Out of the Closets, Into the Streets: LGBTQ+ Activism in U.S. History

Catalog description

This course will focus on the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) social movements in the U.S. We will examine why the movement emerged in the middle of the 20th century and track the changing goals and strategies activists adopted over time. We will pay close attention to persistent conflicts over issues like revolution vs. reform; coalition vs. single-issue politics; difference vs. assimilation; and grassroots vs. professional organizations. Finally, we will look at the connection between LGBTQ+ movements and other movements on the left and right. In particular, we will trace the LGBTQ+ movement's relationship with movements for racial, gender, and economic justice as well as the ways LGBTQ+ activism shaped ? and was shaped by ? anti-gay and anti-feminist movements. We will end by thinking about the future of LGBTQ+ movements in our current moment of backlash.