Inquiry Question
- How did the role of acitvisim help advance the cause for womens rights and LGBTQ rights in the 60s and 70s
National Organization for Women
- “NOW”
- Focus & goals
- Workplace equality
- Stop violence against women
- Reproductive Rights
Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Outlawed discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin” by government & public accomodations
Title IX, 1972
- Requires equal educational opportunities for females
- Major expansion of girls’ athletics programs in public schools
The 60s & 70s
- During the women’s rights movement, court cases involving contraceptives laid the groundwork for Roe v. Wade.
- 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court struck a law that banned the distribution of birth control to married couples
- 1972, the Supreme Court struck a law prohibiting the distribution of contraceptives to unmarried adults.
Jane Roe
- 1969, Norma McCorvey, Texas woman
- Sought to terminate an unwanted pregnancy
- Abortion was Legal in Texas but only for the purpose of saving a womans life.
- Tried to get an illegal abortion but could not and she met lawyers who were interested in challenging anti-abortion laws.
Henry Wade
- 1970
- The attorneys filed a lawsuit on behalf of McCorvey and all the other women “who were or might become pregnant and want to consider all options ” against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, where McCorvey lived.
Supreme Court
- June 1970,
- Texas Court ruled that the state’s abortion ban was illegal
- Afterward, Wade declared he’d continue to prosecute doctors who performed abortions.
- The case eventually was appealed to the US Supreme Court
- Meanwhile, McCovey gave birth and put the child up for adoption.
- On Jan 22, 1973
- Supreme Court 7-2 decisions, struck down the Texas law banning abortion, effectively legalizing the procedure nationwide.
- Was a right protected by the 14th amendment
- Supreme Court 7-2 decisions, struck down the Texas law banning abortion, effectively legalizing the procedure nationwide.
Pregnancy Divided
The Court divided pregnancy into trimesters
- 1st: Up to 3 Months
- The choice to end a pregnancy was solely up to a woman
- 2nd: 4-6 Months
- The government could regulate abortion, although not ban it, in order to protect the mother’s health
- 3rd: 7-9 months
- The state could prohibit abortion to protect a fetus that could survive on its own outside the womb, except when a woman’s health was in danger.
Stonewall Riot (1969)
- With homosexual behavior being illegal, bars and nightclubs became a refuge.
- Italian mafia ran most gay bars in New York City, including the Stonewall Inn
- Surprise raid! Police forced everyone out, a crowd of ~500 gathered and police locked themselves inside the Stonewall
- Windows smashed, trash & lighter fluid was thrown in and it was set on fire
- Thousands of people involved, the riot lasted six days, was the first to get major media coverage
- Many new organizations emerged: Gay Liberation Front, Gay Activists Alliance etc
Gay Rights Activism
- Broad goals, denouncing racism and supporting international struggles and the Black Panther party, Anti capitalist and attacked Gender Roles.
- STAR: Founded by Sylvia Rivera & Marsha P. Johnson to provide shelter and food to homeless queer youth.