changed. Not only are these attempts unnecessary and useless, but they’re very harmful. Advocates continue to work on banning this practice in states, cities, and countries.

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There is broad consensus in the medical community that sexual orientation and gender identity are immutable traits-and that attempts to change these characteristics through conversion therapy or other means are not only unnecessary and ineffective, but also very harmful. Adv ocates are working to ban this harmful and discredited practice federally, in the states, and in cities and counties.

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Research shows that LGBT people may be more likely to foster or adopt than their peers. Despite this, some state laws permit discrimination by social service agencies, limiting the number of qualified families available to provide forever homes to children.

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Super Straight is a term used referring to those who date the opposite sex, excluding transgender people. Although this is a description of a preference in partners, many transphobic people have tried to encourage being super straight as their own sexuality, causing a large disturbance on many social media platforms. Use of this term/mock sexuality can be found in a TikTok video made by someone called “Kyleroyce.” The YouTube reupload shows him saying this, “Straight men get called transphobic because I wouldn't date a trans woman. Now, I'm super straight. I only date the opposite gender, women, that are born women. So you can't say I'm transphobic now because that is just my sexuality.”

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"Super straight" started to trend on social media when users claimed it as their sexual orientation.

The descriptor started on TikTok but gained traction on toxic forums like 4chan and Kiwi Farms.

In deleted threads, users pushed to spread the transphobic trend to divide LGBTQ people.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Over the past week, some people online have been openly referring to themselves as "super straight," causing the term to trend across various social-media platforms. According to Urban Dictionary, the term is meant to refer to a preference "of the opposite sex with the exclusion of transgender people." Though it's describing a preference, members of the transphobic movement claim it's a sexual orientation and have caused intense discord online.

What many users encountering the idea for the first time may not know, however, is that the chaos caused by the idea is precisely the point. According to discussion threads on 4chan, trolls deliberately planned to provoke a reaction and divide LGBTQ communities by spreading the super-straight idea.

'Super straight' originated on TikTok and spread to forums like 4chan

It appears that super straight can be traced back to the TikToker Kyleroyce, who on February 21 posted a video titled "who else is super straight?" The deleted video, which has been reuploaded to YouTube, shows the content creator sitting in a car, sharing his thoughts with the hashtags "sexuality" and "funny." The video pulled in over a million views before the creator took it down, saying in a comment that others had "sent death threats to my mom over it."

In the video, the creator is explicit about coining the term because he was tired of being called transphobic.

"I've made a new sexuality," Kyleroyce said in his video. "Straight men get called transphobic because I wouldn't date a trans woman. Now, I'm super straight. I only date the opposite gender, women, that are born women. So you can't say I'm transphobic now because that is just my sexuality."

"I created it because I was sick of being labeled with very negative terms for having a preference, something I can't control, and getting labeled by the community that preaches acceptance with that sort of stuff," Kyleroyce told Insider. "It was never meant to be hateful towards anyone."

Over the next two weeks, the super-straight video started to spread on social media, eventually hitting the /pol board of 4chan, known for being a home to far-right trolls, and growing from there. The board members discussed creating and sharing memes about being super straight to "drive a wedge" within LGBTQ communities and "use the left's tactics against themselves, call them bigots for not accepting super straights," according to several posts and deleted threads shared on Twitter. The posts also directly linked the abbreviation for super straight to the Nazi SS.

-David Paisley (@DavidPaisley) March 7, 2021

Super-straight discussion also appeared on Kiwi Farms, an online board similar to 4chan with little moderation or oversight.

Over the weekend, 'super straight' conversation moved over to Twitter and Reddit

Over the weekend, conversation around super straight became a large talking point on social media, seemingly following the designs of those from 4chan attempting to spread it. Users on Twitter started to identify as super straight, even going so far as describing themselves as members of the "LGTBQ+ community."

"I know a lot of people have the same opinion as me but they are too scared to say it in fear of the backlash and the misinterpretations," Kyleroyce said.

-Super straight (@supa_str8) March 6, 2021

-Shut It, Gringo⬛️🟧 (@POVuMadAtMe) March 8, 2021

-Surf & Terf 🖤🧡 (@terf_surf) March 6, 2021

Critics of the movement identify it as thinly veiled transphobia.

-nina ☭ (anna fan acc) (@comradenina) March 6, 2021

-Rubber Duck of Cyn (@amadness2method) March 7, 2021

AbbyInni said in a Twitter thread that the movement was created to "exclude trans people" and "you see trans women less as women and trans men less as men than cis people and that's transphobic."

-Abby ♡ (@AbbyInni) March 6, 2021

"It is not transphobic, and it was never meant to be," Kyleroyce said.

The criticism has not stopped the super-straight movement from growing.

On March 1, the subreddit Super Straight was launched and has already pulled in 17,000 subscribers. On the sub, you can find posts from people claiming they are dealing with " superphobia."

This isn't the first time a hate and disinformation campaign grew popular on 4chan and spread elsewhere. In 2016, 4chan users tried to convince others that they could vote online leading up to the election and that the rapper Drake had died.
This article was updated to include comments from Kyleroyce.

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A social-media trend has people identifying as 'super straight.' The transphobic campaign was meant to divide LGBTQ people.

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"Super straight" started to trend on social media when users claimed it as their sexual orientation. The descriptor started on TikTok but gained traction on toxic forums like 4chan and Kiwi Farms. In deleted threads, users pushed to spread the transphobic trend to divide LGBTQ people. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

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698,000 LGBTQ adults have received conversion therapy. 20,000 LGBTQ youth receive conversion therapy from a licensed healthcare professional 6,000 LGBTQ youth who live in states banning the “therapy” have been treated by medical professionals. 57,000 youth across all states will receive conversion therapy from religious or spiritual advisors.

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What is conversion therapy?

Conversion therapy is any attempt to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. However, because the practice has come under increasing scrutiny, providers frequently change their terminology to avoid detection. Some of those terms can seem relatively harmless at first glance. Here are a few examples

Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE)

Sexual Attraction Fluidity Exploration in Therapy (SAFE-T)

Eliminating, reducing or decreasing frequency or intensity of unwanted Same-Sex Attraction (SSA)

Reparative therapy

Sexual reorientation efforts

Ex-gay ministry

Promoting healthy sexuality

Addressing sexual addictions and disorders

Sexuality counseling

Encouraging relational and sexual wholeness

Healing sexual brokenness

Proponents of conversion therapy often intentionally conflate the attempted altering of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression with the treatment of an actual condition such as sexual addiction. Some claim they are helping clients explore their "sexual fluidity," or they emphasize that their clients struggle with "unwanted same-sex attractions" or "gender confusion."

