LGBTIQ+ movement: what does it consist of and what is its history?

If we look closely, heterosexuality as a norm seems to be more of a myth, the imposition of a desire, than a reality. Through art, literature and historical testimonies it is possible to trace the presence of dissident sexualities that have been persecuted and proscribed, forced to live in the darkness of the closet.

The history of the LGBTIQ+ movement takes this historical discrimination to transform it into a political struggle for the right to exist on one’s own terms, to love in freedom.

It is a story of many stories, because in each country of the Western world the struggles, achievements and transformations achieved by the movement have been different. However, it is a story that is collectively articulated around love, resistance and, above all, pride.

Stonewall: the founding milestone

The date: June 28, 1969. The riots that occurred that day at the Stonewall Inn, a bar located in New York’s Greenwich Village, can be considered the historical turning point in terms of sexual diversity.

The civil rights movement and women’s liberation movements were the perfect breeding ground for other social demands to occur.

In response to continued police raids and harassment of the gay community, That June 28, those who were at the Stonewall decided to say: enough!

The demonstrations and riots lasted for three days, however, The most important thing is that the foundations were laid there of what would be one of the most important political struggles of the second half of the 20th century.

Shortly after the Stonewall uprising, Homosexual activist organizations such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance appeared on the political scene. These organizations were fundamental in establishing the points of meeting and disagreement within the homosexual community, the joint struggles, the identity differences and the construction of a political agenda to ensure that neither identity nor sexual orientation were elements that justified discrimination, violence and persecution.

A year later, on June 28, 1970, the first Gay Pride march was held in New York and Los Angeles. and, progressively, it spread throughout the planet, becoming a date to celebrate diversity and make visible the struggles, achievements and demands still pending.

LGBTIQ+: a movement for diversity

Each of the letters that make up the acronym LGBTIQ+ tells us both about sexual orientations and different identity constructions around gender.

At the beginning of the movement, the term “gay” seemed to encompass all expressions of sexual dissidence. However, it soon became evident that it was necessary to explicitly make visible the discriminations and specific demands of each of the identities that made up what in the 70s (and even during the 80s) was generically named as the Gay community.

Thus, step by step, the acronym we know today was created:

The L corresponds to lesbian sexual orientation, women who feel sexually and emotionally attracted to other women.The G corresponds to gay or homosexual sexual orientation, men who feel sexually and emotionally attracted to other men.The B corresponds to bisexualitywhich can be understood as sexual and emotional attraction both towards people of the same gender and a gender different from one’s own.The T names transsexual and transgender peoplethat is, people who identify with a gender different from that assigned at birth.The I refers to intersex people, seeks to describe those people who were born with anatomical sexual characteristics that do not match the typical expectations associated with masculine or feminine. Thus, intersexuality is neither a gender identity nor a sexual orientation.The Q comes from the word queeran umbrella term that groups together all non-binary identities, such as gender fluid or gender neutral.The + signadded recently, refers to identities such as pansexuality, asexuality and others that do not feel reflected in the letters that make up the acronym, but that live their lives outside the cis/heteronorm.

Pride: the importance of visibility

In 1978, the artist and gay rights activist, Gilbert Baker, designs the iconic rainbow fabric that we know today as the LGBTI+ pride flag. Baker waved her creation for the first time at that year’s Pride March in San Francisco, and it has since become an important symbol of sexual diversity.

Although Baker’s original design had eight stripes, the current flag has six stripes.. In it, each color has an associated meaning: red represents life, orange symbolizes health and healing, yellow refers to the sun’s rays, green to nature, blue symbolizes harmony and serenity and violet represents the spirit.

The number of places in which this flag flies, both in the streets and on social networks, is a symbol of the entire path taken to date by the LGBTIQ+ movement, the importance of visibility and, of course, the need to persist. in the fight for recognition and respect for sexual diversity.

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