Introduction
Despite stigma ages of cruelty and stigma, the gay community seems to have found the way out by joining hands in various activism events. However, this would never have been possible without the resilience and courage of specific gay individuals. Through the encouragement and illumination of people like Kimba Allen, Jacob Appel, and Christopher Barron, the gay community has managed to defy conventional thought patterns (Hamilton 45). The continuous efforts made by such men have advanced the factions fight for recognition and a place in the society. As queer as gay activists may sound, events like the Seattle Pride prove that the struggles of the gay community have done much more than just accrue them respect. Seattle Pride connotes a succession of annual events meant to celebrate the pride of the gay community in Seattle, Washington (Hamilton 47). Drawing from happenings in this event as well as research from relevant literature and information obtained through interviews, this paper seeks to answer the research question: how effective are the queer activisms in the struggle for gay rights?
Research results
For decades after the founding of the first gay students organization in 1946 (Grinnell 89), the gay community has continued to face resistance until recently. However, through resilience, patience, and queer methods the community has managed to acquire a place in virtually every society. Research through interviews actually indicates that more than 60% of the population in the United States has come to the recognition and appreciation of their gay counterparts. Interviews conducted to establish whether methods used to fight for gay rights have accrued results indicate that gays believe their efforts have culminated in success after the acquisition of extensive support from the corporate arena (Grinnell 90). Actually, interviews carried out reveal that the gay community has acquired a sense of belonging like any other American citizen after endorsement by leading organizations throughout the United States. According to Fetner, any group in society that manages to gain the attention of leading organizations achieves the highest possible goal leaving the masses drawn towards the same belief (61). The 2014 Seattle Pride event seems to have helped the gay community acquire such a status.
As projected by researchers years back, the persistence of the gay community in using methods seemingly strange and anti-religious had to capture the attention of the corporate world (Ball 48). During the 2014 Seattle Pride, participation of companies increased from fifteen in the year 2000 to seventy four- a clear indication that the rest of the world will soon follow suit (Berlatsky 27). Information obtained from interviewing gays concerning the event show that gays deserve respect regardless of one’s school of thought. Actually all gay interviewees were quick to refer to the event noting that the ages of respect and equity they have long waited for have started. This new belief confirms an opinion given by Grinnell that soon the world will be short of ammunition to resist the pliability of the gay community as it seeks equity and recognition (92). It is therefore clear that as queer as gay activists may have sounded, their campaigns have been more than effective.
Alternative research methods
According to Grinnell, consistent reliance on the same methods of research when dealing with a single issue can easily lead to wrong future predictions (94). Since there is a possibility that the turnout of events during the Seattle Pride may have caused gays interviewed to provide inaccurate information, it is wise to consider other methods. Possible future methods are action research, Delphi method, depth interview, and focus group. Action research takes a multi faceted form in researching an issue multiple times until one arrives at a concrete answer (Hamilton 55). On the other hand, the Delphi method involves the participation of experts where they handle the question repeatedly until each separately arrives at the same conclusion. While depth interviews involve long and probing interviews without questionnaires, focus group research method takes the form of group discussion of around eight to ten people during which the moderator keeps the group focused on the issue of research (Grinnell 95).
Change of research question
While researching the same issue repeatedly, it is usually important for researchers to follow their instincts and alter the research question to the extent that it allows room for the acquisition of more information concerning the subject matter (Hamilton 58). Since the effectiveness of gay campaigns seems overclouded by the Seattle Pride in 2014, it is imperative that the succeeding question seek to find out the sustainability of the current achievements of gay activists. The next research question would be; are the current achievements of gay activists sustainable? This double-edged question will not only help deal with the issue of achievement sustainability but will also help in finding out whether the findings of this current research are reliable. According to Power, subsequent questions of research must seek to unearth weaknesses and bias in previous research findings (68). In addition, the proposed research question merges well with the four proposed subsequent methods of research.
Works cited
Ball, Carlos. The Morality of Gay Rights an Exploration in Political Philosophy. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014. 45-52. Print.
Berlatsky, Noah. Judicial Activism. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven, 2012. 25-33. Print.
Fetner, Tina. How the Religious Right Shaped Lesbian and Gay Activism. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 2008. 59-66. Print.
Grinnell, Lanster. “Intolerable Subjects.” Moralizing Politics, Economic Austerity, and Lesbian and Gay Activism in Mexico City 7.3 (2012): 87-100. Print.
Hamilton, Jill. Activism. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2010. 40-73. Print.
Power, Jennifer. Movement, Knowledge, Emotion Gay Activism and HIV/AIDS in Australia. Acton, A.C.T: ANU E, 2011. 66-74. Print.