The Gay Rights Movement

Another example of the political demands and outcomes involved in identity movements can be seen in the modern Hindu Nationalist Movement. This movement, which has it roots in the Hindutva Movement of the early 20th century and opposition to British colonialism, attempts to redefine the parameters of Indian citizenship from secular terms to religious ones (Pande). Hindu nationalists conceptualize rights to citizenship as inherently religious and genealogical. According to these extremists only those of Himalayan descent with roots in Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, or Jainism can truly claim Indian citizenship. Hindu Nationalism fashions an Indian identity that relies upon the Hindu religion to distinguish itself from the British and Islamic empires.
Since Hindu Nationalism is based on the theory of defining citizenship through opposition, nationalists refuse to accept the current system of a secular and encompassing Indian identity and instead demand the exclusion of Christians and Muslims from Indian citizenship. In modern time, nationalists use riots, the establishment of Hindu schools, and even violence to attempt to force the state to deny rights of citizenship to any outside group or collective. Riots and demonstrations are the main tool used by Hindu Nationalists to disrupt the state and make demands. Often criticized as a paramilitary collective, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is a large Hindu Nationalist organization that demands the independence of Hindus, and an acknowledgement of the new Indian identity (Shackle). The effects of the movement can already be felt in India, in 2014 a member of Parliament force fed a Muslim fasting for Ramadan and in the same year a mass conversion of Muslims in Agra was publicized under the term of “homecoming” (Pande). Identity movements such as the Hindu Nationalist movements attempt to exclude out-groups from the rights and title of citizenship and are often identified as right wing movements of the politically powerful. Since Hindus are the majority in India, around 80% of the population, the Hindu Nationalist revival poses a serious threat to the minorities of the country. While the Nationalists have yet to reach their goal, if they are able to convert enough politicians and cause enough disruption costs to sufficiently bring the government to the compromising table, India will no longer exist as a pluralistic inclusive democracy. Christians and Muslims would lose their citizenship title and find themselves subjects of a hostile state. Only one possible outcome of identity movements, exclusion is yet another result made possible by the collective call for recognition of self made identity claims. Finally, the most common outcome of identity movements is forced policy change.
The most recent example of this is visible in the United States Gay Rights Movement. Gaining prominence in the 1980s the Gay Rights Movement used the identity of “Lesbians Gays Bisexuals and Transexuals” to demand inclusion and equal rights under US policy. These Americans use their sexuality to define themselves, and present their preferences as an inextricable part of their identity, and then make claims on the basis of this minority identification. Pointing to the promise of equal rights in US society, the Gay Rights Movement demanded marriage rights and full acceptance in United States institutions and culture. This movement manipulates the state through framing the gays as victims of a discriminatory and oppressive state, roles that they then publicize as much as possible to gain the sympathy of the press and third parties. The Gay Rights Movement was able to pressure legislation by using the press as a device to spread the message of gays as victims and the state as the bully and members of the LGBT movement as unfairly oppressed (Kirk). By using the egalitarian ideals of the American government against them, the Gay Rights Movement was able to gain enough popular support to significantly effect the actions of members of American government. As a result, in 2015, through a major Supreme Court decision, marriage rights were guaranteed to gay couples and the Gay Rights Movement secured one of the policy reforms they had been advocating for (Vogue). The Gay Rights Movement provides a current and exemplary example of how identity movements can lead to forced policy change through simply gaining public sympathy and framing as issue of identity and rights as a humanitarian
crisis. Looking at these movements, it is impossible to escape the reality that identity movements are effective and powerful. Overcoming the mobilization problem by uniting people under already established notions of ethnicity or religion, identity movements are able to have real results. While not every movement uses the same methods to obtain outcomes, there is a definite trend in the goals of movements towards regime change, resource capture, exclusion, or policy change. Identity movements are responsible for the capture and dissolution of the Soviet Union, exclusion of minorities in India, and historical policy change in the United States. Whether it be nationalistic independence movements, Hindu Nationalistic claims of a religious citizenship, or call for gay rights, identities play a large role in politics and social movements.