The harms of conversion therapy

San Francisco State University found that "compared with LGBTQ young people who were not rejected or were only a little rejected by their parents and caregivers because of their gay or transgender identity, highly rejected LGBTQ young people were:

8.4x more likely to report having attempted suicide

5.9x more likely report high levels of depression

3.4x more likely to use illegal drugs

3.4x more likely to be at high risk of HIV and STDs

Source: San Francisco State University

Statistics

698,000 LGBTQ adults (ages 18-59) in the U.S. have received conversion therapy, including about 350,000 LGBTQ adults who received treatment as adolescents.

20,000 LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) will receive conversion therapy from a licensed healthcare professional before they reach the age of 18 in the 41 states that currently do not ban the practice.

6,000 LGBTQ youth (ages 13-17) who live in states that ban conversion therapy would have received such therapy from a licensed health care professional before age 18 if their state had not banned the practice.

57,000 youth (ages 13-17) across all states will receive conversion therapy from religious or spiritual advisors before they reach the age of 18.

Source: UCLA Williams Institute

Statements by National Associations

American Psychological Association:

Affirms that same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality regardless of sexual orientation identity; reaffirms its position that homosexuality per se is not a mental disorder and opposes portrayals of sexual minority youths and adults as mentally ill due to their sexual orientation concludes that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation; encourages mental health professionals to avoid misrepresenting the efficacy of sexual orientation change efforts by promoting or promising change in sexual orientation when providing assistance to individuals distressed by their own or others' sexual orientation...

American Psychiatric Association:

... In 1997 APA produced a fact sheet on homosexual and bisexual issues, which states that "there is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of "reparative therapy" as a treatment to change one's sexual orientation."

The potential risks of "reparative therapy" are great and include depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. Many patients who have undergone "reparative therapy" relate that they were inaccurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy individuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfaction. The possibility that the person might achieve happiness and satisfying interpersonal relationships as a gay man or lesbian are not presented, nor are alternative approaches to dealing with the effects of societal stigmatization discussed...

Therefore, APA opposes any psychiatric treatment, such as "reparative" or "conversion" therapy, that is based on the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or is based on the a priori assumption that the patient should change his or her homosexual orientation.

List of US organizations that have denounced conversion therapy:

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Academy of Physician Assistants

American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy

American Association of School Administrators

American Associations of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapist

American College of Physicians

American Counseling Association

American Federation of Teachers

American Medical Association

American Osteopathic Association

American Psychiatric Association

American Psychoanalytic Association

American Psychological Association

American School Counselor Association

American School Health Association

Interfaith Alliance Foundation

National Association of School Psychologists

National Association of Secondary School Principals

National Association of Social Workers

National Education Association

School Social Work Association on America

United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights

World Health Organization

And many more...

Protecting LGBTQ+ Youth From Conversion Therapy

The following states and municipalities have passed laws protecting LGBTQ+ youth from conversion therapy:

1. California (2012)

2. New Jersey (2013)

3. Illinois (2015)

4. Oregon (2015)

5. Vermont (2016)

6. Connecticut (2017)

7. Nevada (2017)

8. New Mexico (2017)

9. Rhode Island (2017)

10. Washington State (2018)

11. Maryland (2018)

12. Hawaii (2018)

13. New Hampshire (2018)

14. Maryland (2018)

*Washington D.C., although not a state, passed an ordinance in 2014 protecting LGBTQ+ youth from conversion therapy.

*New York State, has not passed a law through in its legislature, however, Governor Cuomo signed an executive order that protects youth from conversion therapy by prohibiting public and private health care insurers from covering the practice in the state. Additionally, the order prohibits various mental health facilities across the state from conducting the practice on minors. This order went into effect on April 27, 2016

How to speak about conversion therapy in the media

When speaking about laws and legislation, avoid using the words 'ban' or 'banning.' Instead use the words 'protect' or 'protections.' For example:

Bad example: "As of 2018, 14 states have passed laws banning conversion therapy for minors by licensed practitioners"

Good example: "As of 2018, 14 states have passed laws protecting LGBTQ+ youth from conversion therapy by licensed practitioners"

Terminology/Glossary

Cisgender: Describes a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex assigned to them at birth.

Gender Dysphoria: Clinically significant distress caused when a person's sex assigned at birth is not aligned with their gender identity.

Gender Expression: External manifestation of one's gender identity, usually expressed through behaviors, mannerisms, dress, etc.

Gender Identity: One's innermost sense of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither. A person's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.

Gender non-conforming (GNC): Describes a person who does not subscribe to society's traditional expectations of gender expression or gender roles.

Queer: Often used interchangeably with "LGBTQ."

Sexual Orientation: An inherent or immutable enduring emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to other people.

Transgender: Describes people whose gender identity and/or gender expression is different from cultural expectations based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Being transgender does not imply any specific sexual orientation.

GLAAD has partnered with Born Perfect in its efforts to support conversion therapy survivors and those laws that will protect LGBTQ youth. To show your support for conversion therapy survivors, click here to join Born Perfect.

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Conversion therapy is any attempt to change a person's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. However, because the practice has come under increasing scrutiny, providers frequently change their terminology to avoid detection. Some of those terms can seem relatively harmless at first glance.

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Conversion “therapy” is a dangerous, discredited practice that claims to change one's sexuality or gender identity. The most vulnerable age group for such practices are minors, as conversion may lead to or increase depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide. California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington have regulations protecting LGBTQ youth from the dangerous “therapy.” A study taken by Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law found that about 20,000 LGBTQ minors living in states that have no policy against the practice are sent to conversion “therapy” with a licensed healthcare professional. To conclude, conversion “therapy,” as well as other attempts to change sexuality and gender identity are harmful and inefficient for LGBTQ youth

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The Lies and Dangers of "Conversion Therapy"

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"Reparative" or "conversion" therapy is a dangerous practice that targets LGBTQ youth and seeks to change their sexual or gender identities.

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Homophobia is the fear, discomfort, and or hatred of people that identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual, while biphobia is hatred specifically to those that are  bisexual, pansexual, etc. Transphobia is similar, the only difference is that it’s a hatred toward people that are trans or gender-neutral or genderqueer. All three of these terms are different, because while someone may be homophobic, they may not be biphobic. Most commonly homophobes will use slurs and other rude language towards gay people. Biphobes might say bisexuals are only “seeking attention.” In some of the more extreme forms, both homo and bi phobia could escalate into bullying, abuse, and sometimes violence to those a part of the LGBTQ community. Internalized homophobia is having negative attitude or disliking ones own same-sex attractions, and finding their own desires to be discomforting to themself

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What are homophobia and sexual orientation discrimination?

