How Gay Rights Organizations Work

Most Americans have heard of the "sit in" demonstrations during the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam War protests. But what about the "sip in"?

The "sip in" was a protest staged by the Mattachine Society -- the oldest gay rights organization in the U.S. -- to challenge the State Liquor Authority's (SLA) regulations against serving gays in New York City bars.

In April 1966, four members of the Mattachine Society entered Julius Bar in the West Village and ordered drinks. When they told the bartender they were homosexuals, he refused to serve them [source: Jackson]. The society then sued the bar and the SLA.

At the time, there was no law on the books prohibiting bars from serving homosexuals, but the SLA often raided gay establishments, charging patrons with "disorderly conduct" and fining bar owners. As a result, many Manhattan bars posted signs in their windows with phrases like, "If you're gay, go away" [source: Jackson].

No law was overturned as the result of the sip in, but it later sparked pivotal events like the Stonewall Riots in June 1969, when lesbians and drag queens threw bottles and rocks at police who raided Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Greenwich Village. Thousands gathered in the streets in the following nights. It was the first major gay protest and it's the reason June is Gay Pride month [source: Carter].

Since then, hundreds of gay rights organizations have sprung up to win the right not only to drink in peace, but to work, go to school, get housing, have children, serve in the military and receive medical care without fear of discrimination or violence.

Read on to find out what strides gay marriage rights organizations have made.