LGBT History Month 2010 Historic Facts
by Hilary Koe
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Posted 28 February 2010:
Martin Niemöller's poem
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out - because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out - because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me - and there was no one left to speak out for me."
This is the last of my posts for LGBT History month and it not so much a piece of history as a comment upon it. Many people will be familiar with this poem but I think (hope) it bears repeating regularly to remind us of the danger of inaction; of assuming that we are safe & there is nothing left to fight for; &, most of all, of standing by whilst others are oppressed. We are lucky to live in a country where LGBT people have gained significant rights and protections (if sometimes only in theory). If history can teach us anything it is not to be complacent about what we have. As a community, we have to carry on fighting to make sure we can ALL enforce those rights, or they are meaningless. At the same time, we should perhaps remember that we live in a global world. It still contains plenty of places where people like us have no rights; where we could be hounded, imprisoned, murdered, or even executed; & where no-one would stand up to protect us. I'm not suggesting that everyone should take responsibility for changing the world, but perhaps it would be a good start if we all realised that the world still needs changing.
Brief history of the poem – Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) was a German pastor who at first supported Hitler because of his anti-communist policy. However, he later altered his views because of Hitler's insistence that the Nazi State should control German churches & religion. He was arrested in 1937,but survived to be released from the Dachau concentration camp in 1945. After the war, he expressed deep regret for not having opposed Hitler earlier, and became a committed pacifist and anti-nuclear campaigner. There are many versions of the poem. Although, this is apparently the one he preferred, the specific groups mentioned are obviously less important than the message they convey.
The LGBT History Month websiteis a good place to start if you are interested in finding out more about any aspect of LGBT History.
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Posted 25 February 2010:
UK doctors' pioneering surgery for FTM & MTF transsexuals in the 1940s and early 50s
The first full FTM (involving construction of an artificial penis) was Michael Dillon. Dr Harold Gillies, a pioneer of plastic surgery, had developed the necessary techniques in the course of treating injured veterans of WWII. He performed at least 13 operations on Dillon over a period of 3 years (1946-49), but had to disguise the fact that he was performing sex-reassignment surgery.
Dillon went on to qualify as a doctor & wrote probably the first book on transsexuality (although the word was not invented until later). He made the same arguments as had been made earlier for homosexuality – that is, that transsexuality is an innate physical condition, which cannot be altered by psychiatry or psychoanalysis. This provides the medical - & philosophical – justification for surgery because, as he said: “where the mind cannot be made to fit the body … the body should be made to fit, approximately at any rate, to the mind”. Sadly, altho he had achieved the male body he so desired, he was never able to consummate a relationship with a woman.
Roberta Cowell, the first full post-operative MTF actually contacted Dillon for help, having read his book. Born Robert, he apparently led a 'normal' heterosexual, male-identified life (including fathering children) without problems. However, the break-up of his marriage after he returned from being a prisoner-of-war in WWII caused depression, which led him to consult several psychiatrists. One of these identified him as repressing his feminine side. Later tests revealed that he had abnormally high levels of female hormones (so much so that doctors were surprised that he appeared outwardly so masculine). Having decided that his best option was to continue his life as a woman, he was prescribed hormones for the next two years, & apparently was pronounced a woman by a leading doctor both before any surgery had occurred, & whilst he was still living mainly as a man! Very different from today's practice, but obviously then there was no accepted path to changing sex.
It was not until after the first of her operations (which took place in 1950-51), that Roberta was revealed to the world instead of Robert (altho, by then she had successfully applied to have her birth certificate altered). Eventually, these would complete the process of making the body to fit the mind, described by Dillon.
Click here for more information about Roberta Cowell.
