What was gay rights like in the "early days"?

[wonderwort]

Obviously this question is for you older jubbers.

I'm a child of the late 80's and early 90's. I never saw any really agregious violations of gay men's rights.

We, for the most part, we treated equally in the eyes of the law.

What was gay rights like in the Sixties and Seventies?

 

[Kulindahr]

It's not that simple a division -- there are still places where it's not really safe to be gay. The only gay couple here that is known gets away with living here because one works as business partner to a guy who can lift the front end of a car off the ground with one arm, and the other is computer tech to a guy with enough clout that if either of them is hurt, there will be an investigation. Even so, they have a guard dog, a security system around their property, and a second security system on the house.

That's an improvement over when I came out, though -- back then, gays still were not unlikely to suffer "accidents" up in the woods doing things alien to them, to be found (if at all) months later in the bottom of a canyon. Shortly before I came out, a guy was beaten, every rib deliberately broken, because a guy at work though he was 'checking him out' -- and when my best buddy stepped in to tell them to lay off before they killed the guy, his reward was vandalism on his car.

I've had "Die fag!" written on my truck, two summers ago -- no trouble since then.

 

[JayQueer]

As difficult as it is to be a gay man in today's society, I'm glad and thankful that I live in the United States of America.

If I was living in India, I know I would have to be in the closet. It's next to impossible to be an out gay man in India. If you aren't physically harmed or killed, then the ridicule & ostracism not only by the public but by your own family -- will probably kill you.

I found a recent poll that said that 82% of Indians believe homosexuality to be immoral.

 

[chrisrobin]

As difficult as it is to be a gay man in today's society, I'm glad and thankful that I live in the United States of America.

You might be in "the majority of one."

If I [STRIKE]was[/STRIKE] were living in India...

Perhaps you should be.

I found a recent poll...

How recent? Which poll? I find the Czechs more reliable anyway.

82% of Indians believe homosexuality to be immoral.

Which tribe? I found a recent poll that said that Apaches are anti-gay.

 

[JayQueer]

OMG..........Chrisrobin.......you're so mean.....

 

[chrisrobin]

OMG..........Chrisrobin.......you're so mean.....

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[JayQueer]

You might be in "the majority of one."


Perhaps you should be.


How recent? Which poll? I find the Czechs more reliable anyway.


Which tribe? I found a recent poll that said that Apaches are anti-gay.

Chrisrobin, homophobia is a serious issue in India & it is no joking manner. Just last week, the health minister of India called homosexuality a "disease", "unnatural". and "brought over from the West".

The Telegraph (UK newspaper) reports:

"A recent countrywide survey by the CNN-IBN television news channel revealed that as many as 73 per cent of Indians believe homosexuality should be illegal.

The poll, which was conducted in urban neighbourhoods, showed that 83 per cent of respondents felt that homosexuality was not part of Indian culture whilst 90 per cent said they would not rent their houses to a gay or lesbian couple.

The majority of Indian homosexuals – many of whom still live with the parents – refer to their partners as “friends” for fear of being disowned by their families.
Many are forcibly married off, trapped in a cycle of pretence and deception and facing social ridicule if they attempted to come out.

And those who can live together do not advertise their sexuality, for fear of being evicted by landlords or preyed upon by the corrupt police who extort money from them on threat of exposure."


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...-persists-in-India-despite-court-reforms.html

 

[Kulindahr]

Sounds like Teabagger's wet dream!

Something like it.

I think there was a marked change when the Portland Pink Pistols started showing up at the big gravel pit near the summit where people come from miles around to shoot. No one was bashful about who we were, and I saw some attitudes change while we were there. There was at least one outright statement of "Gay guys that shoot -- maybe you guys are okay", with amazed shakes of the head. And of course the inevitable lame joke, "Hey -- even gay guys have to shoot straight!"

 

[Kulindahr]

As difficult as it is to be a gay man in today's society, I'm glad and thankful that I live in the United States of America.

If I was living in India, I know I would have to be in the closet. It's next to impossible to be an out gay man in India. If you aren't physically harmed or killed, then the ridicule & ostracism not only by the public but by your own family -- will probably kill you.

I found a recent poll that said that 82% of Indians believe homosexuality to be immoral.

Maybe we need a new immigration law, and a new verse for the Statue of Liberty --

Give me your bi, your queer,
your lustful faggots yearning to breathe free.....

 

[Kulindahr]

You might be in "the majority of one."


Perhaps you should be.


How recent? Which poll? I find the Czechs more reliable anyway.


Which tribe? I found a recent poll that said that Apaches are anti-gay.

Well, we have a new nominee for "Most Moronic Post of the Year".

