Homophile Movement In The 1960s Essay

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GAY LIBERATION ERA
ABSTRACT
This paper discusses the liberation era of the gay community. It will examine the history of social acceptance, the challenges faced and the progression of societal views towards the gay agenda.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.Introduction
2.History
3.Societal hindrances
4.Progression
5.Breakthrough
6.Conclusion

Homosexual individuals have always lived in fear of being found out, shamed and discriminated for their sexual orientation. Since the later years of the 19th Century there have existed activist movements and campaigns towards social and legal reforms. The homophile(the term ‘homophile’ was later replaced by ‘homosexual’) movement, formed and popularized in Western Europe, was a collective of activist groups which operated from the late 19th century through 1970s. During the 60s a new group, the Gay Liberation Movement, was formed in New York as a result of the Stonewall riots.
Even though the homophile movement had made great strides sensitizing gay subculture in the early 20th century, their efforts were overshadowed by the events of World War I in the 1920s through to the 30s.
Germany, being the heart of homosexual culture, had gone from being the most favorable place to be as a gay person to being the most dangerous after being overrun by the Nazi. Following the end of the war, activist groups began to re-form in several countries across Europe and the US. The first of these organizations was the Dutch COC in 1946 which gave birth to branches in other countries including Sweden and Norway and later paved way for the formation of independent organizations within their respective countries. The homophile group in France, Arcadie, believed that hostility towards homosexuality would subside if homophiles could prove themselves to be discreet and respectable rather than being promiscuous(Sibalis
267).

In the mid 60s, the US had joined the movement and was forming visible homophile communities which actively participated in demonstrations and picketings all to identify themselves as homosexuals to the public for the first time. The gay community was faced with harassment, particularly from the local government led by New York’s then-mayor Robert Wagner. In preparation for the World’s Fair in 1964, Wagner managed to get a court order that would revoke the liquor licenses of bars that served alcohol to homosexuals. Consequently, the gay scene in New York was run by the mafia who were the only ones with enough power and resources to operate gay bars and clubs. However, it was later established that this law stipulated by the New York State Liquor Authority was not a ban on serving liquor to homosexuals but rather a law prohibiting disorderly behavior in bars and was later overturned upon a legal action suit against the SLA. The emergence of the San Franciscan Society of Individual Rights(SIR) in 1964 saw the opening of the US’s first gay and lesbian community center in in 1966 which had acquired up to 1000 members within two years after its opening.