Members of the LGBT community rallied in the American capital and gathered in front of the White House in 1965 to stage the first LGBT rights demonstration in the United States. The LGBT movement has been at the forefront of sociopolitical affairs since then. Over the years, the American government and society have become considerably responsive to the needs and concerns of the LGBT community amidst oppositions. However, it is still important to remember that the history of the LGBT movement in the United States has been characterized by an arduous struggle that spanned for decades.
1950s: Emergence of LGBT Organizations and Rights Groups
There were already several organizations formed to address the concerns of gays and lesbians even before the historical demonstration in the American capital in 1965. The Mattachine Society, for example, was founded in 1950 in Los Angeles and became one of the first organizations to promote the rights of gay men. The Daughters of Bilitis was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization formed in San Francisco in 1955.
Both organizations also provided moral support and encouraged gays and lesbians to assimilate as much as possible into the prevailing heterosexual culture. Furthermore, these organizations served as venues for discussions and research, while also becoming instrumental in promoting the need to build, maintain, and further expand LGBT communities.
ONE Incorporated also had a remarkable impact in the early phases of the LGBT movement. Founded by William Dale Jennings in 1952 and joined with like-minded colleagues Don Slater, Dorr Legg, Tony Reyes, and Mattachine Society founder Harry Hay, it had a fully-functional machinery that included a public office, administrative infrastructure, logistics, a telephone, and the first publication that reached the general public, ONE Magazine.
These early organizations laid the groundwork for the modern LGBT rights movement by creating spaces for visibility, dialogue, and advocacy long before the mainstream recognized such efforts. Their emphasis on community building, education, and gradual integration into society helped challenge prevailing norms and inspired future generations of activists.
1960s: Impact of the Stonewall Riots in the U.S. LGBT Movement
A more visible American LGBT movement emerged from the Stonewall Riots that transpired in New York beginning 28 June 1969. The still-existing Stonewall Inn is a popular tavern and recreational bar in Greenwich Village, New York City that caters to gay men. However, before the riots in 1969, this bar and other similar establishments were a common target of police riots. The police often cited liquor violations and other technical issues as reasons.
The LGBT community in New York cried foul. Sordid tales of harassment during these raids were common. Furthermore, homosexuality was largely discriminated around this time because of existing sodomy laws that outlawed sexual acts between persons of the same sex. The specific police raid of Stonewall Inn on 28 June 1969 was different.
A large group of gay men welcomed barging police officers. They were determine to drove these intrusive law enforcement forces away. The scene drew attention from the neighborhood. Greenwich Village residents had organized protests and riots that lasted for several nights. They clamored to empower the LGBT community and encourage members to be open about their sexual orientation without fearing government persecution.
Moreover, although a more widespread movement did not emerge immediately from the riots, the climate around that time was largely tolerating. Organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union, the American Sociological Association, the Lutheran Church, and the American Bar Association had voiced out their strong opposition against anti-LGBT laws.
The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for stirring the LGBT movement. This emerging movement is also regarded as an offshoot of other sociopolitical movements and ideologies like gender equality and feminism, African-American civil rights, and anti-war sentiments. Around this time, however, the concern of the LGBT community largely centered on gay liberation or a less focus on civil rights and more on personal empowerment.
1970s: Early Accomplishments of the LGBT Movement
The movement accomplished several breakthroughs beginning in 1970. Among these included the declassification of homosexuality as a disease in 1974 by the American Psychiatric Association. The increasing visibility of specific LGBT communities in cities and states promoted gradual acceptance and better social integration. The Gay Liberation Front that emerged after the Stonewall Riots proliferated across colleges and universities in the early 1970s.
It also shifted from liberation to civil rights. Liberal lawmakers had started pushing for amendments in the Civil Rights Act to extend federal government protection against LGBT discrimination in 1974. The growing popularity of LGBT demonstrations in San Francisco resulted in the birth of the Rainbow Flag in 1978 that later became the worldwide symbol of the movement and the entire community.
The social and academic environment created an atmosphere for supporting the emerging LGBT movement beginning in 1970. It eventually evolved to become an established political ideology and social movement centered on the full acceptance of LGBT people in society. Community members and supporters have rallied to oppose discrimination or homophobia, challenge dominant constructs of masculinity and femininity, and promote equal rights.
Further attempts to advance the LGBT movement and promote LGBT rights at the federal level were somehow still unsuccessful due to the emerging opposition. Conservative politicians and religious leaders rallied to have numerous LGBT-related legislation repealed and blocked during the 1970s. LGBT rights has become one of the most divisive issues in the U.S.
Another accomplishment of the LGBT movement was the removal of sodomy laws in the U.S. Note that several sexual acts were punishable under the law during the 1770s and even until 2003 Illinois was the first state to abolish its sodomy law in 1961. The gradual liberalization of American norms throughout the 20th century led to the elimination of sodomy laws in most states. The Supreme Court still upheld the constitutionality of several of its provisions.
2000s: Abolishing Sodomy Laws and Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage
The Supreme Court later reversed earlier decisions in Lawrence v. Texas in 2003. This struck down the he sodomy law in Texas and invalidated sodomy laws in 13 other states. Same-sex sexual activity became legal in every U.S. state and territory. Moreover, aside from this, one of the most notable accomplishments or key developments in the history of the LGBT movement in the United States was the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Assertions to obtain civil marriage rights and benefits for same-sex couples started in the 1970s. It is important to underscore the fact that the clamor became increasingly prominent beginning in 1993 following the Hawaii Supreme Court decision in Baehr v. Lewin that declared the state prohibition against same-sex marriage unconstitutional.
The arrival of the 21st century saw a growing public support for same-sex marriage. Massachusetts became the first and the sixth jurisdiction in the world to legalize same-sex marriage on 17 May 2025. Barack Obama also became the first incumbent U.S. president to support same-sex marriage during a 9 May 2012 pronouncement. Maine, Maryland, and Washington became the first states to legalize same-sex marriage through popular vote or public referendum.
Moreover, while several states barred same-sex marriage through state-specific legislation backed by conservative politicians and their supporters, the United States Supreme Court made a historic decision on 26 June 2015 via the landmark Obergefell v. Hodges case that ultimately allowed same-sex marriage across all 50 states by declaring state prohibition as unconstitutional.