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

While there were significant developments for the gay rights movement by then, gay marriage was not legalized across the US until 2015.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

An alcove devoted to gay rights displays an early version of the rainbow flag, campaign and protest buttons, and a ceiling fragment from the Stonewall Inn, where a 1969 uprising launched the gay liberation movement.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025

He has appeased both sides of the gay rights conversation by presenting himself as neither a reformer nor a reactionary, de-emphasizing the issue overall.

From Slate • Oct. 2, 2025

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

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

From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory