‘Coming out’ has long been an important political strategy for the LGBT rights movement. Harvey Milk said, “Gay brothers and sisters, you must come out.” But ‘Coming out’ can also mean showing up—being present and being counted. In the decades following the Stonewall riots, it became imperative for members of the LGBT community to both publicly acknowledge their true selves and stand up for their rights.
Civil Disobedience Handbook from the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, 1987. John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives
Coming Out for Equality
Reaction to Bowers v. Hardwick, 1986
“. . . the lower court has taken an activity which for hundreds of years, if not thousands, has been uniformly condemned as immoral and labeled that activity as a fundamental liberty protected by the Constitution. . . .”
—from Georgia Attorney General Michael Bowers’ brief to the Supreme Court, 1985
Bowers v. Hardwick, 1986
Allowed in by a guest, police enter Michael Hardwick’s bedroom and see him having intimate relations with another man. He is charged with violation of a Georgia law that says it is a crime for two men or two women to have intimate contact.
Making the fight personal and political
Devastated by the ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick, the LGBT rights movement asked individuals to make the fight for change a personal one. LGBT people began coming out in greater numbers than ever before.
As seen on the big and little screens
With increased visibility, Hollywood gets on board, pushing American culture towards wider acceptance.
“. . . if sexual relations between consenting adults are not part of the right to privacy guaranteed by the Constitution, then American democracy is in trouble."
—activist and civil rights leader Coretta Scott King, 1986