The Rejection of Human Rights Framings: The Case of LGBT Advocacy in the US

Abstract

This article explores why many advocates concerned with lesbian, gay, and transgendered (LGBT) rights in the US have not chosen to frame their struggles in human rights terms. The article recognizes that framing a cause in human rights terms can be an effective way of claiming the moral high ground and of asserting affinity with others throughout the world who seek to condemn human wrongs and promote human dignity. However, this is not always the case. This article uses a historical review of LGBT organizing in the US to explain why human rights framings also may be viewed as unduly restrictive and even detrimental when identity is the central organizing factor.