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Posted 24 February 2010:
The Well of Loneliness: thank goodness lesbian books no longer have to be so miserable
In 1928, Radclyffe Hall published 'The Well of Loneliness', a depressing novel about 'Stephen' Gordon, a mannish lesbian. The book was designed as a plea for acceptance of 'inversion' - as homosexuality was then known - as a natural impulse one is born with, rather than a deliberate immoral choice. Opinions remain divided over its literary merit but it had huge significance as a means of raising awareness of female homosexuality. Ironically, it was the successful censorship of it which gained the most publicity. This was the result of a moral panic stirred up by the then editor of the Sunday Express. He described the book as “designed to display perverted decadence as a martyrdom” & wrote that, he "would rather give a healthy boy or a healthy girl a phial of prussic acid than this novel.” His attitude was supported by the Home Secretary, another conservative Christian. Interestingly, most other newspapers reviewed the book positively, & it also had the support of some leading figures of the time. It is worth noting that the closest it comes to describing sexual activity is: “& that night, they were not divided”. Nevertheless, it was held to be obscene in a subsequent court case. NB - the defence lawyer started off by arguing that the relationships between women described in the book were all platonic, but had to quickly alter his approach when Hall threatened to stand up in court and contradict him! The appeal panel upheld the decision in less than 5 minutes, without actually reading the book (the Director of Public Prosecutions refused to release copies for them!). The book continued to be published abroad, & in 1949 it was reprinted in the UK without challenge. As far as I know, it has never been out of print since then, & continued to be read by many lesbians in the process of coming out until very recently, despite having being described as 'the most depressing lesbian novel ever written”. You can read some of the letters collected by the prosecutor against the book and recently released from the National Archive. They are collected in a Radclyffe Hall documentat the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month UKwebsite.
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Posted 22 February 2010:
Ellen DeGeneres - now the most famous lesbian in the world?
Ellen has achieved a number of entertainment firsts. She played the first title character to come out on a primetime TV show ('Ellen' 1994-1998). She came out in real life at the same time. Early critical acclaim waned & there was an organised backlash from right-wing, conservative, religious groups. The show was pulled the following year. She is also the first openly lesbian woman to host a syndicated daytime chat show in the US ('The Ellen DeGeneres Show' 2003 to present) Okay she doesn't get as many viewers as Oprah, but who does? She recently broadcast her 1000th show. She was the first openly gay person to host the Oscar ceremonies (2007). However, most importantly, she has recently received perhaps the most resounding endorsement of all: she's the first openly gay person to become judge on American Idol (Feb 2010). If Simon Cowell endorses her, can her world takeover be far away?
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Posted 21 February 2010:
The long road to equality for gay sexual partners
In 1957, the Wolfenden Report recommended that gay sex should no longer be completely outlawed. 10 years later the Sexual Offences Act 1967 was passed, after several earlier attempts. Altho' it is often quoted as legalising gay sex, in fact the act only partially decriminalised it. Buggery and gross indecency between men remained illegal except where the act was (a) consensual, (b) in private, & (c) the participants were at least 21. The age of consent for heterosexuals (& lesbians) was 16. The definition of 'private' meant that only 2 men could take part & no-one else could be present. The courts interpreted this to mean not only that another person could not be present in the same room, but that no-one could be present in the same building. So, for example, 2 men could not have sex in a hotel room; or even in a private house, if someone else was in another room. Furthermore, any toilet to which the public could have access was - excluded from being private. [At least, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, everyone is now prohibited from having sex in a public toilet.]
The offences of buggery & gross indecency were finally repealed entirely by the 2003 Act. Some people might argue that, 46 years is not such a long time in terms of achieving such momentous legal changes. This would be small comfort to people who endured more than half a lifetime waiting.
Note – the man mainly responsible of for getting the 1967 Act passed was Leo Abse, MP. When he died in 2008, an article in The Daily Mail referred to him as a 'dangerous dandy' for doing so. It also described the 1967 act as 'now coming under increasing moral scrutiny' 31 years after it became law, & after all the subsequent legislation! You can read the article in MailOnline.
