Reply #27: I'm just going to answer your headline question if you don't mind. [View All]

[Pacifist Patriot]

Is the GLBT movement a civil rights movement?

I would say yes.

It is a civil rights movement. But it's not "The Civil Rights" movement.

I don't think either group needs to look to one another for a standard of comparison, but there are some broad comparisons that can be made. In each case, a group of people are being treated differently under the law because of an aspect of the Self that is inherent and cannot be changed.

Their group histories are completely different. The discriminatory laws are different. The methods of seeking equal protection under the law are different. The justification for the discrimination is different, although it should be noted that in both cases, appalling interpretations of scripture are employed as part of the justification process.

In seeking equal protection under the law, a group of people is making a plea for civil rights. I don't see why an accurate use of language should be assumed to be a usurpation of a phrase everyone already associates with the African American community. Presumably we can tell the difference between a civil rights movement and The Civil Rights Movement.