We have lost so much of our history because we are not tied by an ancestry. We can’t pass down our history the way other minorities do.

Homosexuality was once considered a mental defect. Gays were institutionalized. Are we different because some of us can’t say “my great uncle was locked away because he was gay”?

I am a third generation gay woman in my family. I have a gay aunt and I had a gay great-aunt. My Great-Aunt Jackie was caught in bed with another woman, and for her time that meant she was insane. I don’t know much about her because my family doesn’t talk about it.

It was only after I came out that my aunt came out, and then the knowledge that my great aunt was also gay surfaced. Although to this day the story goes that she “turned gay” because her husband left her. But I’ve heard the other story that her husband left her because he caught her with a woman.

The generations of gays before us may or may not be blood relatives, but they are family and they suffered under laws that criminalized who they were.

‘sly said’:

“Honestly, Gay Rights are not the same as Black Civil Rights.”

That’s right, because we don’t have any recent incidences of gay groups going out of their way to write discrimination against black people into state constitutions.

“In the beginning (1950’s), Black Americans were denied all basic forms of life – education, health care, jobs, etc., while gay americans, who if were white and hidden as a gay American”

Are you completely off your damn rocker? Job discrimination is not only COMMON but still LEGAL against gay Americans, unlike damn near every other minority. WTF are you talking about?? We just had several cases of health care discrimination as well as business establishments refusing to serve gays and lesbians, or do you not ever bother to read the 365gay news feeds???

“Not to say that gay civil rights isn’t as hearthelt…we should be given equal rights across the board”
Thank you for stating the obbvious, Auntie Tom, but with apologists like you around that is never going to happen!

[quote] in regards to hospitals, donation of blood, and marriage…and we still have lot of ground to cover[/quote]
I’m still waiting on you to explain where you EVER got the notion that anti-gay employment discrimination isn’t still as rampant today as it ever was. It was just 10 years ago that the 5th largest restaurant chain decided to stop OPENLY discriminating against gays by changing their employment policy. Until then they expressly prohibited hiring gays. This was in the 1990s, not the 1960s so your point above about employment discrimination is complete bullshit.

“but we aren’t being shot by waterhoses”
Prior to Stonewall, gay establishments were routinely raided and, YES, people were often dragged out and shot with waterhoses (as well as arrested and in many cases institutionalized).

“denied basic care”
Go back and read the news from THIS VERY SITE over the past year about doctors who have been REFUSING CARE to lesbians.

“and turned down for employment immediately because of our skin.”
Unlike people who are discriminated against for their skin color (who have a right to SUE FOR DISCRIMINATION IN EVERY STATE IN THE DAMN COUNTRY) GLBT Americans have NO SUCH RIGHT AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL and NO SUCH RIGHT IN OVER HALF THE STATES and only limited rights in most of the rest. Your ignorance of this issue is absolutely disgusting!

You need to educate yourself about the current state of affairs in this country!

Asking gay people to, or saying that they could “just hide” is like telling blacks they could just sit at the back of the bus. No one should have to deny who they are.

The struggles Blacks and Gays have gone through may be different, but the rights we are looking for are the same: to live a life free of strife and prejudice, to be allowed to pursue our goals, and development to the full extent, and to be treated equally – if not in regular daily life, at least, by the law.