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Posted 20 February 2010:
Victim – some historical context
Victim was the first British film to use the word 'homosexual' in the script (it failed to be released in the US when it first came out for this reason). It was also the first film to portray gay men sympathetically. It has been criticised for failing to go further and advocate for them. I think this would have been impossible at the time, & it should be regarded as an incredibly brave move by all those involved. It should also be seen one of the first attempts to bring the problems that gay men faced to the attention of the wider public. For this reason, it is also part of the history slow liberalisation of social attitudes which occurred between 1957 & 1967, resulting in the historic first step towards the decriminalisation of gay sex. Many people think that it helped to cause the change in attitudes. The following post is an attempt to explain the social / legal context in which it was released & why it is an important part of LGBT history
The 1957 Wolfenden Report had recommended that consensual homosexual acts between males - in private – should be decriminalised (partial decriminalisation only, occurred 10 years later). This was not because the authors believed that homosexuality should be regarded as morally or socially acceptable; rather it was because the law should not intrude into areas of 'private morality & immorality'. Social attitudes were changing in the late 1950s / early 1960s, and some people were beginning to feel sympathy for gay men, often on the basis that homosexuality should be equated with a disease (as opposed to a deliberate immoral choice). Some police forces were also limiting the extent to which they prosecuted consensual gay sex for the same reason. However, sympathy for private suffering should not be equated with support for 'coming out of the closet' or gay rights. The whole point was to keep the closet door shut, so society did not pry into private lives – for obvious reason, it seems that the majority of gay men wanted the same thing. They were a long, long way from being either 'out' or 'proud'. Fear of being discovered dominated their lives. This was not just because they might be prosecuted, but because discovery would destroy their lives, even if they were not criminalised.
So, I think I would argue that the problem that Victim portrays is - very definitely - (male) homosexuality (i.e sexual preferences), as opposed homosexual sex (i.e. specific acts). The film provides an of the twilight nature of the world gay men moved in & out of at this time. It also shows the – often tragic - results of their all-consuming fear; something which may be almost impossible to imagine for people who have had the good fortune to grow up gay in a very different social / legal world. Dirk Bogarde plays a gay barrister (Melville Farr). When he receives letter from a young man with whom he has had a platonic relationship, he refuses to respond because he thinks it is a blackmail attempt. In fact, the man wants help because he himself is being blackmailed because of a picture which shows the two men together in a car, with him crying. When he is arrested for embezzling money to pay the blackmailers, his secret is discovered, & he knows that it is only a matter of time before he is forced to reveal Farr's identity. Rather than do so, he hangs himself to protect Farr. When Farr finds out, he decides to pursue the blackmailers, with the help of a sympathetic police officer (who believes the law should not be a 'Blackmailer's Charter'. This invites the audience sympathy for his predicament, & also his bravery (knowing that he faces social ruin by doing so). At the end of the film, the blackmailer's have been caught, but Farr - & the audience – know that the subsequent trial will ruin him. Despite this, his wife wants to stand by him but he asks her to leave because he doesn't want her to face what he will have to endure during the trial (although he would welcome her back afterwards).
For those of you who aren't able to get to Cinema City tonight, you can view clips on YouTube
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Posted 19 February 2010:
Justin Fashanu, the first - & only – out gay professional football player
Justin Fashanu started his career in Norwich, & became the first black player to be worth £1million when Brian Clough signed him for Nottingham Forest.
Although he was an extremely gifted player, in the macho culture of professional football he also had to deal with racism & homophobia (which also from within the black community, including his own brother, John). It is hardly surprising that he failed to live up to his undoubted talent. His career started to go downhill almost as soon as he moved to Nottingham Forest, where he encountered sustained homophobia from Clough, who apparently banned him from training with team at one point, & had him physically removed from the ground by the police! He was sold to another club less than 18 months later for only £150k.
By the time he came out officially in 1990, he was no longer playing top-flight football, & his career was further damaged by his erratic behaviour. He hanged himself in 1998, after being accused of sexual assault by a teenager in the US. His suicide note rejected the claim but indicated that he felt that he had already been convicted & did not stand a chance. Tragically, the US police had already dropped the investigation for lack of evidence when Justin killed himself. This did not stop The Daily Mail stating that there had been a warrant out for his arrest, & openly labelling him as a rapist in a story published in July (it could say anything it wanted to because you can't libel a dead person). If you want an example of the homophobic press that Justin had to deal with, you can read Brian Deer's vicious, spiteful, unsubstantiated & homophobic account of Justin's last days here: http://briandeer.com/justin-fashanu.htm.
