I came upon a quote from Donald Hall’s book, Queer Theories, more than three weeks ago that is a perfect way to introduce my questions. Hall writes that “There would be no popular and effective lesbian and gay rights movement today without a process of historical data recovery, which opens up the possibility of affirming contemporary lives by looking backwards over time to find that we are not alone in our experiences of oppression and struggles for acceptance.” (Hall 22). With that, my questions for this second blog post is the following: why is it important for contemporary queer activists to know and understand queer history? What examples from the past are especially important to consider? Why? When becoming any kind of activist, the first thing that needs to be accomplished is to know the background behind the movement. It is no different for those who participate in contemporary queer activism. Being educated on the historical context on LGBTQIA+ rights will not only give the information but guide the spark already given to the activist.
The common phrase I hear when I see or meet someone who does not identify as heterosexual and/or with the gender assigned to them at birth is that when they realized they were different, they felt alone. These human beings thought nobody would understand them or that there is nobody in their communities who identify the way they do. Take Kelli Peterson from the documentary in class, Out Of The Past. Kelli told the camera crew about when she realized that she was a lesbian. She felt alone since her local community and the state of Utah are generally conservative. It caused her to develop depressions and suicide, and once Kelli knew that she was not alone in this journey, her activism became stronger, even when she thought she would never become an activist.
I relate to part of that story to a section of Leila Rupp’s book, Becoming A People. In Chapter Six, Leila Rupp takes us back to World War II. She writes, “From the very beginning of wartime mobilization in 1941, attempts to eliminate homosexuals from the ranks of fighting men called attention to their existence.” (Rupp 134). Even in the 1940s men and women were confused about their sexuality and realized that they were different as men and women were housed with their own sex. They were alive in more conservative times than people like Kelli and myself, which is why this is so essential to consider. Of course, their activism stemmed from the prejudice they faced after being dishonorably discharged from the military, it would take longer for people who were not heterosexual to come out of the shadows.
Then it was hard to recruit for political advancements for people who identified as LGBTQIA+. John D’Emilio writes: “...that few gay men and lesbians were willing to affiliate with the movement.” (D’Emilio 4). This example shows that during the Homophile movement, it was more difficult to live your authentic life sexually and/or with the gender you want to identify yourself to. Depending on where you are from in this time period, of course, it can still be challenging. If anyone today from more conservative areas saw this or read D’Emilio and Rupp, it can spark the activist fire in bringing acceptance to their communities.
Let’s jump forward to 1969. While the Mattachine Society and Daughters’ of Bilitis gave people who identified as gay and lesbian a community during the Homophile movement, the Stonewall Riots is truly an event that to this day many people of the LGBTQIA+ community commemorate. In the book Queer Cultures, D’Emilio writes the following in his section, “After Stonewall”:
“Before Stonewall, the phrase had signified the acknowledgment of one’s sexuality to others in the gay world; after Stonewall, it meant the public affirmation of homosexual identity.” (D’Emilio 8). If it was not for that event, it would have taken an even longer time for the community to advocate for their political and societal rights. Rupp shares this same idea in her book:
“The events at Greenwich Village came to symbolize self-acceptance, pride, and resistance in contrast to assimilationist tendencies of the homophile movement.” (Rupp 177). This event inspired many people who do not identify as straight or with the biological gender to come out of the shadows and fight for their right to be with whoever they choose to be with. From then, it began to evolve from the movement it became today.
In the end, when people of the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies research the history behind the movement we participate in today, our spark for change grows even more. If it was not for the people who experienced the homophile movement after World War II and the brave folks who participated in the Stonewall riots, the LGBTQIA+ rights movement would have not gotten to the place it is now.
The common phrase I hear when I see or meet someone who does not identify as heterosexual and/or with the gender assigned to them at birth is that when they realized they were different, they felt alone. These human beings thought nobody would understand them or that there is nobody in their communities who identify the way they do. Take Kelli Peterson from the documentary in class, Out Of The Past. Kelli told the camera crew about when she realized that she was a lesbian. She felt alone since her local community and the state of Utah are generally conservative. It caused her to develop depressions and suicide, and once Kelli knew that she was not alone in this journey, her activism became stronger, even when she thought she would never become an activist.
I relate to part of that story to a section of Leila Rupp’s book, Becoming A People. In Chapter Six, Leila Rupp takes us back to World War II. She writes, “From the very beginning of wartime mobilization in 1941, attempts to eliminate homosexuals from the ranks of fighting men called attention to their existence.” (Rupp 134). Even in the 1940s men and women were confused about their sexuality and realized that they were different as men and women were housed with their own sex. They were alive in more conservative times than people like Kelli and myself, which is why this is so essential to consider. Of course, their activism stemmed from the prejudice they faced after being dishonorably discharged from the military, it would take longer for people who were not heterosexual to come out of the shadows.
Then it was hard to recruit for political advancements for people who identified as LGBTQIA+. John D’Emilio writes: “...that few gay men and lesbians were willing to affiliate with the movement.” (D’Emilio 4). This example shows that during the Homophile movement, it was more difficult to live your authentic life sexually and/or with the gender you want to identify yourself to. Depending on where you are from in this time period, of course, it can still be challenging. If anyone today from more conservative areas saw this or read D’Emilio and Rupp, it can spark the activist fire in bringing acceptance to their communities.
Let’s jump forward to 1969. While the Mattachine Society and Daughters’ of Bilitis gave people who identified as gay and lesbian a community during the Homophile movement, the Stonewall Riots is truly an event that to this day many people of the LGBTQIA+ community commemorate. In the book Queer Cultures, D’Emilio writes the following in his section, “After Stonewall”:
“Before Stonewall, the phrase had signified the acknowledgment of one’s sexuality to others in the gay world; after Stonewall, it meant the public affirmation of homosexual identity.” (D’Emilio 8). If it was not for that event, it would have taken an even longer time for the community to advocate for their political and societal rights. Rupp shares this same idea in her book:
“The events at Greenwich Village came to symbolize self-acceptance, pride, and resistance in contrast to assimilationist tendencies of the homophile movement.” (Rupp 177). This event inspired many people who do not identify as straight or with the biological gender to come out of the shadows and fight for their right to be with whoever they choose to be with. From then, it began to evolve from the movement it became today.
In the end, when people of the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies research the history behind the movement we participate in today, our spark for change grows even more. If it was not for the people who experienced the homophile movement after World War II and the brave folks who participated in the Stonewall riots, the LGBTQIA+ rights movement would have not gotten to the place it is now.
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