The homophobia definition is the fear, hatred, discomfort with, or mistrust of people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Biphobia is fear, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust, specifically of people who are bisexual. Similarly, transphobia is fear, hatred, discomfort with, or mistrust of people who are transgender, genderqueer, or don't follow traditional gender norms.

Although transphobia, biphobia, and homophobia are similar, they're not the same thing. Both gay and straight people can be transphobic and biphobic, and people can be transphobic without being homophobic or biphobic.

Homophobia can take many different forms, including negative attitudes and beliefs about, aversion to, or prejudice against bisexual, lesbian, and gay people. It's often based in irrational fear and misunderstanding. Some people's homophobia may be rooted in conservative religious beliefs. People may hold homophobic beliefs if they were taught them by parents and families.

Homophobic people may use mean language and name-calling when they talk about lesbian and gay people. Biphobic people may tell bisexual people that it's "just for attention," or that they're inherently cheaters. In its most extreme forms, homophobia and biphobia can cause people to bully, abuse, and inflict violence on lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.

Some LGBTQ people experience discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. This may be discrimination from religious institutions, companies, or from our government. Examples include same-sex couples not being allowed to marry, getting legally fired just for being LGBTQ, or not being allowed into certain housing.

LGBTQ people and their allies have fought for equal rights and continue to do so, especially concerning marriage, employment, housing and health care equality, and protection from hate crimes (violence against LGBTQ people because of who they are).

What is internalized homophobia?

Internalized homophobia refers to people who are homophobic while also experiencing same-sex attraction themselves. Sometimes, people may have negative attitudes and beliefs about those who experience same-sex attraction, and then turn the negative beliefs in on themselves rather than come to terms with their own desires. This may mean that they feel discomfort and disapproval with their own same-sex attractions, never accept their same-sex attractions, or never identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

People dealing with internalized homophobia may feel the need to "prove" that they're straight, exhibit very stereotypical behavior of straight men and women, or even bully and discriminate against openly gay people.

What is outing?

Outing is the act of revealing someone else's sexual orientation without their permission. If you share information about someone's sexual orientation against their wishes, you risk affecting their lives very negatively by making them feel embarrassed, upset, and vulnerable.

You may also put them at risk for discrimination and violence. If someone shares their orientation with you, remember that this is very personal information and it's an honor that they trusted you enough to tell you. Always ask them what you're allowed to share with others and respect their wishes.

Where can I get support if I'm dealing with homophobia?

People who experience homophobic, biphobic, or transphobic harassment often feel alone and are afraid to tell anyone what's happening. You should never have to face harassment.

You can get support from:

Other LGBTQ people

Your local LGBTQ community center

Online communities of LGBTQ people

Q Chat Space is a way for LGBTQ+ teens to connect with each other through live-chat group discussions - no matter where they are

Trusted LGBTQ adults that you may already know, such as family members or teachers

Straight people who are allies to LGBTQ people

A Gay/Straight Alliance at your high school, if applicable.

LGBTQ organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), The Trevor Project, and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

Not everyone lives in a place that has a Gay/Straight Alliance in their high school, or an LGBTQ community center. In this situation, the Internet is super useful in finding communities and support in dealing with homophobia and discrimination.

If you're a young person who's experiencing harassment in school, it's important to tell someone, even if that seems scary. If you don't seek help and just accept it, the harassment will probably continue, or maybe even get worse over time. This can make it hard to keep up with grades, activities, and school in general.

Some schools may have an anti-bullying and harassment policy, and some states have adopted a Safe Schools Law, which means that your school administrators are legally required to stop the harassment. If possible, find a trusted teacher or adult who is an ally to LGBTQ students and ask for their help.

If you're a young person experiencing homophobia and it's causing you to feel depressed or suicidal, the Trevor Project can help.

What can I do to help stop homophobia?

No one has the right to discriminate against or bully another person, or to hurt them emotionally or physically. There are several things you can do to help stop homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia:

Don't ever use negative or offensive language to describe LGBTQ people.

Be careful of how even casual language - such as saying "that's so gay"- can hurt others.

Don't believe stereotypes about LGBTQ people or make assumptions about them.

Be a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ community, regardless of your own sexual orientation and identity. This is called being an ally.

Let the LGBTQ people in your life know that you're a friend and ally.

Educate yourself on LGBTQ issues.

Respect LGBTQ people's decisions about when and where to come out.

Join your school's Gay/Straight Alliance, or start one at your school. GLSEN can help with that.

Remember that being LGBTQ is just one part of a person's complex identity and life.

Show as much interest in your LGBTQ friends' or family members' partners as you would show in a straight person's partner.

If you feel safe doing so, speak up when other people are being homophobic or biphobic, such as making offensive jokes, using negative language, or bullying or harassing someone because of their sexual orientation or identity.

When addressing homophobia in others:

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The homophobia definition is the fear, hatred, discomfort with, or mistrust of people who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Biphobia is fear, hatred, discomfort, or mistrust, specifically of people who are bisexual. Similarly, transphobia is fear, hatred, discomfort with, or mistrust of people who are transgender, genderqueer, or don't follow traditional gender norms. Although transphobia, biphobia, and homophobia are similar, they're not the same thing.

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Homophobia can lead heterosexuals to most or all of the following: Not create relations with their own sex, in fear of being seen as LGBTQ, put people into gender-based roles, therefore stopping self-expression, pressure people to treat LGBTQ badly, because of their personal belief, prevent LGBTQ from developing a self identity, adding pressure to marriage, and finally have no appreciation for diversity, making anyone with different traits feel unsafe.

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Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center | Case Western Reserve University

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How Homophobia Hurts us All

By Warren J. Blumenfeld, Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992

You do not have to be lesbian, gay, bi, or queer-or know someone who is-to be negatively affected by homophobia. Though homophobia actively oppresses lesbian, gay, bi, and queer people, it also hurts heterosexuals.

Homophobia:

Inhibits the ability of heterosexuals to form close, intimate relationships with members of their own gender, for fear of being perceived as LGBT

Locks people into rigid gender-based roles that inhibit creativity and self-expression;

Is often used to stigmatize heterosexuals; those perceived or labeled by others to be LGBT; children of LGBT parents; parents of LGBT children; and friends of LGBT people.

Compromises human integrity by pressuring people to treat others badly, actions that are contrary to their basic humanity.

Combined with sex-phobia, results in the invisibility or erasure of LGBT lives and sexuality in school-based sex education discussions, keeping vital information from students. Such erasures can prevent LGBT young people from learning about sexually transmitted infections.

Is one cause of premature sexual involvement, which increases the chances of teen pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Young people, of all sexual identities, are often pressured to become heterosexually active to prove to themselves and others that they are "normal."