It is telling that, 12 years later no other top professional footballers have come out. Graeme Le Saux, a straight player, revealed in his autobiography that the homophobic taunts & bullying he experienced – from both fans & his team-mates - almost drove him out of the game. Apparently, to other players, the fact that he did not want to be part of the laddish culture made him 'gay': indeed, a key piece of evidence was that he read The Guardian!! He has said that what he experienced would be a 100 times worse for a player who was actually gay, & that he doesn't believe it would be safe for anyone to come out until they know that they will be protected from homophobia by the FA.
Today would have been Justin Fashanu's 49th birthday. It was marked by the international launch of Football v Homophobia in Norwich. For more about the campaign, see: www.thejustincampaign.com. Last week was also supposed to mark the start of the Football Association's first ever anti-homphobia campaign via the launch of a short video about homophobia at matches. Regrettably, the ad campaign was pulled at the last minute but the FA has confirmed that it will be used in clubs for training stewards. The video is available in various places, including, www.youtube.com/user/KickItOutOfficial, where it has been viewed nearly 20000 times since being uploaded. Significantly, not a single top professional football player has endorsed it so far.
You can see a video clip of his spectacular 'Goal of the season' playing for Norwich against Liverpool in 1980 on YouTube.
The Justin Campaign was founded to demonstrate that ten years after Justin Fashanu's tragic suicide in 1998, homophobia is still hugely prevalent in the world of professional football.
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Posted 18 February 2010:
S28, lest we forget… [continued]
In 1988, this law made it illegal for local authorities to promote either homosexuality itself or teaching that it was acceptable as a 'pretended' family relationship. The history of how this came about was covered in yesterday's posts. Its effect was calamitous because the definitions were (deliberately?) so vague that no-one could be sure what was included. This meant that it was interpreted as widely as possible, resulting in withdrawal of funding from anything at all gay-related, not just things which might be seen as 'promoting' being gay (AIDS programmes, initiatives to tackle homophobic bullying, etc. etc.). It also gave homophobia an official stamp of respectability and implied that being gay is a choice not a fact.
As far as I know only one (unsuccessful) case was ever brought against a local authority under s28. However, the insidious climate of fear it created allowed its effects to be much deeper - & even more damaging - than could have been foreseen. On the positive side, although we were unable to act fast enough to stop it from being passed, its existence galvanised the LGBT community into action, resulting in campaigning groups which have survived its final repeal in 2003, and gone on to achieve huge steps forward.
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Posted 17 February 2010:
S28, lest we forget…
We have come a very long way in the last few years in terms of changes in society, and achieving legal equality for LGBT citizens in the UK & we should definitely celebrate. However, I would argue that we should also be careful not to assume that the battles have all been won, & our hard-won rights are completely safe. In particular, we should be concerned about the potential consequences of the recent rise of the BNP and other far-right organisations. If they pose a threat, we shouldn't wait to find out until it's too late to act effectively! S28 was a piece of homophobic legislation passed in 1988, which took 15 years to get repealed. During this time it had a hugely damaging effect on the lives of gay people (which I'll cover in tomorrow's post!).
It is important to realise that this law did not just appear from nowhere. It was the culmination of a right-wing backlash during a period in which many local councils had taken steps to reduce discrimination. Among other things, they resulted from gay rights activism, feminism, & general liberal/left-wing politics. The changes were often lumped together by right-wing politicians and newspapers of the time as 'loony left' policies. It was also affected by the fear & ignorance surrounding AIDS and its label as the 'gay plague'. The way it became law demonstrated the dangerous power of the media and aggressive, unthinking, prejudiced politicians. It also showed how easy it is easy to use this power to create a moral panic, regardless of reality.
