Lesbian and gay political activism: An analysis of variables predicting political participation
In: Research in Political Sociology; The Politics of Social Inequality, S. 59-81
In: Research in Political Sociology; The Politics of Social Inequality, S. 59-81
In: Research in Political Sociology; The Politics of Social Inequality, S. 83-114
Reflects on the experience of participating in the gay & lesbian protest in San Francisco, CA, against the Persian Gulf War. Gays & lesbians have considerable political clout in San Francisco, especially since 1990, when three of the eight members of the Board of Supervisors were openly gay. Further, because of its experience of organizing in the face of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome epidemic, the gay & lesbian community has developed important skills, resources, & traditions for political activism. However, the mainstream press rarely portrayed the extent of gay & lesbian involvement in the antiwar protest. To become more visible & politically effective, it is suggested that gays & lesbians form larger coalitions with other subordinate groups to express their grievances. The university is an excellent place to mobilize across groups. While it is acknowledged that racism & homophobia pervade the university as they do all institutions in US society, gays & lesbians must work to break down these walls if positive change is to occur. D. M. Smith
Chronicles the development of the lesbian & gay movement in VT, focusing on activists' pursuit of a politics of recognition based on identity as a minority group. Data are drawn from movement documents, informant interviews, secondary sources, & activist accounts. A distinction is made between ethnic identity & queer strategies of identity construction in the political realm, comparing their "essentialist" vs "antinormalizing" tendencies. The intersection between the law, the state, & identity construction is examined, demonstrating how it contributed to overcoming diversity & binding gay & lesbian social movements into a cross-gender alliance for homosexual rights beginning in the early 1980s. 1 Table. K. Hyatt Stewart
Chronicles the development of the lesbian & gay movement in VT, focusing on activists' pursuit of a politics of recognition based on identity as a minority group. Data are drawn from movement documents, informant interviews, secondary sources, & activist accounts. A distinction is made between ethnic identity & queer strategies of identity construction in the political realm, comparing their "essentialist" vs "antinormalizing" tendencies. The intersection between the law, the state, & identity construction is examined, demonstrating how it contributed to overcoming diversity & binding gay & lesbian social movements into a cross-gender alliance for homosexual rights beginning in the early 1980s. 1 Table. K. Hyatt Stewart
In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics
"Homosexuality Under Socialism in the German Democratic Republic" published on by Oxford University Press.
Examines factors promoting gay & lesbian involvement in militant public activism against acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the late 1980s & compares this participation to their earlier, more conventional engagement in interest-group politics. It is argued that the AIDS issue aroused intense emotions that shook gays out of their previous ambivalence toward issues related to their sexuality & their roles in society. External political opportunity factors are linked to internal emotional factors to explain homosexual political mobilization surrounding AIDS & gays' willingness to actively & militantly take their battle into the streets; illustrative examples are offered from Chicago (IL), San Francisco (CA), & New York City. A case study is offered of the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP), the predominant organization of militant gays & lesbians against AIDS, detailing factors that led to its emergence & evolution. Implications for social movement theory in general, particularly regarding the salience of emotional factors, are discussed. K. Hyatt Stewart
Examines factors promoting gay & lesbian involvement in militant public activism against acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the late 1980s & compares this participation to their earlier, more conventional engagement in interest-group politics. It is argued that the AIDS issue aroused intense emotions that shook gays out of their previous ambivalence toward issues related to their sexuality & their roles in society. External political opportunity factors are linked to internal emotional factors to explain homosexual political mobilization surrounding AIDS & gays' willingness to actively & militantly take their battle into the streets; illustrative examples are offered from Chicago (IL), San Francisco (CA), & New York City. A case study is offered of the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP), the predominant organization of militant gays & lesbians against AIDS, detailing factors that led to its emergence & evolution. Implications for social movement theory in general, particularly regarding the salience of emotional factors, are discussed. K. Hyatt Stewart
In: Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics
"Canada's LGBT Movement and Interest Groups" published on by Oxford University Press.
