It’s interesting to see the gay movement being compared to the civil rights movement. Just the other day Arianna Huffington from The Huffington Post came to town and predicted there will come a time in which humanity will look back on these decades and astonish themselves at the limits society imposed on gay marriages (according to The Austin American-Statesman).
Riki Wilchins, Executive Director of the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition, is credited to have said that the gay movement is the “next big social movement,” according to this site.
Come to think of it, the gay movement is definitely garnering more support than ever. But is it enough to merit a comparison with the civil rights movement? The amount of people hurt by racial or ethnic discrimination far surpasses the gay population, even though gay stats can be tricky because many haven’t come out.
I can see they’re related in the sense of oppression on a matter that shouldn’t even be on the table. But I question whether it’s the next big social movement, because in order for a movement to be big you have to have many people participating, and in these terms, other movements like African Americans, Latinos and Asians seeking fair treatment are creating a greater force.
This to me means that the more GLBT issues enter the mainstream the bigger their movement will be. They’ve got the support of major celebrities like Brad Pitt, and high-profile events like Ellen Degeneres finally giving the yes to her wife have caused stirs in the stereotyping business.