By tapping into ignorance and prejudice, the moral panic generated by newspapers such as the Daily Mail convinced large numbers of ordinary people that their children were being placed in 'moral & spiritual' (& possibly physical) danger by people who wanted to undermine society and 'convert' others to their unacceptable lifestyle, resulting in a rise in attacks on gay people & organisations. In this context, homophobia was an extremely useful political tool for the Conservatives to attack Labour generally. We should consider whether we think that society has changed so much that homophobia couldn't be used effectively this way again, by a different party. Personally, I think I would argue not…
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Posted 16 February 2010:
Convicted for being gay 51 years ago, still a criminal in the eyes of the law
I hope to cover the (long & complex) history of decriminalising consensual gay sex in the UK – as well as the achievement of an equal age of consent for gay men, heterosexuals, and lesbians - in a later post. For today, I just want to refer you to the story of John Crawford to show how the consequences of historical oppression linger on, long after we think rights and/or equality have been achieved. John Crawford was convicted of buggery with another man in 1959, when the existence of consent was irrelevant to the charge. Today, there would be no crime to prosecute; and yet, 51 years later his offence remains on file; and he is legally obliged to reveal it as a sexual offence, for example if he wants to work with vulnerable people. Further details can be found in yesterday's Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/15/buggery-criminal-record). The story also includes details of the ordeals he suffered before being charged: a timely reminder of what the world was like in the 1950s and 1960s for people who have had the good fortune to grow up in a more accepting (or, at least, tolerant) world, & who perhaps don't realise just how hard the struggle for rights has been.
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Posted 15 February 2010:
Troubled triangles
The pink triangle is now widely seen as a symbol of the LGBT community. The black triangle is sometimes used to represent lesbians, but it is far less well-known. However, when we use these images it is important to understand their historical roots, because otherwise it can be argued that we are simply, unthinkingly, adopting the symbols of our own oppression. Both these signs have their roots in the concentration camps of the Nazi holocaust. Therefore, when we use them we all need to do so with a clear understanding that we are reclaiming them from the oppressors, and giving them a new, positive meaning.
Altho' most people are aware that the Nazis murdered 6 million Jews in the death camps, few seem aware of other victims. Non-Jews were marked by different coloured triangles. For male homosexuals, it was pink. Lesbians were not specifically criminalised but sometimes included under the 'antisocial' label, which also included prostitutes, vagrants, the workshy, alcoholics & people guilty of miscegenation. German law had outlawed sodomy since 1871 but during the 1920s gay men & lesbians had been able to live relatively openly as part of Berlin's artistic bohemian society (some sense of this world - & its eventual downfall - can be gained from the film 'Cabaret'). This all changed under the Nazis, who extended the criminal law to include any act of intimacy between men, much as the Labouchere amendment had done in the UK. Between 1933 and 1945 it is estimated that 100000 gay men were prosecuted; & that 10-15000 of them were sent to the camps, where only 4000 survived. Tragically - unlike other survivors – the end of the war did not end their suffering. Many were re-imprisoned under the new regime because the law did not change until 1969. They were also excluded from reparation. In 2000, the film 'Paragraph 175' told the stories of some of the few victims who were still alive. You can watch a trailer for the film on YouTube.
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Posted 14 February 2010:
Valentine's Gay
February 14th was Valentine's Day: a day on which couples can celebrate their love for each other by exchanging cards, chocolates, gifts, not to mention enormous quantities of hideously overpriced (mainly red) roses. Worldwide, it is the second biggest profit-generating holiday for greetings card manufacturers (after Christmas). Thanks to the power of the pink pound, we too can join in this celebration, because specifically gay / lesbian cards are now available in many countries. The latest country to join the rush this year was India. The Delhi High Court ruled last July that the prohibition in the Penal Code against 'unnatural offences' was in conflict with fundamental human rights where it outlawed consensual acts in private (thanks to Rowan for the info about India).
Some other gay Valentines's facts
1991 - In San Francisco, the first domestic-partner registrations took place on February 14.
2004 - the mayor of San Francisco ordered that same-sex couples should be allowed to marry at the City Hall. Following his decision, approximately 2000 gay marriages took place over the Valentine weekend. The first marriage was between long-term lesbian activists Phyllis Lyon (79) & Del Martin (83), who had been together for 51 years! Over 4000 marriage ceremonies were performed before it was ruled that the mayor had exceeded his powers.
