Milk

 Maddie Dieringer 

During class we discussed how acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals has changed quickly compared to other public opinions throughout history. This makes sense with my understanding of history, but I feel as though there has been an increase in the number of laws taking rights away from LGBTQ+ individuals, especially people who are transgender. I did a few quick google searches and found that there were 17 anti-LGBTQ laws passed in 2021 which was the worst year for LGBTQ rights since 2015. It seems that with more awareness and progress there is even more legislative push back to create laws that harm LGBTQ people than before. According to the American Civil Liberties Union there are 389 anti-LGBTQ bills being introduced across the US having to do with health care, education, civil rights, free speech and more. Linked below is the ACLU page that is kept up to date. 

In the film Milk we see some of the adversity gay individuals faced during the 70s, and it's easy to see how influential Harvey Milk was to the movement and the public's humanization of gay people. It's unfortunate to see that sexual orientation and gender identity are still play a strong role in politics today. It's also interesting to see how there are 'pockets' where gay and trans people are accepted, like the Castro in Milk, and other areas where they are outcast.  


ACLU anti-LGBTQ bill tracker 



Comments

  1. Catherine BolzendahlMarch 11, 2023 at 2:20 PM

    Good observations - while society as a whole has progressed and liberalized a great deal on issues of sexuality, including protections for LGBT+ person's rights, there has been a backlash and opponents are finding ways, just like Anita Bryant to reframe the debate. I would have enjoyed seeing you expand on the connection to the movie, perhaps the reading might have help along those lines.

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