Delayed Victories

Abstract

While many campuses seek to find ways to engage, support, and retain LGBTQIA+ students, there is often a lack of material in the curriculum and student-facing supports, such as libraries, multicultural centers, etc., that show the value and realities of the historical connection between academics and the pursuit of gender liberation. More historical elements, better representation, and connection could benefit all students. This chapter proposes one such history to aid that purpose: the early “Gay Liberation Movement” that saw interaction between research universities, various fields, and organizations seeking to increase opportunities and legal protections for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. By providing this history and encouraging campuses to embrace building it into their curriculum and campuses as evidence of how academia has supported the pursuit of equity, it can provide a meaningful, engaging, and significant presence to benefit all students in understanding the history of the pursuit of rights and the power of higher education.