2006 - Country music star, Willie Nelson, released his song Cowboys Are Secretly, Frequently (Fond of Each Other) on February 14. Release was timed to coincide with the film Brokeback Mountain (about 2 gay cowboys), but it was originally written in 25 years previously!
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Posted 13 February 2010:
The Rainbow Flag, a Symbol of Gay Pride
The first flag was designed in 1978 by a San Francisco artist, Gilbert Baker, apparently at the behest of Harvey Milk, because of the need for a visible community symbol, as part of the fight against discrimination. 2 flags were hand-dyed & stitched for that year's parade. They had 8 stripes & each colour represented an aspect of life: hot pink for sex; red for life; orange for healing; yellow for sun; green for serenity with nature; turquoise for art; indigo for harmony; & violet for spirit. This being the 1970s, there was clearly a 'hippy' theme to the meanings…The pink stripe was apparently dropped because suitable fabric wasn't available for mass production, & not because sex is unimportant to us!! It appears that the 6-striped version was created for practical reasons so the flag was symmetrical when hung vertically.
Gilbert Baker recreated the original 8-striped flag for the 25-year anniversary in 2003 (obviously he had a little help!). The flag was 1.25 miles long & 16 feet wide. It took between 2000 and 3000 volunteers to unfurl it in Key West, Florida, & it spanned the entire island. Sections of the flag were later sent to over 100 cities worldwide.
Today, the flag is recognised internationally as a symbol of gay pride and the diversity of our community, & it is not just flags that can denote it, almost anything can. For example, 6 pillars – one of each colour - were included in the redesign of Beaudry station in Montreal's gay village in 1999: a rare (& possibly unique) example of acknowledging the LGBT community in the design of a public building. You can see a photo at www.metrodemontreal.com/architecture.html if you scroll down.
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Posted 13 February 2010:
The first MP to come out as gay
Great Britain has a long, & inglorious, history of political sex scandals, including outing by the media of politicians who are perceived to be actually / potentially gay. However, not all politicians are forced out of the closet. In 1984, recently-elected Chris Smith outed himself at a protest rally against a local council's decision to abandon its policy of protecting gay people from employment discrimination. He said: “Hello, I'm Chris Smith, I'm the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury and I'm gay". He received a 5-minute ovation but the moment was not captured on TV: cameras were switched off because he was unknown, & not expected to say anything of note! Today, it is perhaps hard to realise what a brave move this was: as well as experiencing media harassment, at that time gay people had no legal protections. It is telling that Smith remained the only openly gay MP until after the 1997 election.
Currently, the Westminster Parliament has 646 MPs. If the number of gay & lesbian MPs reflected the proportion in the population as a whole (estimated at 6-9%) there would be 39-58. It seems quite hard to track down figures on openly gap MPs but I think there are 13 (8 Labour, 3 Conservative, 1 Lib Dem, & 1 Plaid Cymru); only one of these is female. There are no transsexual MPs.
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Posted 12 February 2010:
I am what I am (& not what you think I am)
In 1961, Arthur Corbett sought to have his marriage with April Ashley (a trans-woman who had undergone a full sex-change operation, including construction of an artificial vagina) annulled because she had been born a man. Evidence showed that, Corbett was fully aware of Ashley's past; & also that at all times he had regarded her as a woman. The judge's view of transsexuality trapped trans-people in a legal limbo: he said that it was possible for April Ashley to be a woman for pensions or national insurance purposes; but a man for marriage because 'marriage is a relationship which depends on sex and not on gender'. His judgment was riddled with inconsistencies and paradoxes, not least of which was that - following the operation - April Ashley could not have consummated marriage as a man. Essentially, he was saying that his view of her identity - based purely on her physical characteristics at birth - was more important than her own psychological gender identity, in which she lived, & was recognised.