 

[NineOfClubs]

I was an early member of Queer Nation.

It was the very late 80's.

We were trying to force gay acceptance by going out in loud gay and lesbian groups to "straight" shopping centers and ordinary bars, to mix with the heteros and get them to notice.

"We're here, we're queer, get used to it".

Fun days....

 

[JayQueer]

I was an early member of Queer Nation.

It was the very late 80's.

We were trying to force gay acceptance by going out in loud gay and lesbian groups to "straight" shopping centers and ordinary bars, to mix with the heteros and get them to notice.

"We're here, we're queer, get used to it".

Fun days....

NineOfClubs, did you see the video of the lesbians at Smith College protesting anti-gay author & activist, Ryan Sorba?

Lesbians are so awesome. I seriously think lesbians have 'more balls' than us gay men do.......As Margaret Cho says, if it weren't for lesbians, gay men would still be hiding out at truck stops on the New Jersey turnpike.....

Everyone, watch this video.........

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNQz57-yYE[/ame]

 

[NineOfClubs]

I disagree. Lesbians brought down Queer Nation by insisting we be more inclusive and PC.

 

[JayQueer]

I disagree. Lesbians brought down Queer Nation by insisting we be more inclusive and PC.

Okay, well then what did you think of the video of the lesbians at Smith College (above)?

I don't know of any instances of groups of gay men (with no lesbians/transgender/etc present) protesting against anti-gay people.

 

[pat grimshaw]

(Dear Larry, I suppose it makes sense that you come to the CE&P to ask about life in the Sixties and Seventies…and I suppose it's unfortunately typical that it went off-topic for 12 posts)

 

[NineOfClubs]

(Dear Larry, I suppose it makes sense that you come to the CE&P to ask about life in the Sixties and Seventies…and I suppose it's unfortunately typical that it went off-topic for 12 posts)

Sorry. I wasn't out until the 80's, but my experience with Queer Nation is as foreign as anything from the 1920's.

 

[pat grimshaw]

… Queer Nation …

at least, that's in Wiki. I noticed some disagreement already in our history

http://www.justusboys.com/forum/showthread.php?p=7187251&highlight=stonewall#post7187251

http://www.justusboys.com/forum/showthread.php?t=342893&highlight=stonewall

I assume there are reliable histories available in libraries

 

[construct]

Obviously this question is for you older jubbers.

I'm a child of the late 80's and early 90's. I never saw any really agregious violations of gay men's rights.

We, for the most part, we treated equally in the eyes of the law.

What was gay rights like in the Sixties and Seventies?

Well, let's see. I graduated from college in 1980. I majored in theater at the University of Tennessee. The University of Tennessee was huge. It was about 10% of the population of Knoxville, maybe more, and it was quite liberal. And the theater department was more liberal than the rest of the college. So I was pretty much sheltered from any problems that might have arisen from being gay. But then, I didn't know I was gay. Other people knew I was gay, but I didn't.

Of course, Tennessee had a sodomy law. There were no protections from discrimination. There were no hate crime laws. There was no legal recognition of gay relationships. I can't think of anything that there "was"! I also don't recall even hearing about any gay organizations at all until after I had graduated and moved to Texas.

But ideas about gayness among the theater crowd were wrapped up in attitudes about sex generally. Sexual liberation included gay liberation. I'm not sure that many really cared about marriage to start with, so why should gay people? And sex wasn't given a whole lot of weight either. Nobody really cared what you did, or for that matter what you didn't do. I might have cared about whether I was gay, but nobody else did.

Then there were the drugs. I didn't know many people who hadn't at least experimented with various drugs. People were much more concerned about getting busted for drugs than they were about getting busted for sodomy.

I'm sure I'm making this sound like some kind of hippy commune, but it sort of had that feel to it. The late 1970s for me were a different time with very different issues, attitudes, and problems. I can't separate "gay rights" out for comparison with "gay rights" today, I don't think.

Or maybe I'm not really sure what your question is.

 

[wonderwort]

I thank anyone that worked in any way to push the "homosexual agenda"........

Thank you!!!!!

 

[BostonPirate]

Obviously this question is for you older jubbers.

I'm a child of the late 80's and early 90's. I never saw any really agregious violations of gay men's rights.

We, for the most part, we treated equally in the eyes of the law.

What was gay rights like in the Sixties and Seventies?

Before I answer, I have a few questions on your perspective so I can understand where you are coming from and what you want to know...

Do you have the right to marry where you Live?

Are you protected from hate crimes in your state?

Are you protected from being fired for being gay?

Are you openly gay and out of the closet, at least to your family and friends?