Prevents some LGBT people from developing an authentic self identity and adds to the pressure to marry, which in turn places undue stress and often times trauma on themselves as well as their heterosexual spouses, and their children.

Inhibits appreciation of other types of diversity, making it unsafe for everyone because each person has unique traits not considered mainstream or dominant. We are all diminished when any one of us is demeaned.

By challenging homophobia, people are not only fighting oppression for specific groups of people, but are striving for a society that accepts and celebrates the differences in all of us.

Identifying Heterosexism: Actions and Thoughts that Belie Heterosexist Attitudes

Stereotypes and assumptions are at the root of heterosexist attitudes, simplifying the diverse LGBT community and often disempowering them. The following actions and thoughts are manifestations of these attitudes.

Oversexualization

Assuming that lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals are only sexual beings rather than complex people who have, among other significant features, a non-homosexual orientation.

Assuming that every same-sex attraction is sexual or potentially sexual for lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals.

Assuming that a lesbian, gay man, or bisexual is probably interested in you sexually, regardless of your sexual orientation.

Interpreting everything lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals do in terms of their sexuality.

Avoiding touching them or being too close, or being scared of them in general.

Denying Significance, Personally

Commenting that "it doesn't matter to me that you are LGBT." A basic part of someone's identity and sense of self should matter; it just shouldn't matter negatively.

Expecting people to avoid talking about being LGBT. Expecting them not to talk about their partners or relationships.

Denying Significance, Politically

Criticizing LGBT individuals for "making an issue" of their sexuality. For example, commenting, "I don't care what they do in the privacy of their bedrooms, but don't tell me about it."

Not understanding that in our culture, which is alternatively oblivious to LGBT individuals, or dangerous for them, sexuality is already a political issue.

Not seeing that heterosexuality is politically supported by giving legal, financial, and emotional privilege to heterosexual relationships while legally denying LGBT individuals involved in same-sex relationships housing, jobs, and child custody.

Labeling Homosexuality/Bisexuality a Problem

Diagnosing homosexuality/bisexuality, talking about cures or causes, which assumes that it's not normal and fine. A bisexual, lesbian, or gay man may need special support and/or counseling around issues of being non-heterosexual in this culture; however, the problem is heterosexism, not bisexuality/homosexuality.

Making Invisible

Assuming that everyone is heterosexual until proven otherwise.

Always asking women about boyfriends, and men about girlfriends.

Assuming that marriage is everyone's goal.

Keeping bisexuality/homosexuality invisible by not making it safe for people to be "out" or by excluding people who are "out" from visible positions where they might provide positive role models for younger LGBT individuals.

Denying that bisexuality exists.

Assuming that heterosexism doesn't exist because you can't see it.

Considering heterosexism less significant than other oppressions.

Generalizing

Assuming that one LGBT individual represents all of them.

Conversely, completely separating one LGBT individual you know personally by saying, "You're OK: you're not like the rest of them." Overassserting Your Heterosexuality

Rushing to talk about your relationship when you meet an LGBT individual to make sure s/he knows you are heterosexual.

Avoiding behaviors or dress that might cause suspicion that you are not a "real man" or a "real woman."

Avoiding touching or close friendships with people of the same sex.

Excusing other heterosexual people's heterosexist jokes or comments.

Expecting to Be Taught

Putting the burden of responsibility for educating and working for change on the LGBT individual.

Forcing LGBT individuals to always to take all of the initiative in "coming out."

Not making openings for people to "come out" by acknowledging in conversations the possibility of non-heterosexual relations.

Becoming upset if every LGBT individual is not always patient about educating you.

Misdefining Bisexuality/Homosexuality

Confusing bisexuality with non-monogamy.

Assuming that bisexuals are fickle or promiscuous.

Assuming that lesbians hate men.

Assuming that LGBT individuals want to "convert" heterosexuals.

Trying to help someone "go straight."

Thinking of bisexuality/homosexuality as a phase.

Assuming that lesbians' and gay men's orientation is in reaction to a bad heterosexual experience. Adapted from University of Southern Maine's "Safe Zone Project" by Gregory M. Weight, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Office, University of Delaware, March 2000

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Heterosexism & Homophobia | Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center | Case Western Reserve University

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By Warren J. Blumenfeld, Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992 You do not have to be lesbian, gay, bi, or queer-or know someone who is-to be negatively affected by homophobia. Though homophobia actively oppresses lesbian, gay, bi, and queer people, it also hurts heterosexuals.

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Hostility towards LGBTQ is far less severe in the US than most other countries, however bullying, harassment, and in worse cases violence is still somewhat common in the community. Most small towns and rural areas have more intolerance to LGBTQ compared to bigger cities that have a more open and accepting place. The general acceptance of LGBTQ has increased with each year, but a large proportion of the US population is still against giving equal rights to the community. Religious and politically moved people tend to have the strongest opinions that stand opposed to giving these equal rights. 8 out of 10 LGBTQ students are bullied for their orientation. This can have horrific effects on their mental health later on in life.

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Homophobia and the LGBT Community

Open hostility against the LGBT community is less severe in the US than in many other countries, but unfortunately bullying, harassment, and sometimes even violence against people based on their real or perceived sexual orientation does occur. Whether or not you need to worry about harassment largely depends on where in the US you live. People living in rural areas and small towns, as well as much of the South and Midwest, are known for being intolerant of LGBT individuals, whereas people in many big cities, such as San Francisco, are known for being very open and accepting.

General public acceptance of the LGBT community continues to increase each year, but a large proportion of the US population is still opposed to guaranteeing homosexuals equal rights in all areas of life. Unfortunately, these groups, which are usually religiously and politically conservative, generally show very strong opposition. Although the LGBT community continues to gain more rights each year and same-sex marriage is now legal in 18 states, a very vocal group continues to proclaim that the future of the American family and the very natural order itself are threatened by these changes.

Homophobia is a particularly troubling problem when it comes to LGBT youths. Eight out of ten LGBT students report being bullied in school because of their sexual orientation, which can have devastating psychological effects then and later in life. The rights of transgender people are often less clearly defined by US laws, making gender discrimination on the basis of gender identity a prevalent problem in the courtroom, workplace, schools, etc.

Hate Groups

Although most forms of discrimination in the US are nonviolent, there are over 1,000 known hate groups in the US. These include neo-Nazis, white nationalists, racist skinheads, border vigilantes, and black separatists. The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) monitors all these groups and other extremists, and exposes any illegal activity to the federal government. They also offer support to victims of hate crimes and other forms of discrimination by these groups. For an overview of hate groups in the US, where they are located, and the legal action that has been taken against them, as well as the work that is being done to promote tolerance of all people, visit the website of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Hate Crimes

The FBI publishes an annual report on the number of hate crimes committed in the US in the previous year. According to the report, there were 5,796 separate hate crime incidents reported in 2012. As hate crimes are notoriously under-reported, however, since they are not always classified as such by reporting officers, the actual number is probably considerably higher. A total of 48.3% of these crimes were racially motivated, 19.6% occurred because of sexual-orientation bias, 19% were a result of religious discrimination, 11.5% were prompted by a person's perceived national origin or ethnicity, and the remaining 1.6% were perpetrated against people with disabilities.

