Loading...
Thumbnail Image

Date

2020

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Creative Commons
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

The dogmatic, authoritarian 1950’s triggered a massive emergence of movements and sub-cultures that sought to counter repressive McCarthy-era persecutions and reject mainstream American society. Openly gay and lesbian communities felt empowered by these movements and began advocating for their own equal rights, consolidated self-esteem, and group consciousness. Out of these existing queer communities, the Gay Peoples Union, a student-led organization at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, emerged and championed gay activism. This paper argues that while many queer organizations claimed the mantle of revolutionary sexual struggle, none embodied the gay liberation movement like the Gay Peoples Union as they utilized both mainstream and alternative media outlets to combat systemic oppression, promote political engagement, and destigmatize homosexuality. This paper uses primary sources from the Gay Peoples Union’s newspaper publications and radio program as well as secondary sources examining the gay liberation movement as a whole from different historians to serve as historical evidence.

Description

Keywords

gay liberation, Wisconsin, sexual revolution, gay activism, student movements, LGBTQ history

Citation

DOI

Related file

Notes