The fight to overturn this decision took over 40 years and was fought through every court, including the European Courts. The UK parliament dragged its feet as long as it could, but eventually it passed the Gender Recognition Act of 2004. This finally gave trans-people the right to legal recognition of their gender identity, provided certain conditions are met. Later, the Sex Discrimination (Amendment of Legislation) Regulations 2008) also prohibited discrimination against them in the provision of goods, services, etc.
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Posted 11 February 2010:
Breaking through the 9pm watershed
Christmas Eve 1993 saw the first lesbian kiss in a soap opera, on primetime television (i.e. before the 9pm 'watershed'). It happened in Brookside when Beth Jordache (Anna Friel) finally declared her love for her friend Margaret Clemence (Nicola Stephenson) and attempted to kiss her. A proper (2-way) kiss occurred a few weeks later. Famously, it was cut from the omnibus edition that was broadcast at 5pm because it was seen as unsuitable for family audiences. In this context, it is worth noting previous episodes in which the 2 girls had been shown kissing and hugging in bed, and falling asleep in each other's arms had been regarded as unproblematic and 'sweet' by audiences, because there was no lesbian context; whereas when they were shown in bed after the kiss, letters of complaint were received because it was 'disgusting'. Apparently the producer did this deliberately to show up people's hypocrisy. If you would like to know more, you can find a detailed contemporary analysis of the significance of the lesbian storyline in Brookside and lesbian visibility on television in general by Nicki Hastie in 'You never see lesbians' at http://www.nickihastie.demon.co.uk/brooksid.htm.
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Posted 10 February 2010:
The 'Labouchere Amendment' or 'the Blackmailers' Charter'
Until 1885 sodomy was the criminal offence used to punish gay sex, & it could be punished by anything up to execution. There are numerous instances of it being used for this purpose. However, technically, it was the act which was criminal; not the relationship between - or the sex of - the participants: so anal sex between a man & a woman was also illegal. In 1885, a last-minute amendment to the Criminal Law Act went much further by outlawing any act of 'gross indecency' between men. It was described as a misdemeanour (as opposed to the much more serious felony) & the punishment was far more lenient (for its time); but the wording was so vague that almost any act of intimacy between two men could be prosecuted. Hence, it came to be called 'the Blackmailers' Charter'.
Oscar Wilde (who will be covered in a later post) was prosecuted under this law. After his release from prison - following 2 years hard labour - he wrote to a friend "… I have no doubt we shall win, but the road is long, and red with monstrous martyrdoms." He was right: the legislation remained in place for over 80 years.
Note - it is a (widely believed) myth that the 1885 law did not also criminalise similar acts between women because Queen Victoria did not believe that lesbians existed! There was an attempt to pass a similar law for women in 1921 but it was rejected. This was not due to liberal approaches to sexuality; rather, it was because of a fear that outlawing this behaviour would publicise its existence; and heaven knows what might have happened if respectable women had realised they could have sex with each other!!!
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Posted 09 February 2010:
Alan Turing – another reminder that gay people are part of everyone's history
Alan Turing was a mathematical genius, who is regarded as one of the fathers of computer science (the annual Turing award is regarded as one of the highest awards of its field). Among other things, he played a key role in breaking the German codes during the 2nd World War. He was also gay. Convicted of 'gross indecency', he was forced to undergo oestrogen treatment as an alternative to prison. The conviction led to the loss of his security clearance. It is widely believed that this, & the effects of the forced treatment, led to his suicide two years later at the age of only 41. Who knows what more he could have done, had he not been prosecuted? Last year, a petition led to an historic public apology from the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, for the way he had been treated for being gay; it also acknowledged his great achievements.
A plinth on his statue in Manchester sums it up perfectly: 'Father of computer science, mathematician, logician, wartime codebreaker, victim of prejudice'.
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Posted 08 February 2010:
Where did 'gay' come from?
Does Gay stand for 'Good As You'? Actually, there is no evidence that it derives from these words, altho' it's a good backronym (a phrase invented afterwards to fit the letters of a word). It's hard to define a point at which the primary meaning of 'gay' came to mean homosexual.