Members of the LGBT community (when considered as a proportion of the total population) are the most likely minority group to be a victim of a violent hate crime. This minority group is followed by Jews, African Americans, Muslims, and Hispanics. Whenever a certain issue becomes very emotionally charged in the US, a spike in the number of hate crimes can be noticed, as with Muslims after the 9/11 attacks or people of Hispanic descent in light of the current national anti-immigration debate.

As a majority of expats live in cities in more tolerant areas of the country, members of the expat community will usually not need to worry about becoming a victim of a hate crime. Nevertheless, it is still important to stay up to date on what is happening on a local and national level.

Reporting Civil Rights Violations

Many laws are in place to protect the civil rights of all people in the US, regardless of their sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. If you think your civil rights have been violated, the US Department of Justice website has information on the respective government agency to file the complaint with, depending on which category it falls under. These categories are:

Criminal violations (hate crimes, human trafficking, threats or use of force to interfere with access to reproductive care or with the exercise of religious beliefs, etc.)

Disability rights

Educational opportunities

Job discrimination and unfair employment practices

Housing and civil enforcement (housing discrimination, credit discrimination, etc.)

Voting rights violations

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Open hostility against the LGBT community is less severe in the US than in many other countries, but unfortunately bullying, harassment, and sometimes even violence against people based on their real or perceived sexual orientation does occur. Whether or not you need to worry about harassment largely depends on where in the US you live.

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Stonewall riots began June 28, 1969, as New York City police began to raid the gay club Stonewall Inn, found in Greenwich Village. A riot sparked, consisting of bar patrons and neighborhood residents, as they were roughly thrown out by police. This led to six days of protest, known as the infamous Stonewall riots. Stonewall Inn had been a private “bottle bar,” meaning they did not need a liquor license since patrons brought their own liquor. Attendees of the clubs had to sign their names in a book upon entry. Lucky enough the Genovese family had bribed one of New York's precincts to ignore all activities going on in the bar. Apart from the safety hazards as well as blackmail going on with the mafia family, Stonewall Inn had become a very important institution. Drag queens had been welcomed, runaway youths, and dancing was allowed. Police officers had entered the club, and immediately fought illegal alcohol, arrested 13 people, and forcefully checked the sex of those in drag. Finally fed up with the social discrimination and harassment, patrons and neighbors stood outside of the bar for several days, protesting their own rights. This was one of the most influential LGBTQ riots, showing the power of activism in the community.

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Constant Raids at Gay Bars

The 1960s and preceding decades were not welcoming times for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Americans. For instance, solicitation of same-sex relations was illegal in New York City.

For such reasons, LGBT individuals flocked to gay bars and clubs, places of refuge where they could express themselves openly and socialize without worry. However, the New York State Liquor Authority penalized and shut down establishments that served alcohol to known or suspected LGBT individuals, arguing that the mere gathering of homosexuals was "disorderly."

Thanks to activists' efforts, these regulations were overturned in 1966, and LGBT patrons could then be served alcohol. But engaging in gay behavior in public (holding hands, kissing or dancing with someone of the same sex) was still illegal, so police harassment of gay bars continued and many bars still operated without liquor licenses-in part because they were owned by the Mafia.

Gay Rights Before Stonewall

The first documented U.S. gay rights organization, The Society for Human Rights (SHR), was founded in 1924 by Henry Gerber, a German immigrant. Police raids forced them to disband in 1925, but not before they had published several issues of their newsletter, "Friendship and Freedom," the country's first gay-interest newsletter. America's first lesbian rights organization, The Daughters of Bilitis, was formed in San Francisco on September 21, 1955.

In 1966, three years before Stonewall, members of The Mattachine Society, an organization dedicated to gay rights, staged a "sip-in" where they openly declared their sexuality at taverns, daring staff to turn them away and suing establishments who did. When The Commission on Human Rights ruled that gay individuals had the right to be served in bars, police raids were temporarily reduced.

The Stonewall Inn

The crime syndicate saw profit in catering to shunned gay clientele, and by the mid-1960s, the Genovese crime family controlled most Greenwich Village gay bars. In 1966, they purchased Stonewall Inn (a "straight" bar and restaurant), cheaply renovated it, and reopened it the next year as a gay bar.

Stonewall Inn was registered as a type of private "bottle bar," which did not require a liquor license because patrons were supposed to bring their own liquor. Club attendees had to sign their names in a book upon entry to maintain the club's false exclusivity. The Genovese family bribed New York's Sixth Police Precinct to ignore the activities occurring within the club.

Without police interference, the crime family could cut costs how they saw fit: The club lacked a fire exit, running water behind the bar to wash glasses, clean toilets that didn't routinely overflow and palatable drinks that weren't watered down beyond recognition. What's more, the Mafia reportedly blackmailed the club's wealthier patrons who wanted to keep their sexuality a secret.

Nonetheless, Stonewall Inn quickly became an important Greenwich Village institution. It was large and relatively cheap to enter. It welcomed drag queens, who received a bitter reception at other gay bars and clubs. It was a nightly home for many runaways and homeless gay youths, who panhandled or shoplifted to afford the entry fee. And it was one of the few-if not the only-gay bar left that allowed dancing.

Raids were still a fact of life, but usually corrupt cops would tip off Mafia-run bars before they occurred, allowing owners to stash the alcohol (sold without a liquor license) and hide other illegal activities. In fact, the NYPD had stormed Stonewall Inn just a few days before the riot-inducing raid.

The Stonewall Riots Begin

When police raided Stonewall Inn on the morning of June 28, it came as a surprise-the bar wasn't tipped off this time.

Armed with a warrant, police officers entered the club, roughed up patrons, and, finding bootlegged alcohol, arrested 13 people, including employees and people violating the state's gender-appropriate clothing statute (female officers would take suspected cross-dressing patrons into the bathroom to check their sex).

Fed up with constant police harassment and social discrimination, angry patrons and neighborhood residents hung around outside of the bar rather than disperse, becoming increasingly agitated as the events unfolded and people were aggressively manhandled. At one point, an officer hit a lesbian over the head as he forced her into the police van- she shouted to onlookers to act, inciting the crowd to begin throw pennies, bottles, cobble stones and other objects at the police.

