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What is the gay rights movement?

The gay rights movement (also called the gay liberation movement or the homosexual rights movement) is the effort of organized groups to encourage tolerance or acceptance of homosexuality. Homosexuality is a sexual or emotional interest in members of one's own sex. The term "gay" usually refers to homosexual men, but it is also frequently applied to lesbians (homosexual women). Gay rights activists seek to overturn laws prohibiting homosexual acts between consenting adults and to end discrimination against homosexuals in housing, employment, financial credit, and other areas of public life.

The first organized campaign for homosexual rights began in Berlin, Germany, in 1897 when Magnus Hirschfeld founded the Wissenschaftlichhumanitäres Komitee (Scientific-Humanitarian Committee), which published literature, sponsored rallies, and worked for social reform. By 1922 twenty-five...

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