The Queer & Trans Alliance, formerly known as the Ten Percent Society,
is the name of the first
gay rights
Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality.
Notably, , 3 ...
organization in
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
created by students and faculty at the
University of North Dakota
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
in 1982. The organization gained its original name from a widely held (but false)
belief that scientist
Alfred Kinsey
Alfred Charles Kinsey (; June 23, 1894 – August 25, 1956) was an American sexologist, biologist, and professor of entomology and zoology who, in 1947, founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University, now known as the Kinsey Instit ...
's research in the 1940s and 1950s had stated that ten percent of the population was gay. While the organization had little early success, it started to foster an increased
tolerance
Tolerance or toleration is the state of tolerating, or putting up with, conditionally.
Economics, business, and politics
* Toleration Party, a historic political party active in Connecticut
* Tolerant Systems, the former name of Veritas Software ...
for gay people and a more active LGBT rights movement in
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
.
LGBT rights in North Dakota
In 1975, the North Dakota State legislature legalized private, adult, consensual and noncommercial homosexuality as part of a larger revision of the criminal code. It was during this decade, that an LGBT community was slowly becoming more visible in Fargo, North Dakota, as well as Grand Forks, North Dakota.
In 1982, University of North Dakota students, faculty and staff formed the "Ten Percent Society" to provide a social network for LGBT people and campaign for LGBT rights. A similar group was formed at North Dakota State University in Fargo.
Today, the Ten Percent Society is still a recognized student organization at the University of North Dakota under the name Queer & Trans Alliance.
See also
*
LGBT rights in the United States
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights in the United States are among the most socially, culturally, and legally permissive and advanced in the world, with public opinion and jurisprudence on the issue changing significantly si ...
*
List of LGBT rights organizations
This is a list of LGBT rights organizations around the world. For social and support groups or organizations affiliated with mainstream religious organizations, please see ''List of LGBT-related organizations and conferences''. For organizations ...
References
External links
University of North Dakota Queer & Trans AllianceNorth Dakota Human Rights Coalition
LGBT political advocacy groups in North Dakota
History of LGBT civil rights in the United States
University of North Dakota
1982 establishments in North Dakota
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