Within minutes, a full-blown riot involving hundreds of people began. The police, a few prisoners and a Village Voice writer barricaded themselves in the bar, which the mob attempted to set on fire after breaching the barricade repeatedly.

The fire department and a riot squad were eventually able to douse the flames, rescue those inside Stonewall, and disperse the crowd. But the protests, sometimes involving thousands of people, continued in the area for five more days, flaring up at one point after the Village Voice published its account of the riots.

Stonewall's Legacy

Though the Stonewall uprising didn't start the gay rights movement, it was a galvanizing force for LGBT political activism, leading to numerous gay rights organizations, including the Gay Liberation Front, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD (formerly Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), and PFLAG (formerly Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).

On the one-year anniversary of the riots on June 28, 1970, thousands of people marched in the streets of Manhattan from the Stonewall Inn to Central Park in what was then called "Christopher Street Liberation Day," America's first gay pride parade. The parade's official chant was: "Say it loud, gay is proud."

In 2016, then-President Barack Obama designated the site of the riots-Stonewall Inn, Christopher Park, and the surrounding streets and sidewalks-a national monument in recognition of the area's contribution to gay rights.

Photo Gallery

HISTORY Vault

Sources

A History of Gay Rights in America. CBS.
LGBTQ Activism: The Henry Gerber House, Chicago, IL. NPS.gov.

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1969 Stonewall Riots - Origins, Timeline & Leaders

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The Stonewall Riots, also called the Stonewall Uprising, took place on June 28, 1969, in New York City, after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a local gay club. The raid sparked a riot among bar patrons and neighborhood residents as police hauled employees and patrons out of the bar, leading to six days of protests and violent clashes.

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Trans Latina activist Sylvia Rivera, worked with Marsha P. Johnson, and co-founded STAR. At just 10 years old, Rivera struggled with drug addiction and homelessness, however she was always vocal, a forceful advocate for change. After an attempt to climb through a window where a gay rights bill was being discussed with the New York Council, Sylvia was arrested. She highlighted that the movement needed to be more inclusive.

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It's LGBTQ Pride Month - a time to celebrate love, but also to champion equality and LGBTQ rights.

Throughout June, cities around the world have been hosting marches in honor of LGBTQ pride. In many countries today, people are free to join these marches, marry whomever they choose, and openly show their love. But that's still not the case for LGBTQ communities in every country, and even in countries where it is safe to march, there is still a long way to go before true equality is achieved.

Without these incredible activists, the LGBTQ rights movement would not be where it is today.

In honor of Pride Month, Global Citizen is celebrating the brave activists fighting for LGBTQ rights in places where it can be dangerous to do so, and the inspiring champions for change, without whom there might never have been a Pride Month.

While certainly not an exhaustive list by any means, these are 15 LGBTQ activists you should know.

1. Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson is sometimes referred to as the "Rosa Parks of the LGBT movement," but Johnson is a celebrated icon in her own right. Johnson was an activist, drag performer, sex worker, and model for Andy Warhol. She was black, queer, and trans - and fearlessly advocated for her rights and the rights of the LGBTQ community at a time when doing so put her safety in jeopardy.

"As long as gay people don't have their rights all across America, there's no reason for celebration," she once said.

Johnson was a key figure of the 1960s gay rights movement in the US and, as legend has it, threw the brick that ignited the infamous Stonewall riots, which were the catalyst for the movement and have inspired many Pride marches ever since.

In 1992, Johnson's body was found in the Hudson River. Her death was ruled a suicide, but those who knew her disagreed. A recent Netflix documentary, The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, celebrates Johnson's life and investigates the mysterious circumstances of her death.

2. Sylvia Rivera

Sylvia Rivera was a Latina trans activist, who, together with Marsha P. Johnson, co-founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), an organization that provided housing and other services to homeless LGBTQ youth in New York City.

Born in New York City, Sylvia turned to sex work after her mother died by suicide when Rivera was just 10 years old. Rivera lived a turbulent life, struggling with drug addiction and homelessness, but Rivera was always a vocal and, at times, forceful advocate for change. She was once arrested for attempting to climb through a window (in a dress and heels) into a room where the New York City Council was debating a gay rights bill, NBC reported.

"Sylvia's role in gay history was that she was one of the first people to highlight that our movement needed to be more inclusive of people who did not fit in the mainstream," Carrie Davis, Chief Programs and Policy Officer at New York City's LGBT Community Center, told NBC News.

3. Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk, the subject of the Oscar-winning film Milk, was the first openly gay politician to be elected in California. Milk was assassinated in 1978, but during his short tenure in office he pushed legislation to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodations.

The bill passed with just one dissenting vote by Dan White, the city supervisor who would go on to shoot and kill Milk. In 2009, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger designated May 22, Milk's birthday, as a day of recognition for the late politician and activist.

4. Edith Windsor

In 2015, the US Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right - a landmark decision that would not have been possible without Edith Windsor.

After a 40-year engagement, Windsor married Thea Spyer in Canada in 2007. Spyer passed away just two years later, leaving everything to her wife. Because the US did not recognize their same-sex marriage, Windsor was asked to pay taxes on Spyer's estate far beyond what a heterosexual spouse would be required to pay on the estate of their deceased spouse.

Windsor took her case to court and in 2013, the Supreme Court ruled in her favor. Two years later, the court expanded on that ruling in another case that led to federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

5. Alice Nkom

Alice Nkom is a human rights lawyer and LGBTQ activist from Cameroon, where homosexuality is still criminalized. In a country where police officer entrap members of the LGBTQ community through text messages and beat those they perceive to be gay, Nkom bravely fights for rights on behalf of the LGBTQ community.

Though Nkom identifies as heterosexual, she has dedicated her work to fighting for Cameroon's LGBTQ community and founded the Association for the Defence of Homosexuality in 2003. Though she and her colleagues are sometimes in danger because of the work they do, Nkom remains undeterred.

"These threats are in fact proof that our fight must continue," Nkom told Amnesty International.

6. Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox, best known for playing Sophia Burset on Netflix's Orange Is the New Black, is a black, trans woman, the first trans person to be nominated for an Emmy, and a proud advocate for LGBTQ rights. Cox has been outspoken about access to health care for LGBTQ communities and has particularly championed the rights of trans people and people of color.

"We must lift up the stories of those most at risk, statistically trans people of color who are poor and working class," Cox wrote in a Tumblr post in 2015. "I have hoped over the past few years that the incredible love I have received from the public can translate to the lives of all trans folks."
Read more: 33 Quotes That Show Laverne Cox Just Gets It
7. Alexya Salvador

Alexya Salvador is a trailblazer. She is a trans woman in Brazil, where violence against LGBTQ people has reached an all-time high. More than 380 LGBTQ-identifying people were murdered in Brazil in 2017 and 58 died by suicide, the Guardian reported.

