Chapter 11: LGBTQ Culture and Community in the 1990s

The 1990s were a decade of transition and change. The Cold War ended, the internet was mainstreamed, and a youth-driven popular culture led by the Hip Hop Generation transformed how one thought about identity and expression through the lens of commercialization. For the LGBTQ community, the 1990s was a decade still fraught with risk and grief as the AIDS crisis grew and laws such as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (1993) were passed. But, it was also a time of growing prominence. This was a period during which activists continued to organize, used the media to their benefit, and took on additional legal battles to gain rights and better understanding within mainstream popular culture. Much of what happened during the 1990s resonates with how we think about the world today; the same proves true for LGBTQ activism, which laid the foundation for how Americans viewed LGBTQ culture and community in the twenty-first century. In short, this decade most clearly combats a movement that had previously been led by and for white men.