History of LGBTQ community in Pacific Northwest Essay Example

from 1946 to 1956 in downtown Seattle.

The Dorian Society, founded in 1967 as the first homophile organization in Seattle, triggered the establishment of similar organizations in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York. The growing popularity of these organizations led to police extorting money from bar owners to avoid moral scrutiny. Despite this practice, violence against the gay community persisted, especially in cities with significant homophile activities. Consequently, activists from other cities relocated to Seattle where events for homophiles were primarily organized.[2]

"Who is the subject?: Queer theory meets oral history." Journal of the History of Sexuality 17, no. 2 (2008): 177-189. Before 1969, the gay liberation movement spread throughout the United States due to the Stonewall riots in New York. In response, Seattle activists embraced the ideas and tactics of this movement. The establishment of Seattle's Gay Liberation Front chapter in 1970 had a significant impact on other cities, as they commemorated the first anniversary of the Stonewall riots [3]. Presently, Seattle, along with cities like Chicago, New York, and San Francisco, celebrates Gay Pride week at the end of June.

Seattle Counseling Services for the Sexual Minorities began providing psychological services to support the gay liberation movement in the late 1970s. The main objective of this initiative was to raise awareness about sexual discrimination, as well as racism and imperialism ^{[4: Stein, Marc. "Theoretical politics, local communities: the making of US LGBT historiography." GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 11, no. 4 (2005): 605-625. 4: Dilley, Julia A., Katrina Wynkoop Simmons, Michael J. Boysun, Barbara A.]}.

The article "Demonstrating the importance and feasibility of including sexual orientation in public health surveys:

health disparities in the Pacific Northwest" by Pizacani and Mike J. Stark, published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2010, examines the importance of incorporating sexual orientation into public health surveys. It emphasizes the inequalities experienced by the gay community in Seattle and other parts of the Pacific Northwest. More specifically, it mentions that there used to be separate bars near Pioneer Square for men, women, and mixed genders until around the late 1970s.

The gay liberation movement consisted primarily of men, while lesbian activists aligned themselves with feminist movements in the University District. In the late 1970s, the Gay Women’s Alliances formed to advocate for lesbian feminism. The establishment of the Gay Women’s Resources Center in 1971 at the University YWCA led to the interconnectedness of various lesbians organizations with other social feminist groups. Seattle saw the creation of the Lesbians Mother’s Defense Fund in 1974, which aimed to support lesbian mothers in custody battles. Notably, this organization played a crucial role in successfully defending Sandy Schuster and Madeleine Isaacson's custody rights against their ex-husbands. [5: Greenblatt, Ellen, ed. Serving LGBTIQ Library and Archives Users: Essays on Outreach, Service, Collections and Access.]

McFarland (2010) states that the LGBTQ community in Seattle and King County encounters diverse obstacles, such as homelessness, mental health concerns, and domestic violence, particularly among young people. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, organizations like Lambert House and Gender Justice League are committedly working towards promoting acceptance for the LGBTQ community, eliminating discrimination and violence, and advocating for economic justice for marginalized individuals.

References

1. The first reference is an academic article titled "Sexual violence victimization history and sexual risk indicators in a community-based
   

urban cohort of 'mostly heterosexual' and heterosexual young women" by Austin, S. Bryn, Andrea L. Roberts, Heather L. Corliss, and Beth E. Molnar (2008).

The references provided cover topics such as sexual violence victimization history and queer theory meeting oral history within their respective academic articles.

Boysun, Barbara A. Pizacani, and Mike J. Stark conducted a study on the significance and practicability of incorporating sexual orientation into public health surveys, particularly addressing health disparities in the Pacific Northwest. This research was published in the American Journal of Public Health (2010) volume 100, issue 3, pages 460-467. The book "Serving LGBTIQ Library and Archives Users: Essays on Outreach, Service, Collections and Access," edited by Ellen Greenblatt, also delves into this subject matter.

McFarland, 2010