And she's a pastor. Salvador calls herself the " first transgender shepherd of Latin America," and, with other trans pastors from around the world, held a groundbreaking LGBTQ-friendly mass in Cuba last year.

Salvador is a mother of two, including a trans daughter, and is the first trans person to adopt a child in Brazil, according Al Día.

8. Lena Waithe

Actress, writer, and producer Lena Waithe made history in 2017 as the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing. But rather than reveling in her historic win, Waithe, who identifies as queer, used her acceptance speech to deliver an inspiring message to her "LGBTQIA family."
Read more: Lena Waithe Made a Bold Statement at the Met Gala and the Internet Is Here for It
"The things that make us different, those are our superpowers," she said. Waithe often uses her spotlight moments to advocate for the LGBTQ community. Earlier this year, she wore a rainbow cape to the Met Gala, a bold statement in the face of the event's religious theme.

9. Arsham Parsi

Arsham Parsi is a gay man who first began secretly working to support members of the LGBTQ community in his native Iran. But in 2005, the queer activist was forced to flee his country, where homosexual activity remains illegal.

Today, Parsi lives in exile in Canada, where he has founded the Iranian Railroad for Queer Refugees, which supports and provides guidance to LGBTQ asylum seekers from the Middle East.

10. Michael Sam

Michael Sam became the first openly gay football player to be drafted by an NFL team in 2014. While his draft was a historic first, Sam's time in the NFL was discouraging. He was passed from team to team, and eventually found himself without a team. About a year after he was first drafted, Sam retired from the NFL citing mental health reasons.

His struggle highlighted the discrimination and homophobia still rampant in the sports world, but Sam has gone on to share his story and continues to champion change.

11-15. 'Queer Eye's' Fab Five

The all-star cast of Netflix's new Queer Eye series - a reboot of Bravo's early 2000s series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy - may be all fun when it comes to makeovers, but they're serious about making a difference in the world.
People globally face many intersecting forms of discrimination and marginalization every day, for many different reasons. Unjust social, political, and economic systems perpetuate this discrimination and keep people trapped in poverty. This June, take our Equity Month Hero Challenge to learn how we can all be champions for equity and justice every day, and earn your Equity Month Hero badge to wear proudly on your Global Citizen profile. Take the Challenge now.
The "Fab Five" - Tan France, Jonathan Van Ness, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, and Antoni Porowski - speak openly on Queer Eye about their personal struggles and experiences with homophobia and discrimination. And the stars hope to use their newfound fame to empower LGBTQ communities.

"Just the idea that my being who I am [on Queer Eye] has made people, both younger than me and older than me, feel more comfortable about the space that they take up ... that is something I never saw coming," Van Ness told Refinery29 in an interview. "But also, when people are so effusive about how my role in Queer Eye makes them feel, it really opened my eyes to the amount of repression we still have."

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15 LGBTQ Activists of the Past and Present You Should Know

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15 brave activists inspiring champions for change and fighting for LGBTQ rights in places where it can be dangerous to do so.

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At the 4th UN World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995), South African lesbian activist Beverly Palesa Ditsie spoke about how LGBTQ rights are just as important as human rights. She had been the first open lesbian to confront the UN and influenced them to finally discuss LGBTQ issues. Chilean lesbian activist Érika Montecinos founded  Agrupación LésBIca Rompiendo el Silencio (Breaking the Silence Lesbian Association). The foundation advocates the rights for lesbians and bisexual females, cisgendered and transgendered. Lawyers Menaka Guruswamy & Arundhati Katju argued against the criminalization of homosexuality in India. This resulted in the Supreme Court unanimously repealing Section 377, circa 2018. American LGBTQ rights activist Urvashi Vaid works for an all-inclusive LGBTQ movement, allowing anyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, class, or ability. She has a book titled Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics

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All people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, should have equal rights and be able to live free from harm, coercion, or discrimination.

To celebrate Pride Month, we're highlighting some incredible activists past and present working for LGBTQ+ rights.

1. Beverly Palesa Ditsie

South African lesbian activist Beverly Palesa Ditsie, spoke about the importance of LGBT rights in the context of human rights at the 4th UN World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Not only was she was the first openly lesbian woman to address the UN, but it was also the first time that the United Nations was openly addressed about LGBT issues.
"If the world conference on women is to address the concerns of all women, it must similarly recognize that discrimination based on sexual orientation is a violation of basic human rights."

2. Érika Montecinos

Chilean lesbian activist Érika Montecinos is the founder of Agrupación LésBIca Rompiendo el Silencio (Breaking the Silence LesBIan Association), which advocates for the rights of cis and trans women who identify as lesbian or bisexual.
"Women are taught to be ashamed of our sexuality. And those of us who identify as lesbian, bi, or diverse, can't say it, because there is greater pressure on women regarding the obligations we have to society."

3. Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson was an American trans activist, widely credited with starting the Stonewall uprising. Johnson played an active role in street activism with ACT UP throughout the 1980s. When, in 1992, George Segal's Stonewall memorial was moved to Christopher Street from Ohio to recognize the gay liberation movement, Johnson commented,
"How many people have died for these two little statues to be put in the park to recognize gay people? How many years does it take for people to see that we're all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race?."

4 and 5. Menaka Guruswamy & Arundhati Katju

Lawyers Menaka Guruswamy & Arundhati Katju argued for the decriminalization of homosexuality in India, resulting in the unanimous Supreme Court decision to repeal Section 377 in 2018. The couple were honored in Time's 100 most influential people in 2019, with Priyanka Chopra writing:
"Arundhati and Menaka have helped take a giant step for LGBTQ rights in the world's largest democracy. In their committed fight for justice, they have shown us that we as a society must continue to make progress, even after laws are changed, and that we must make an effort to understand, accept and love."

6. Urvashi Vaid

American LGBTQ+ rights activist Urvashi Vaid, works for an inclusive LGBTQ+ movement, one that encompasses everyone regardless of race, class, ethnicity, age, or ability. Her book, Irresistible Revolution: Confronting Race, Class and the Assumptions of LGBT Politics, was released in 2012. Vaid hopes that LGBTQ+ community will accomplish two things:
"One is to take care of the parts of our community that are less powerful. That means low-income LGBT people, transgender people, and our community's women, whose rights are getting the crap kicked out of them, parts of our community across the board - kids, old gay people...The second thing I would love to see happen is for the LGBT community to use its political power and access to create a more just society for all."

Read our Pride month edition of Equality Now Recommends, full of books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts, that act as a megaphone for LGBTQ+ rights.

