To mark America's National Honour Our LGBT Elders Day, let's recap our History. We Owe so much to those who came before us.
What would you do if no one cared for you? Imagine that if you're honest about who you are, you could be killed.
That’s always been the reality for many LGBT folks since the birth of America.
Many people lived in secret, fearful that someone would discover their truth.
That was a motivation for Walt Whitman to write poetry that would beckon gay people to safe places where they could build community. Yet most LGBT people were still forced to live in isolation.
Then, Karl Maria Kirkman gave us the term homosexual and the power to identify. And writers like Alex Dunbar Nelson showed up.
As a bi-racial bisexual woman, her courage in the face of prejudice allowed more stories of LGBT people to be told, like that of the Two Spirits Sunni Native American Way Walk who impressed President Grover Cleveland.
But after her truth was fully known, she was villainised.
Over time, LGBT people congregated in safe spaces and we began to see more representation in art, books and theatre.
America soon called women to fight, and a contingent of lesbians formed in the Women's Army, which became a place where lesbian women could be themselves.
After the war, many women refused to go back to traditional gender norms. All of this paved the way for the homophile era. For the first time we saw people publicly demanding livable communities and LGBT equality.
Later, scientific studies proved that homosexuality was not a psychiatric disorder that needed to be cured and put an end to the practise of placing LGBT people in mental asylums.
While there was a growing restlessness among gender nonconformists, one by one LGBT folks rose up to defend themselves rioting in places like doughnut shops, cafeterias and bars.
Their courage sprung from Magnus Hirschfeld, safe haven for LGBT folks, which inspired Henry Gerber to form the Society for Human Rights. This motivated countless LGBT people to create change and establish more LGBT organisations across America.
By the time of Stonewall, it became contingent to ignore the gay liberation movement. Human Rights leaders, like Harvey Milk, unapologetically called for each of us to live fearlessly in the open. His murder and legacy inspired a new generation of civic activists fighting with the civil liberties of the LGBT people.
In solidarity, LGBT people of all ages, races and genders and their allies demanded equality for their community at the first national gay rights March. Then AIDS, commonly called gay cancer?
LGBT people with AIDS were denied healthcare. Many politicians were apathetic. Those afflicted had to harness the will to survive against all odds. While many in America refused to acknowledge this epidemic, people got angry, sparking a movement that encouraged the community to act up.
When news revealed that AIDS affected even those who were not homosexuals, policies finally began to shift.
By then, an entire generation had already disappeared, erasing many voices that carried our history.
Homophobia and transphobia led to the violent loss of more lives as gay activists lobbied for protections already offered to other people.
Then, legislation criminalising discrimination against LGBT folks.The military embraced gay Americans and did away with “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy. Gay couples gained the right to legally married anywhere in the United States.
And now LGBT elders, like Marsha Wetzel are fighting and winning legal battles for housing rights. Underlining that everyone deserves freedom from harassment and discrimination, especially as we age.
Today, National Historic Landmarks recognise significant LGBT events as part of America's history. When faced with death and injustice, LGBT people were forced to hide in the closet until the time was right to emerge as visible and vocal activists for equality.
Even today, in the face of rising hate crimes, under-representation and denial, LGBT people still struggle for acceptance and equality. Three out of four LGBT older adults still worry about having enough support from family and friends as they age.This fight continues.
And it's a fight where we all have a stake in. In the guiding Words of AARP Founder, Doctor FO Percy Anders, “What we do, we do for all”. Our movement, that started as a fight for survival, has become a story of resilience.
This is progress paved by heroes in the past, in the present, and into the future.
Now more than ever, it's time for all of us to stand up, speak out, and claim care for ourselves, for our LGBT community, and for our future.
A living history of the LGBT Movement powered by AARP.Learn more at AARP org/pride
Comments