LGBTQIA+ Organizations

Summary, in English

Organizations advocating for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people are found all around the globe. These organizations champion the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, aromantic, and agender individuals, with the plus-sign acknowledging those who are part of the community without fitting neatly into any of these specific categories. This entry details the early history and development of LGBTQIA+ organizations and their precursors, especially focusing on the so-called “first homosexual movement” in Germany, and the development of a gay rights movement in the United States in the 1950s-1960s. Furthermore, the entry details some of the existing theoretical and academic debates surrounding LGBTQIA+ identities, contrasting discursive and poststructural perspectives with material and biological interpretations and how these differing perspectives have influenced organizations. Although a comprehensive exploration is rendered impossible by the sheer number of organizations, variations, and diverging histories, the aim of this entry is to provide a broad overview of LGBTQIA+ advocacy and organizing, as well as provide resources for further, in-depth study.

• Author: Joel W. Abdelmoez
• Editor: Lia Roberts
• Department/s: Department of Political Science; Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES); MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World
• Publishing year: 2025-09
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: SAGE International Encyclopedia of Politics and Gender
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781071918494.n210
• Document type: Book chapter
• Publisher: SAGE Publications
• Topic: Political Science
• Keywords: LGBTQIA+; organization; social movement; queer activism; queer history; LGBT politics
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISBN: 9781071918487