How did we get this far?
10-01-2012, 09:57 PM
Well as a brief overview of Western attitudes towards homosexuality. The earliest movement towards progressivism was by some of the late 19th century sexologists and psychologists who pushed towards a medicalized definition of homosexuality, rather than a criminal one. Some of them went so far to argue that homosexuality was an unfortunate but harmless affliction. These people gained a lot of traction on the Continent in certain places like Paris and Berlin.
In the early 20th century you have the beginning of activism by actual homosexual people. These tended to brand themselves as "homophile" associations, that promoted a normalizing blending in. They were big in the UK and USA, and they were composed mostly of upper-class, white, rich gays and lesbians. In a sense these were the kind of people who promoted discreet lifestyles and fostering a general indifference towards gays and lesbians. These associations were sort of alienated from the bar culture where much of the oppression of gays and lesbians was directed, they also refused to acknowledge anyone who couldn't fit into being "normal."
In the post war period sexual transgression starts to be embraced by an intellectual counter-culture in the West. The first wave of this is a growing acceptance of pre-marital sex and women's liberation. In the US, especially, you start to see the development of civil rights groups, often based around college and art communities. Then the Stonewall Riots occurred, where drag queens and other bar patrons resisted a police raid. In the US, Stonewall became one of the major turning points which motivated a wider spread activism. "Pride" marches started as a result largely of the post-Stonewall movement.
In the 80s and 90s the AIDS crisis resulted in the foundation of radical movements like ActUp, which promoted condom use and community activism. The development of community centres, information networks, and such were a hallmark of this period.
When the fear of the AIDS crisis started to subside, and gays became mainstream enough that politicians no longer refused to be seen in public talking about us, the push for marital rights sort of came to the centre of the debate. At the same time we have seen lobby groups develop, and have pushes for gay rights in schools and the like.
In the early 20th century you have the beginning of activism by actual homosexual people. These tended to brand themselves as "homophile" associations, that promoted a normalizing blending in. They were big in the UK and USA, and they were composed mostly of upper-class, white, rich gays and lesbians. In a sense these were the kind of people who promoted discreet lifestyles and fostering a general indifference towards gays and lesbians. These associations were sort of alienated from the bar culture where much of the oppression of gays and lesbians was directed, they also refused to acknowledge anyone who couldn't fit into being "normal."
In the post war period sexual transgression starts to be embraced by an intellectual counter-culture in the West. The first wave of this is a growing acceptance of pre-marital sex and women's liberation. In the US, especially, you start to see the development of civil rights groups, often based around college and art communities. Then the Stonewall Riots occurred, where drag queens and other bar patrons resisted a police raid. In the US, Stonewall became one of the major turning points which motivated a wider spread activism. "Pride" marches started as a result largely of the post-Stonewall movement.
In the 80s and 90s the AIDS crisis resulted in the foundation of radical movements like ActUp, which promoted condom use and community activism. The development of community centres, information networks, and such were a hallmark of this period.
When the fear of the AIDS crisis started to subside, and gays became mainstream enough that politicians no longer refused to be seen in public talking about us, the push for marital rights sort of came to the centre of the debate. At the same time we have seen lobby groups develop, and have pushes for gay rights in schools and the like.
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