gay rights

Cultural  

1. The movement for civil rights for homosexuals. It originated after a police raid on a gay bar in New York City in 1969, which triggered a riot and launched the grassroots reform movement seeking to end social and legal discrimination against gays. (See Stonewall Riot.)

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Example Sentences

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gay rights

A devout Christian, she also became a supporter of gay rights.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

A Ugandan gay rights group, Sexual Minorities Uganda, welcomed the acquittal but said it wasn’t enough because it didn’t challenge the law itself.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

In June, he ordered the Navy to rename one its ships, which bore the name of an assassinated gay rights activist and Navy veteran, Harvey Milk.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2025

Lawmakers in Hong Kong have rejected a controversial bill that would have granted limited rights to same-sex couples, in a blow to the city's gay rights movement.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2025

Black power groups like the Black Panthers -- and later gay rights groups like the Pink Panthers, too.

From Little Brother by Cory Doctorow