The Law and Order Origins of Urban Gay Politics

Abstract

It was in big-city municipal government that American gays and lesbians first won political power. This article reinterprets the rise of urban gay politics, emphasizing the complex and changing relationship between gay activists, policing, and the politics of law and order. Drawing on evidence and examples from Chicago, Stewart-Winter examines such developments as the decline of gay bar raids, the implementation of police sensitivity training programs, clashes between police and AIDS activists, and the hiring of openly gay police officers. He argues that developments in the late twentieth century set the stage for more recent tensions within LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) movements, as activists of color challenged the reconciliation between state power and predominantly white activist organizations.