Examines the impact of an FBI & grand jury investigation into the whereabouts of Susan Saxe & Kathy Power -- two women who participated in a bank robbery in Brighton, MA, on 23 Sept 1970, in the name of the Revolutionary Action Force -- on different groups in Lexington, KY, drawing on 1986-1988 oral history interviews with 35+ people. It is shown that the FBI used heavy-handed tactics against 6 individuals in Lexington who were presumed to know the whereabouts of Saxe & Power, an excess that radicalized these individuals, & others who witnessed their treatment. It is suggested that for these white, largely middle-class individuals, this episode was a lesson in being perceived as the Other. Whatever their political activities, they came to understand their very identity as lesbian, gay, or feminist as a kind of radical statement against mainstream society. 22 References. D. Ryfe
Research conducted in a town in OR is drawn on to analyze the context surrounding the highly contentious initiatives proposed by the Christian Right to deny civil rights protections to gays & lesbians. Interviews conducted with 8 members of the Oregon Citizens Alliance reveal the strong emotional components underlying the commitment of these Christian conservatives to their position. Beyond ostensibly selfless appeals to God, nation, & family values, their motivations are shown to encompass hopes of "self-realization," & their activism to serve a "reparative" function. The logic of these emotions is explored, along with ways that participation in the larger movement against gay & lesbian rights gives public voice to such private emotional needs. Of particular salience is the emotion of shame, which is manipulated by the Christian Right in pursuit of its own political goals; psychoanalytic explanations of this shame & its role in the activists' vehement opposition to homosexuality are proffered. K. Hyatt Stewart
Research conducted in a town in OR is drawn on to analyze the context surrounding the highly contentious initiatives proposed by the Christian Right to deny civil rights protections to gays & lesbians. Interviews conducted with 8 members of the Oregon Citizens Alliance reveal the strong emotional components underlying the commitment of these Christian conservatives to their position. Beyond ostensibly selfless appeals to God, nation, & family values, their motivations are shown to encompass hopes of "self-realization," & their activism to serve a "reparative" function. The logic of these emotions is explored, along with ways that participation in the larger movement against gay & lesbian rights gives public voice to such private emotional needs. Of particular salience is the emotion of shame, which is manipulated by the Christian Right in pursuit of its own political goals; psychoanalytic explanations of this shame & its role in the activists' vehement opposition to homosexuality are proffered. K. Hyatt Stewart
Argues for the need to revive class analysis as a necessary tool for understanding the reach of American imperialism, the power of financial markets, the expansion of capitalist relations, & the increased inequality that characterizes globalization. Replacement of the discourse of class by the discourse of "civil society" is discussed, along with the need to alter labor movements to reflect the interests of the new pluralism that includes feminism, environmentalism, & gay rights activism. Solidarity as process is said to transcend working-class diversity & advance unity of purpose while also helping to develop the capacities of all members of the working class. Popular labor strategies have failed because of changing conditions & flaws in the strategies themselves. Misconceptions about globalization that have hindered the development of new strategies are explored & new strategies that would allow labor to transcend the limits of old forms of class politics are pointed out. It is contended that democratic investment control within each state is the best long-term condition for an alternative to globalization. J. Lindroth
Argues for the need to revive class analysis as a necessary tool for understanding the reach of American imperialism, the power of financial markets, the expansion of capitalist relations, & the increased inequality that characterizes globalization. Replacement of the discourse of class by the discourse of "civil society" is discussed, along with the need to alter labor movements to reflect the interests of the new pluralism that includes feminism, environmentalism, & gay rights activism. Solidarity as process is said to transcend working-class diversity & advance unity of purpose while also helping to develop the capacities of all members of the working class. Popular labor strategies have failed because of changing conditions & flaws in the strategies themselves. Misconceptions about globalization that have hindered the development of new strategies are explored & new strategies that would allow labor to transcend the limits of old forms of class politics are pointed out. It is contended that democratic investment control within each state is the best long-term condition for an alternative to globalization. J. Lindroth