Runni ng head: Hi s t or y of Gay Cul t ur e i n Amer i ca 1

Bl og Pos t One
Adr i enne Pai ge Maddox
Eas t Geor gi a St at e Col l ege
Chuck Br own
SOCI - 1101 / I nt r oduct i on t o Soci ol ogy
Sept ember 18, 2014









Hi s t or y of Ga y Cul t ur e i n Amer i ca 2



Same- s ex mar r i age i s not s omet hi ng t hat came about r ecent l y i t has
been goi ng on. Many hi s t or i ans agr ee t hat t her e has been evi dence of
homos exual act i vi t y f or decades . Same- s ex coupl es ar e known t o be
s car ed of comi ng- out do t o r el i gi ous peopl e and or gani z at i ons ar ound
t hem or t hat ar e i n t hei r l i ves . Some s ame - s ex coupl es have been i n
ps ychi at r i c war ds or as yl ums becaus e many peopl e vi ewed i t as
unnat ur al or t hought i t was an i l l nes s . I n t he ni net een- t went i es f ew
at t empt s wer e made t o hel p s uppor t t he Les bi an, Ga y, Bi - s exual , and
Tr ans gender communi t y ( LBGT) . Thes e coupl es f l our i s hed bef or e Wor l d
War I I i n ur ban ar eas . Dur i ng Wor l d War I I men and women wer e
f or mer l y i s ol at ed; i t al l owed LBGT coupl es t o meet as s ol di er s , war
wor ker s , and ot her vol unt eer s . They no l onger knew t he l i f e of j us t bei ng
i n a s mal l t own; t he y wer e now pos t ed wor l dwi de.
Ther e wer e many a dvances t owar d t he LBGT communi t y dur i ng t he
ni net een- f i f t i es and ni net een - s i xt i es ; many gr oups / or gani z at i ons wer e
f or med. The pr i mar y or gani z at i on acknowl edgi ng ga y men as an
oppr es s ed cul t ur al mi nor i t y was t he Mat t achi ne Soci et y, f ounded i n
ni net een- f i f t y by Har r y Ha y and Chuck Rowl and. Ot her i mpor t ant
homophi l e or gani z at i ons on t he Wes t Coas t i ncl uded One, I nc. , f ounded i n
ni net een- f i f t y t wo, and t he f i r s t l es bi an s uppor t net wor k, Daugh t er s of
Hi s t or y of Ga y Cul t ur e i n Amer i ca 3
Bi l i t i s , f ounded i n ni net een - f i f t y f i ve by Phyl l i s Lyon and Del Mar t i n.
Thr ough meet i ngs and publ i cat i ons , t hes e gr oups of f er ed i nf or mat i on and
out r each t o t hous ands . Thes e f i r s t or gani z at i ons s oon f ound s uppor t f r om
pr omi nent s oci ol ogi s t s and ps ychol ogi s t s . I n ni net een - f i f t y one , Donal d
Webs t er Cor y publ i s hed The Homos exual i n Amer i ca ( Cor y, 1951) ,
as s er t i ng t hat ga y men and l es bi ans wer e a l egi t i mat e mi nor i t y gr oup, and
i n ni net een- f i f t y t hr ee , Dr . Evel yn Hooker won a gr ant f r om t he Nat i onal
I ns t i t ut e of Ment al Heal t h ( NI MH) t o s t udy ga y men. Her gr oun dbr eaki ng
paper , pr es ent ed i n ni net een - f i f t y t hr ee , demons t r at ed t hat ga y men wer e
as wel l adj us t ed as het er os exual men, of t en mor e s o . But i t woul d not be
unt i l ni net een- s event y t hr ee t hat t he Amer i can Ps ychi at r i c As s oci at i on
r emoved homos exual i t y as an " i l l nes s " cl as s i f i cat i on i n i t s di agnos t i c
manual s . Thr oughout t he ni net een- f i f t i es and s i xt i e s , gay men and
l es bi ans cont i nued t o be at r i s k f or ps ychi at r i c l ockup and j ai l and f or
l os i ng j obs or chi l d cus t o dy when cour t s and cl i ni cs def i ned ga y l ove as
s i ck, cr i mi nal , or i mmor al ( Mor r i s ) .
Due t o t he ci vi l r i ght s movement abol i s hi ng di s cr i mi nat i on, s ame -
s ex coupl es began t o pr ot es t f or t hei r r i ght s t oo. T he f i r s t ga y r i ght s
demons t r at i ons t ook pl ace i n Phi l adel phi a and Was hi ngt on, DC, l ed by
l ongt i me act i vi s t s Fr ank Kameny and Bar bar a Gi t t i ngs . The t ur ni ng poi nt
f or ga y l i ber at i on came on J une 28, 1969, when pat r ons of t he popul ar
St onewal l I nn i n New Yor k' s Gr eenwi ch Vi l l age f ought back agai ns t
ongoi ng pol i ce r ai ds of t hei r nei ghbor hood bar . St onewal l i s s t i l l
Hi s t or y of Ga y Cul t ur e i n Amer i ca 4
cons i der ed a wat er s hed moment of gay pr i de and has been commemor at ed
s i nce t he 1970s wi t h "pr i de mar ches " hel d ever y J une acr os s t he Uni t ed
St at es . Recent s chol ar s hi p has cal l ed f or bet t er acknowl edgement of t he
r ol es t hat dr ag per f or mer s , mi nor i t i e s , and t r ans gender pat r ons pl ayed i n
t he St onewal l Ri ot s ( Mor r i s ) . Thi s l ed t o t he ga y l i ber at i on movement ,
s t ar t ed i n t he ni net een - s event i es . Women became f r us t r at ed at ot her
gr oups s uppor t i ng/ pr omot i ng LBGT r i ght s deci ded t o cr eat e t hei r own
or gani z at i on. Women f or med t hei r own col l ect i ves , r ecor d l abel s , mus i c
f es t i val s , news paper s , books t or es , and publ i s hi ng hous es . The y cal l ed f or
l es bi an r i ght s ; i n mai ns t r eam f emi ni s t gr oups l i ke t he Nat i onal
Or gani zat i on f or Women. Expandi ng r el i gi ous accept ance f o r ga y men and
women of f ai t h, t he f i r s t mi ni s t er , openl y ga y, was or dai ned by t he Uni t ed
Chur ch of Chr i s t i n ni net een - s event y t wo. Ot her ga y and l es bi an chur ch
and congr egat i ons s oon f ol l owed. Par ent s and Fr i ends of Les bi ans an d
Ga ys ( PFLAG) , f or med i n ni n et een- s event y t wo, of f er ed f ami l y member s
gr eat er s uppor t r ol es i n t he ga y r i ght s movement . And pol i t i cal act i on
expl oded t hr ough t he Nat i onal Ga y and Les bi an Tas k Fo r ce, and t he
Human Ri ght s Campai gn ( Mor r i s ) .
Now i n t went y- f our t een, ni net een s t at es cons ent f or s ame- s ex
coupl es t o get mar r i ed; t hi r t y- one s t at es s t i l l have a ban on mar r i ages .
Peopl e have been s t ar t i ng t o put down t hei r bar r i er s , and become mor e
open- mi nded and accept i ng of ot her s , t hanks t o al l t he or gani z at i ons
s t at i ng i n t he ni net een - s i xt i es and ni net een- s event i es .