The Documentary Before Stonewall And The Gay Movement?
In the1920s, the gay population had to hide and use symbols to know the other person was also gay. An example of this was wearing a red tie or a matching tie and handkerchief. There were groups of gay and lesbian people gathering in bohemian neighborhoods. In these neighborhoods people could meet each other during parties. In these parties and sometimes bars and clubs there …show more content…
In the1930s bans on references to homosexuality in novels and film were made after much of the progress made in the 20s. All of the issues in the 30s affected the people including the gay community. In war gay men proving their masculinity. This was a way for them to show that they were not all effeminate and that they could also be patriotic. There was also tolerance of lesbians because they needed them. One woman mentioned how when they wanted to first open an investigation into the lesbians in her company, they realized that there were so many of them that they could not afford to remove all of them. Many people in the military were comforted by the fact that there were gays and lesbians from all over the country and that they were not alone.
In the 1940s bars where many gay and lesbian people met each other. After the war, gay and lesbian people began to settle in port cities. This not only allowed them to be away from their judging families but also gave them companionship amongst each other. People found out there were so many gay people from the Kinsey study that estimated that there were millions of gay people. This allowed the community to feel powerful and that they were less isolated …show more content…
Later on, the first group about homosexuality was created and it was seen as bold and courageous because of the dangers that they faced. Writing about homosexuality began to surface in magazines which allowed people to feel more united. People began researching them and showing the prevalence of homosexuality and how they could be well adjusted the same as a heterosexual person. At this time, homosexuals still faced their families disowning them. They would often be harassed in the streets so it was safer being masculine and feminine in their couples in order to pass as a heterosexual couple. It seemed men expressed more of a variety of masculine and feminine qualities than women at the time. These people were arrested a lot by
police who would trick them to arrest them. After the arrests, the police would publish their names in the paper and they would lose their jobs and be outed to their families.
In the 1960s with all of the civil rights movements, homosexuals began to feel the liberation. Since these groups were being militant and trying to fight for their rights there