Case Study Of The 1960's 'The Tea Room Trade'

Life for most homosexuals during the first half of the Twentieth century was one of hiding, being ever so careful to not give away their true feelings and predilections. Although the 1920s saw a brief moment of openness in American society, that was quickly destroyed with the progress of the Cold War, and by default, that of McCarthyism. The homosexuals of the 50s “felt the heavy weight of medical prejudice, police harassment and church condemnation … [and] were not able to challenge these authorities.” They were constantly battered, both physically and emotionally, by the society that surrounded them. The very mention or rumor of one’s homosexuality could lead to the loss of their family, their livelihood and, in some cases, their

“Sex was something mysterious which happened to married couples and Homosexuality was never mentioned; my mother told me my father did not believe it existed at all ‘until he joined the army’. As a child, I was warned about talking to ‘strange men’, without any real idea what this meant. I was left to find out for myself what it was all about.” Mike Newman, who was a child during the 1950s America recalls how homosexuality was perceived during the post-World War II era (F). This sexual oppression was not only in Newman’s household, but in almost everyone’s. While the civil rights movement began in the mid-1950s and ended late 1960s, the LGBT community started to come out of the closet slowly. The gay rights movement stemmed from the civil rights movement

What did the Tea Act Say? How did it impact the colonist and the East India Company? What is a monopoly and are they good or bad for consumers? How so?

The tea act was a tax on tea passed by the parliament to tax the colonists to pay off their debt from the french and indian war. The patriots were outraged by the tea act because they felt why should the British be able to tax us when we are all the way across the ocean. Ever since the tea act was passed in 1773 there have been hostilities had been near the breaking point. The colonists did not like that the British East India tea company was given an exclusive right to sell tea in America. Sam Adams organized the sons of liberty because he wanted to take down the unfair tax on tea. He and the sons of liberty dumped hundreds of pounds of tea into the harbor. This was one of the main events that lead up to the Revolutionary war.

Tea was a common and essential part of the colonists daily lives, but women were the main purchasers and consumers of imported British tea. When the Tea Act was passed in 1773, in areas of “ Edenton, North Carolina to Boston, Massachusetts, women vowed publicly not to drink tea” unless the egregious acts were repealed. “The choice by American ladies to say no to British tea had an immediate and powerful impact as in mid-eighteenth century because they were the main purchasers and consumers of imported tea.” The fact that they vowed collectively as a group that they would boycott imported tea expresses that women during the American Revolution had a fighting spirit that was undeniable. In addition, they were smart enough to realize that if

The decision of British ruler to tax the colonists was not a decision that the settlers approved and they demonstrate it in many occasions. Starting in 1764 with the sugar act, where products like coffee, tea, sugar wine were taxed, all through the stamp act and many others the British reign reaches its culmination with the tea act which was a last attempt by the parliament to assert its supremacy over the colonists. The tea act was an attempt by the English parliament to save the India Company from bankruptcy. They gave them the right to sell tea directly to the Americans and they reduced some duties. A move that the parliament thought to be winning and flawless was in fact one of the triggering reasons of the revolution. In fact, as the tax

Vining had a social sphere consisting of predominantly homosexuals due to his metropolitan location. Vining, a gay male living in Manhattan, had a very complex social life that consisted mainly of gay, white men. Vining frequently went to the theater, parties, and dinner with his gay friends, and he would constantly be in contact with at least one of his friends (Vining Diary, p. 9, February 5 1947). World War II placed men in all-male, close quarters and allowed them to sexually explore, so men in the postwar period sought an extension of this freedom to explore. Fortunately, cities in the postwar period afforded men this continuation (Allan Berube, Coming Out Under Fire). Rather than being trapped in a small town with community policing, cities allowed men to be

hedonistic urges. Later on Dixon points out “We are facing the loss of our generation…gay men lost to AIDS. What kind of witness will you bear? What truth telling are you brave enough to utter and endure the consequences of your unpopular message?” (Dixon 73-74).

Alfred Kinsey’s extensive research into sexual orientation has brought about some of the greatest and perhaps most controversial findings of the 20th century. His findings range from sexual activities to sexual orientation, including “facts” that were considered shocking at the time of their publication, such as 10% of men are gay and almost half men have had adulterous affairs, etc. Not only have they changed the ways people view sex and sexual ethnics in the U.S., but these findings are also still deeply embedded in the public imagination. However, a closer look at the great man’s research reveals some major flaws. Even though nobody has yet been able to replicate the research due to its magnitude, in the 21st century, we have other approaches to explore the same field, the results of which both confirm and challenge Alfred Kinsey’s findings.

Respondent has realized he is gay and has met a male companion who doesn’t reside with him presently, but someday might. Chastity testified that she feels weird around Respondent’s male companion. Psychologist, Dr.

Bob is a person who was walking down the hallway. When he arrives at history class, he completely zones out when the teacher talks about the Boston Tea Party. He panicked when he was doing his homework, realizing that he did not understand anything. Fortunately he read articles like this one to help him learn what he missed. The Dumping of Tea or the Boston Tea Party was an event in Boston, Massachusetts that helped spark the American Revolution.

Have you ever believed in something so strongly, that you risked something you loved for it? Our founding fathers did. I believe that the people of the American Revolution were a society of rebels because that's how our country started, certain acts of history can have influence on every day life, and because that's how we get our country to hear us.

John Howard in his 1999 book Men Like That: A Southern Queer History explores gay and transgendered male-male sexual desire and actions that goes beyond self- identification as being gay and includes those men that are “like” that and self -label as gay, as well as men who “like” that and engage in homosexual activity but do not consider themselves gay. Howard aims for a more accurate accounting of homosexual desire in Mississippi during the postwar years after World War II and through the mid 1980’s and does not want to “…simply…recuperate past figures previously lost to history, but also to

The Tearoom Trade Observation was an observational research on homosexual acts being performed in public restrooms during the 1960's by Laud Humphreys. Humphrey's dissertation titled Tearoom Trade was a study about where men go to experience same-sex encounters. Most of the studies encounters took place in public restrooms. After the publication of his book in 1970, although married to a woman, Humphrey felt comfortable enough to "come out" as one of the first sociologist that identified as gay.

The cost or the information gather did not outweigh the study benefits because those men lives could have be ruin if their names and address got out into the public that they are gay men. Mr. Humphrey intruded in those men personal space outside of the tearoom. He