The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer movement (LGBTQ movement) is one that has faced a long history of oppression and repression at the hands of society. It has only been very recently that the LGBT movement has gained some traction in society. It seems to be a trend, overall: when society begins to transition and change, groups that have been downtrodden rise up and force society to confront its inequalities and imbalances. The issue of slavery is one example of such an issue, but so too is the women’s suffrage movement and, in more recent years, the movement to bring equality to the LGBTQ community (Bullough, 2014). The LGBTQ movement has often been the target of violence and of malice; despite these problems, the movement has made major strides towards equality in recent years.
This movement is an interesting one, as it is not entirely clear who the movement is comprised of (Nadal, 2013). Human sexuality is a difficult thing, and many people who do not see themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender can still be part of the movement; this is part of the reason the “Q” was added to the acronym. The addition of “queer” ensures that more people, including people who are somewhere on the spectrum of sexuality outside the mainstream, can be included in the protections guaranteed by the movement (Bullough, 2014; Traub, 2013). However, the definitions associated with the LGBTQ movement are often changing, as the movement seeks to encompass more and more people who are part of a sexual minority and experience oppression and repression in everyday life (Bullough, 2014; Traub, 2013).
History of LGBTQ Movement
In the United States and Canada, there have been a number of important shifts in recent decades regarding the nature of the LGBTQ Movement. However, since the early 1900s, there has been a general trend of forward movement for those who were seeking rights for LGBTQ individuals (Bulloughs, 2014). In the years following the First World War, for instance, being openly gay was moderately accepted in American society; there were a number of clubs that were gay that were openly so, and there were some high-profile individuals who were openly living gay lives (Bulloughs, 2014; Traub, 2013). However, in the early 1930s, when the stock market crashed and it became more apparent that the world was again embroiled in war, the attitudes of the American public changed towards the LGBTQ individuals in society (Bulloughs, 2014; Traub, 2013; Nadal, 2013).
The 1930s all the way through the 1950s were a difficult time for people who were gay, lesbian, bisexual or anywhere on the queer spectrum. The status quo was valued heavily during this time, and deviation from the norm was harshly punished by society as a whole (Bulloughs, 2014; Nadal, 2013). However, many social movements seemed to really begin to flourish in the 1960s, and from this time on, the LGBTQ movement has been making advancements for equality in modern American and Canadian society. The movement is responsible for the abolition of a number of laws, including laws that made gay or lesbian sexual encounters illegal; in addition, there were laws that allowed states to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals that were repealed in this time as well. The movement also managed to successfully force the United States and Canadian governments to allow gay and lesbian marriages (Bulloughs, 2014; Nadal, 2013). The issue that many people are concerned about today is the issue of transgender rights: this, of course, leads to the issue of transgender use of bathrooms—and how gender-neutral bathrooms are an ethical choice for public spaces.
The Issue of Gender-Neutral Bathrooms
Gender-neutral bathrooms have become a hot-button issue in the fight for rights for transgendered people (Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016). There is a reason for this, of course: gender issues and gender theory are very complex, and the public as a whole does not really understand the issues faced by transgender people (Johnston, 2016). The idea of the bathroom is an easy way for people to judge the issue of transgender rights, without looking at the deeper issues associated with gender (Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016). The issue of the bathrooms begins to be shorthand for all transgender issues, because it is something that is simple and easy to understand. This was recently underscored in South Carolina, where a bill pertaining to transgender rights was introduced, and it became known simply as a “bathroom bill” because one of the provisions required people to use the bathroom associated with their birth gender (Johnston, 2016).
In reality, there is no real reason to keep the genders separated in different bathrooms; men and women have no trouble using the same unisex bathrooms in some cases, while in others, there seems to be a philosophical problem more than a physical one (Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016). Gender-neutral bathrooms are a way to bypass the issues associated with allowing transgender people to use whichever bathroom they deem to be the appropriate one. This is a very interesting issue because some people—on both sides of the issue—seem to be very adamant about their preferred outcome, even though the introduction of gender-neutral bathrooms would do little to change the day-to-day experiences of most people (Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016).
Transition of Society
Although there have been periods of backwards movement for LGBTQ members of American and Canadian society, the overall trend has been quite excellent. Since the 1960s, there has been a steady increase in the number of causes that have been successful for the LGBTQ community, and the issue of gender-neutral bathrooms seems to be the next big issue that the community as a whole is addressing (Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016). Because society is generally under-educated about LGBTQ issues, choosing one issue at a time has been a very successful strategy for the movement as a whole (Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016; Nadal, 2013). Currently, society seems to be transforming and transitioning into a place that is more inclusive of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or sexual identity. The complete cessation of violence against individual members of this group is another important goal for transition.
LGBTQ Rights: An Evolution
The very concept of rights has also changed for LGBTQ individuals over time. At the beginning, the idea of “rights” was linked to the freedom from governmental persecution (Traub, 2013; Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016). Once the group achieved freedom from governmental persecution and criminalization, the next step was for the group to begin to seek protection from persecution in everyday life. Business, housing, and occupational protections also followed quickly (Traub, 2013). Now the issues are somewhat subtler: they are linked to micro-aggressions and subtler forms of societal oppression and repression of people who are part of the LGBTQ community (Nadal, 2013). As such, the different arguments—like the one about gender-neutral bathrooms, for instance—become essential to the further development of the movement.
Discussion and Conclusions
Of course, the issues regarding the idea of gender neutral bathrooms are still in discussion today. The topic is quite contentious, and it is unlikely that a coherent and complete change will occur any time soon. It does seem fascinating that the extreme fringes of both sides of the debate—those for transgender rights and those against—have chosen the hill of transgender bathrooms and gender neutral spaces as their hill to die on (Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016). Both sides seem to see this issue as one of fundamental importance—if either side wins this battle, that side will be one step closer to winning the war (Herman, 2013; Johnston, 2016). However, American society is very significantly in transition; this transition is likely to lead to the movement of society as a whole towards a more inclusive theory of society. Today, it is becoming less and less acceptable to judge someone based on immutable characteristics like race or sexual identity. There is no doubt that this is improving society as a whole, and that continued movement in this direction will be positive for the development of future generations. Changing societal beliefs are essential to the establishment of LGBTQ rights in the future. The movement has had an overall positive and important effect on both American and Canadian society.
References
Bullough, V. L. (2014). Before stonewall: Activists for gay and lesbian rights in historical context. Routledge.
Herman, J. L. (2013). Gendered restrooms and minority stress: The public regulation of gender and its impact on transgender people's lives. Journal of Public Management & Social Policy, 19(1), 65.
Johnston, L. (2016). 'You can't use that bathroom': Transgendering public toilets. In New Zealand Geographical Society Conference (NZGS): Geographical Interactions.
Traub, V. (2013). The new unhistoricism in queer studies. PMLA, 128(1), 21-39.