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6 LGBTQ+ activists you should know about this Pride month

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All people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, should have equal rights and be able to live free from harm, coercion, or discrimination. To celebrate Pride Month, we're highlighting some incredible activists past and present working for LGBTQ+ rights. 1. Beverly Palesa Ditsie South African lesbian activist Beverly Palesa Ditsie, spoke about the importance...

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Nondiscrimination laws protecting LGBTQ people from unfair eviction, denied housing, or refused ability to rent or buy housing due to their own sexual and gender orientation. States that have any protection for LGBTQ are almost all the same as states protecting from the trans bill.

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Housing nondiscrimination laws protect LGBTQ people from being unfairly evicted, denied housing, or refused the ability to rent or buy housing on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This map shows state housing nondiscrimination laws that explicitly enumerate sexual orientation and/or gender identity as protected classes, as well as states that explicitly interpret existing sex protections to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Additionally, in states without state protections, municipalities may provide local-level nondiscrimination protections. See our maps tracking local-level nondiscrimination ordinances . Other rights may exist or be recognized where you live; this map is not intended as legal advice or an indication of your rights. If you have experienced discrimination, contact
Lambda Legal's Help Desk or otherwise seek legal advice.

*NOTE: In green stripe states, the state's nondiscrimination law does not explicitly enumerate sexual orientation or gender identity, but the state's civil/human rights commission has explicitly stated it interprets the state's existing protections against sex discrimination to include protections for both sexual orientation and gender identity. See the "Citations & More Information" button beneath the map legend for more detail for every state. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

currently interprets the Fair Housing Act's ban on sex-based discrimination to include discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ people who believe they have experienced housing discrimination may be able to pursue claims through this avenue. However, local ordinances, state laws, federal court rulings, and more create a patchwork of nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people across the country. Given this patchwork, individuals who have experienced discrimination should contact Lambda Legal's Help Desk or otherwise seek legal advice. This map is not intended as legal advice or an indication of your rights. https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/non_discrimination_laws/housing

Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Housing Nondiscrimination Laws."

Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws

*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.

53 % of LGBTQ population lives in states prohibiting housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

17 % of LGBTQ population lives in states explicitly interpreting existing prohibition on sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity

2 % of LGBTQ population lives in states prohibiting housing discrimination based on sexual orientation only

29 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that do not prohibit housing discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity (including 2% of LGBTQ population living in states that preempt local nondiscrimination laws)

Public accommodation nondiscrimination laws protect LGBTQ people from being unfairly refused service, denied entry to, or otherwise discriminated against in public places based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Public accommodation laws generally cover anywhere someone is when they are not at home, work, or school, including retail stores, restaurants, parks, hotels, doctors' offices, and banks. This map shows state public accommodation nondiscrimination laws that explicitly enumerate sexual orientation and/or gender identity as protected classes, as well as states that explicitly interpret existing sex protections to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Additionally, in states without state protections, municipalities may provide local-level nondiscrimination protections. See our map tracking local-level nondiscrimination ordinances . Other rights may exist or be recognized where you live (see below); this map is not intended as legal advice or an indication of your rights. If you have experienced discrimination, contact
Lambda Legal's Help Desk or otherwise seek legal advice.

NOTE: In green stripe states, the state's nondiscrimination law does not explicitly enumerate sexual orientation or gender identity, but the state's civil/human rights commission has explicitly stated it interprets the state's existing protections against sex discrimination to include protections for both sexual orientation and gender identity. See the "Citations & More Information" button beneath the map legend for more detail for every state. Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Public Accommodations Nondiscrimination Laws."
https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/non_discrimination_laws/public-accommodations. Accessed 11/28/2022.

Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws

*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.

52 % of LGBTQ population lives in states prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations based on sexual orientation and gender identity

15 % of LGBTQ population lives in states explicitly interpreting existing prohibition on sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity

2 % of LGBTQ population lives in states prohibiting discrimination in public accommodations based on sexual orientation only

31 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that do not prohibit discrimination in public accommodations based on sexual orientation or gender identity (including 2% of LGBTQ population living in states that preempt local nondiscrimination laws)

Credit and lending nondiscrimination laws protect people from being unfairly denied credit and lending services, such as opening a bank account, taking out a loan, and more. This map shows state credit and lending nondiscrimination laws that explicitly enumerate sexual orientation and/or gender identity as protected classes, as well as states that explicitly interpret existing sex protections in credit law to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Other rights may exist or be applicable where you live, including through broadly-defined public accommodations laws (see the State-by-State Statutes for additional information).

This map is not intended as legal advice or an indication of your rights. If you have experienced discrimination, contact or otherwise seek legal advice.

NOTE: In green stripe states, the state's nondiscrimination law does not explicitly enumerate sexual orientation or gender identity, but the state's civil/human rights commission has explicitly stated it interprets the state's existing protections against sex discrimination to include protections for both sexual orientation and gender identity. See the "Citations & More Information" button beneath the map legend for more detail for every state.

Individuals who have experienced discrimination should contact Movement Advancement Project. "Equality Maps: Credit Nondiscrimination Laws." Lambda Legal's Help Desk or otherwise seek legal advice. This map is not intended as legal advice or an indication of your rights. https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/non_discrimination_laws/credit. Accessed 11/28/2022.

Percent of Adult LGBTQ Population Covered by Laws

*Note: These percentages reflect estimates of the LGBTQ adult population living in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Estimates of the LGBTQ adult population in the five inhabited U.S. territories are not available, and so cannot be reflected here.

42 % of LGBTQ population lives in states prohibiting credit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity

4 % of the LGBTQ population lives in states that explicitly interpret existing prohibition on sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity

0 % of LGBTQ population lives in states prohibiting credit discrimination based on sexual orientation only

54 % of LGBTQ population lives in states that do not prohibit credit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity

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Housing nondiscrimination laws protect LGBTQ people from being unfairly evicted, denied housing, or refused the ability to rent or buy housing on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity. This map shows state housing nondiscrimination laws that explicitly enumerate sexual orientation and/or gender identity as protected classes, as well as states that explicitly interpret existing sex protections to include sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

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Non-discrimination laws exist to ensure the safety of a person, no matter their race, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, etc. Nonetheless, not all states have laws protecting LGBTQ members. Only 18 states have passed a law protecting discrimination from the LGBTQ community. A poll from 2015 shows 63% of LGBT people reporting intolerance in their own lives. 47% of the reports have experienced this same intolerance in the workplace, 19% experienced hatred while in a public setting, 14% reported intolerance at home, and 8% reported discrimination while at school.

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GLAAD Media Reference Guide - In Focus: Nondiscrimination laws & the LGBTQ community

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Nondiscrimination laws and LGBTQ ordinances may exist at the federal, state, city, and county levels. They simply ensure that a person may not be discriminated against based on any number of characteristics, such as race, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, and more.