Other fights for equal rights

General aspects

Other fights for equal rights happened in parallel with the movement for women’s rights. Throughout history, the movements intersected in various ways. For example, at the beginning of the women’s suffragist movement, suffragists also advocated for African-American men and women's right to vote. This was because some of the suffragists were former abolitionists. However, some of the suffragists did not believe in racial equality, and others distanced themselves from the cause to keep or gain the support of those communities or politicians who did not support equal rights for African Americans.

After women’s suffrage was granted, feminism became more inclusive and feminists started to support the movements for the rights of African Americans and LGBTQ people. Some members of these movements also defined themselves as feminists and fought for women’s equal rights.

However, the movements were not always compatible. For example, some historians have pointed out the sexism in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Although many African-American women stood out as important figures in the movement, the civil rights community was mostly led by men who often did not subscribe to the idea of gender equality.

In a similar manner, prominent feminist figures such as Germaine Greer or Sheila Jeffreys have made controversial comments about transgender topics, basically sending the message that transgender politics are not compatible with their idea of feminism.

However, as the concept of intersectionality spread into the broader culture, feminism and the fight for minority rights began to intersect more and more.

The civil rights movement

Starting in the mid-50s, the civil rights movement was a mass protest movement which fought to obtain legal and civil rights for African Americans, calling for an end to racial segregation and discrimination.

The movement included numerous important events, starting in 1955 wit...