Gay movement in Canada

Name:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Gay movement in Canada
The place of the LGBT movement has evolved over time, with the movement aligning with social and political causes to argue their case for acceptance in the mainstream society. The gay movement has overshadowed the role of women in identity politics, but there efforts have gone a long way in advocating for the legalization of same sex marriages which was unheard of in the earlier days of the movement. Even though, there are differences on whether gay people ought to be seen as a minority, focus on identity politics has seen the group advocate for gay rights among the majority especially in the Western world. In the Canadian context the Charter could be cited as having opened the doors for legislation and legal interpretation of gay rights. This paper highlights on the progression of gay rights in Canada through changes in social movements, alignment with the political process and use of litigation.
The historical evolution of the lesbian gay rights movement in Canada from the 1970’s focused on discrimination and whether to follow assimilation, given the level of mistrust placed on authorities. The mass media and the Police did not have favorable views on the gay movement, with the society in general being of the opinion that allowing homosexuality would eventually lead to moral decadence and mainstream acceptance of queer behavior (Nash, “Contesting Identity” 113). The authorities typically composed of white heterosexual males and there was also disagreement on identity politics and the place of colored minorities in the society. Thus, the mainstream society represented the identity of white male Canadians, with gays, lesbians and colored minorities suffering rampant discrimination at the hands of Police, with the mass media also perpetuating discrimination by agreeing to Police position on the need to adhere to a mainstream single Canadian identity.
The emergence of the Toronto gay village in the 1950’s did not settle the debate of liberation versus assimilation for the gay community. The gay movement in Toronto changed over time given the power relation, but activists in the era did not intend to have a separate identity given to them. Nonetheless, the gay village grew gradually with the area being associated with gay rights issues and their political interests. In essence, there were disagreements on what constitutes gay identity, but the consolidation of the Toronto village allowed activists to use this leverage to engage with mainstream Canadians on the need for their recognition (Nash, “Toronto Gay Village” 2).
Organization of the gay movement into a political movement enabled the activists to air their opinion and views; this is because the emergence of gay meeting points and areas of residence enabled political mobilization. Even though, the gay movement wanted recognition; the movement mainly represented the aspirations of white middle class gay Canadian men. The dominance of men meant that women played minor roles in the LGBT movement among gay people in Toronto in the 1970’s. Thus, the gay movement inadvertently led to the dominance of men in the society through their organizational structure (Nash, “Contesting Identity” 115), and through less emphasis on the place of lesbians in the society.
Following adoption of the Charter in 1982, gay activists shifted their focus from calling for anti discrimination policies among authorities, to increased political participation of gay people. Thus, gay activists had a legal and political platform from which they would highlight on the plight of gays in the context of enshrined freedoms and rights. One of the reasons for this approach was that policy making came to be identified with legal interpretations of the Charter (Smith ‘“...