ABSTRACT
The story of twentieth century lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) history in the United States is generally told as a progress narrative about an emerging community gaining access to rights. At the center of this narrative, the Stonewall Riots of 1969 are held up as the pivotal event marking the beginning of the modern gay liberation movement. No doubt, soon the standard story of the “long” twentieth century and queer rights will end with the legal victory of same-sex marriage in 2015. However, writing this overview in the shadow of the 2016 Orlando massacre, where forty-nine people were killed at Latino Night at Pulse, a gay nightclub, it is important to recognize that like the history of many minority groups, progress for the LGBT community sometimes takes two steps forward and one step back.
