Late Victorians Richard Rodriguez Analysis

As the years have gone by, you can see the change of how gays and lesbians are widely seen in mostly every tv show or movie in today’s society. This is something most of our own parents didn’t even grow up seeing gays throughout the media. Living in today’s time period, you’re able to see how the influence has changed the way people see gays and lesbians. The nation has become more accepting of the gay and lesbian culture verses back in the days of when our parents and even grandparents were our age. Not only was is rare to see homosexuals on television, it was portrayed negatively, and now you can see it portrayed positively.

In the essay by Judith Butler, Besides Oneself: On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy, she describes the social norms of society slowly changing and designing new social norms of society by the awareness of Gays,

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

Even though Sullivan and Rodriguez have different backgrounds, their families support them both. Andrew Sullivan proved that his family was more than willing to accept his love for another man by saying, “And when we finally got married, a few years later and our mothers walked us down the makeshift garden aisle, and my sister gave the reading through tears […] “my father put his arms around me and hugged, I did not hear civilization crumble.” (254) When Sullivan’s parents showed they were proud and happy for him, it was all he needed. This proved to me that there are parents out there who continue to support their child even when others believe that homosexuals should not have the right to love. Similarly, Rodriguez believed his parents showed acceptance when he says, “My mother has seen me and she waves me in. […] (Have they, after all, known my secret for years and kept it, out of embarrassment, not knowing what to say?) Families accept often by silence. My father opens the door to welcome me in. Even though Rodriguez’ family is more conservative; they also accepted his sexuality. I believe this similarity is important because it gives relief to young adults who are thinking

“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

Two Diaries, Donald Vining’s A Gay Diary Vol. Two and Martin Duberman’s Gay in the Fifties look into the everyday life of gay males in the post-World War II Era. While World War II increased freedom for men to sexually explore within the male community, post-World War II extended the freedom of exploration but also created a subsequent backlash against homosexual practices. Vining and Duberman’s diaries document an extension of gay freedoms in the post-World War II period. Although Vining and Duberman give contrasting accounts of their lives as gay males in the postwar period, common themes could be drawn in the form of friendships, sexual activity, relationships, and backlash by heteronormative society.

For New York’s gay and trans communities the 1960’s marks a turning point in their history; Sodomy had been reduced to a misdemeanour, with a maximum sentence of six months in prison, the anti-gay accommodation rules of the New York State Liquor Authority had been overturned, allowing homosexuals to congregate and be served alcoholic beverages in bars, The American Psychiatric Association reclassified

George Chauncey’s Gay New York Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World 1890-1940, goes where no other historian had gone before, and that is into the world of homosexuality before World War II. Chauncey’s 1994 critically acclaimed book was a gender history breakthrough that gave light to a homosexual subculture in New York City. The author argues against the idea that homosexual men lived hidden away from the world. Chauncey’s book exposes an abundant culture throughout the United States, especially in New York. In this book Chauncey not only shows how the gay population existed, but “uncovers three widespread myths about the history of gay life before the rise of the gay movement which was isolation, invisibility, and internalization.” Chauncey argues against these theories that in the years 1890-1940, America had in fact a large gay culture. Chauncey book is impactful in the uncovering of a lost culture, but also works as an urban pre-World War II history giving an inside view of life in the city through sexuality and class.

In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people

Gay men and women in the 1940s learned very early on in life just how detrimental it was to keep their homosexual identities a secret. It was not as simple as playing a fun, innocent game of secret identity, but rather a tactic employed to avoid the violence, the discrimination, and the many other ways that heterosexual Americans attacked homosexual Americans. Hiding their true selves was the only way for gay people to ensure their safety in at least one manner during the 1940s. In The Evening Crowd at Kirmser’s, Ricardo Brown implicated the secretive nature of gay men in the 1940s as imperative to their survival. Brown continually acknowledged the challenges accompanying the concealment of their true identities and divulged some of the various complications that arose both within and outside of the gay community, contributing to the need for their secrecy.

I will be writing about George Chauncey’s Gay New York. In this text, George Chauncey seeks to restore that world to history, to chart its geography, and to recapture its culture and politics by challenging three widespread myths about the history of gay life before the rise of the gay movement. These include the myths of isolation, invisibility and internalization. The homosexual community is considered a subculture to the heterosexual community, which identifies as the dominant culture. George Chauncey wants to know why the dominant heterosexual culture often misinterprets the heterosexual subculture. He also talks about the assumptions the dominant culture carries about sexuality and culture. I believe there are two reasons the dominant culture misinterprets and make assumptions about the homosexual community; these two reasons consist of religious beliefs and social stigma of the dominant culture towards the subculture.

Within modern-day America, there are certain societal standards based on sexual relationships. Within the poem, the narrator, a young woman, questions why she has to “wear the brand of shame; /whilst he amid the gay and proud/still bears an honored name” (Harper 26-28). Within her poem, Harper exposes the hypocrisy of the

For many years, homosexuality has been negatively viewed and criminalized by many societies due to religious and political beliefs. However, LGBTQ issues have been raised and have slowly been accepted. In the autobiography, When We Rise: My Life in the Movement, the gay activist, Cleve Jones narrates his involvement in the chronicle events that impacted the LGBTQ movement, as well as his hilarious adventures throughout Europe and passionate stories about his relationships with friends and lovers. In his detailed memoir, Jones provides an inside perspective on the history of the LGBTQ rights, essentially emphasizing that community’s perseverance and resilience can overcome the impossible. Jones’ autography is an excellent example that illustrates how moral entrepreneurs and moral panics construct and deconstruct

The climate of the 1960s was turbulent. This decade was marked by many political movements, which reflected support for non-establishment themes. During this time the “sexual liberation movement” became a popular cause. This intensified social and political interest helped many disadvantaged groups to receive support and attention that previously had never been received. As part of the nation’s desire for sexual political liberation, gay liberation became visible.

And though this script is about homophobic hate crimes and a gay man, the message is relevant to any minority group. Asians, females, African Americans Hispanics, all have felt these human rights desecrations in the United States. The sad reality is that this are not events that took place in the 50s or 60s; sexism, homophobia, and racism are still a problem in the current world and episodes like this makes sure people do not forget. Shepard’s tragic death is still a painful reminder of how, regardless of the advancement the gay rights movement has garnered over the years, homophobia remains prevalent in the society not only in the United States but also other parts of the world (Tigner, 2002). Incumbent President Barack Obama signed into law a bill that was in favor of gayism. The bill allows all people to choose their sexuality without discrimination. Such practices are prohibited by certain communities especially conservatives.