• Intro 
    • Hook  
    • Establish that a shift happened 
      • American’s views on the LGBTQ+ community has changed significantly in the past 50 years. While the community was restricted to underground, secret societies during the 50s and 60s, queer representation in media, the news, and politics are prevalent today. 
    • Thesis: From the Stonewall Riots in 1969 to the legalization of same-sex marriage, public perception of the LGBTQ+ community in the United States has dramatically improved since. Nevertheless, the movement for LGBTQ+ equality is far from over as discrimination persists and LGBTQ+ individuals in other countries continue to struggle for human rights.  

 

  • Body (The body is broken down into three broad sections, but that does not mean that each section should only be one paragraph.) 
    • “Literature review” or a review of the shift  
      • Definitions 
        • The LGBTQ+ community is comprised of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender individuals, asexuals, and other gender and sexual minorities.  
      • Establish the before/after of the shift — make observations from primary texts i.e. speeches, popular culture, ads, TV shows, magazines, political discourse–debates, highbrow magazine articles (New Yorker, Harpers, Atlantic, etc.) 
        • Before: homosexuality and other “deviant” sexual behavior was illegal. Members of the LGBTQ+ community were forced to form secret societies to evade the “witch hunt” targeted towards homosexuals during the 50s and 60s.
        • After: same-sex marriage is legalized, and LGBTQ+ members have more representation in media. LGB individuals can serve in the military and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Was Repealed; however, the fight for transgender individuals’ ability to serve is prohibited under the Trump Administration 

 

  • Analysis of Causes 
    • What reasons do scholars give for the shift? 
      • Partnering with Religious Organizations 
      • Stonewall Riots and other protests 
      • Declassification of homosexuality as a mental illness 
      • Destigmatization of AIDS through community awareness projects 
      • Combating hate crimes 
      • More exposure in media (Ellen, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy) 
    • What evidence exists to support analysis of the causes?   
      • Some religious doctrine gave “justification” for people to discriminate the LGBTQ+ community. By forming alliances with these organizations, there is little reason to see homosexuality as a sin 
      • Stonewall invigorated LGBTQ+ activists and gave voice to a growing movement. Through sometimes violent demonstrations, LGBTQ+ issues were catapulted to the forefront of public debate 
      • By not the APA not classifying homosexuality as a mental illness anymore, LGBTQ+ individuals are not seen as “deviants” 
      • AIDS is a deadly disease that was widely associated with the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s. Some used this as reason to discriminate against homosexuals. Through community activism efforts, however, society became more educated about how AIDS was transmitted and took action to raise awareness about safe sex practices 
      • Hate crimes against transgender individuals and people like Matthew Shepard led to the necessitation of legislative action by some states, but not on a federal level. 
      • Ellen DeGeneres is a pioneer for the LGBTQ+ in the media, as she publicly came out on her TV show. Moreover, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy helped expose homosexuals more to popular media, normalizing the community 

 

    • Critique of the shift: What are scholars saying about the consequences/implications of the shift? 
      • Possible questions to explore: Is there a consensus or disagreement about the implications of the shift?  What are points of contention? What do these points of contention indicate? How might points of contention be resolved?  
        • There is consensus. While many events were significant in shedding light on the movement for LGBTQ+ rights, it is important to acknowledge the leaders that got us here as well as the lessons that can be extracted as we move into a new era of pollical and social change.  
      • Possible questions to explore, continued: What is the greater significance of the shift? Why does this shift ultimately matter?  
        • LGBTQ+ rights are a matter of human rights. We have not done our jobs as citizens of the United States until every individual is treated equally in the eyes of the law. We all have friends, family, or acquaintances that are part of the LGBTQ+ community whether we know it or not. 

 

  • Conclusion 
    • Resolve the discussion
    • Possible conclusion: suggest opportunities for further study on the issue (i.e. will the trend continue or morph into something else? What could the something else be?)
      • There’s still a long way to go for federal anti-discrimination legislation that protects LGBTQ+ individuals both in America and many other parts of the world.