It originally meant happy, joyful, bright, carefree. However, even in the 17th century being carefree sometimes had the taint of immorality (enjoying oneself a little too much?); e.g. 'a gay house' was slang for a brothel, & a 'gay woman' a prostitute.
During the 20th century 'straight' & 'gay' were often used as opposites, signifying the settled, respectable (married) life, as opposed to more rebellious, carefree, disreputable (unmarried) ones. Hence, the 'gay bachelor' or 'gay divorcee' did not necessarily imply anything about a person's sexual orientation, although it could do. In the latter half of the century it came to be associated more & more with a particular sort of 'lifestyle rebellion'. Importantly, gay people also chose to claim it openly as a neutral or positive alternative to 'homosexual', or any of the numerous other derogatory words used to describe us. Today, it is hardly ever used simply to signify carefree, & is nearly always linked in some way to sexual orientation.
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Posted 07 February 2010:
Hidden in plain view?
Jazz musician, Billy Tipton, died at the age of 74 in 1989. At the inquest, it was revealed that he was a biological woman, who had lived most of his life as a transman. Although apparently never legally married, Billy had had 5 wives & adopted 3 sons: only his first wife knew that he had been born female. He began life as Dorothy Lucille Tipton & originally only passed as a man when playing, in order to be able to fit in with other musicians. However, by his mid-20s he lived life as a man full-time, & continued to do so for over 50 years. Interestingly, one of his biographers insisted that he was a woman who had simply become trapped in a male role because he had played it too successfully. However, the testimony of his ex-wives, children & many friends, made it clear that he was always a man psychologically.
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Posted 05 February 2010:
Update from 'across the pond': Everyone is equal but some are more equal than others…
5 US states currently allow same-sex marriage, & a number of other states recognise civil unions which offer all/most of the rights & benefits of marriage. However, the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - signed in by Clinton - prevents same-sex marriages being recognised between states. Additionally, at least 36 states have laws specifically banning gay marriage. During George W Bush's presidency there were 2 failed attempts to amend the US constitution itself to prohibit gay marriage.
Note - gay marriage was legal in California for only 5 months: California citizens then voted to amend the California Constitution to ban its recognition. A lesson for those people who think that once we have obtained rights we don't have to fight to prevent them being taken away again!!
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Posted 05 February 2010:
With this piece of paper I thee register…
The Netherlands was the first country to introduce same-sex marriage in 2001; but Denmark was the first country to introduce laws allowing civil unions, way back in 1989. The UK has allowed gay unions to be registered since 2005, via the Civil Partnership Act 2004. CPs offer pretty much the same rights as marriage. However, they are only available to gay couples; and marriage is only available to straight ones (altho' a straight couple are currently challenging this). Also, marriage involves a specific legal ceremony, whereas a CP can just involve signing the register.
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Posted 04 February 2010:
A lesbian by any other name, or even no name at all…
Anne Lister (1791-1840) left coded diaries which were not translated for nearly 150 years. The language was not available then for her to identify herself as a lesbian, but they revealed that she was completely identified as a lover of women, and ONLY women – in another time, she might have been a 'stone butch'. Her diaries record her flirtations, her lovers, their sexual relations, even how many orgasms they had. They also show the existence of what we might now call lesbian sub-cultures; and her attempts to understand the nature and causes of her identity.
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Posted 03 February 2010:
Could the UK learn something from S Africa?
South Africa is the ONLY country whose constitution bans both State & individual citizens from discriminating on grounds of sexual orientation. If anyone knows of another, please add! After the racist apartheid regime in South Africa was dismantled, a new constitution was adopted in 1996, which included protection for gay & lesbian citizens. It has been used to outlaw all of the following acts by the State: 1. banning gay sex; 2. refusing to allow foreign same-sex partners to settle in S Africa; 3. refusing to allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt; and 4. refusing to provide benefits to same-sex partners that were available to spouses. Legislation passed in 2000, goes further because it commits the government to promote equality on grounds of sexual orientation.
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Posted 02 February 2010:
'Treatments' and sexual orientation
Historically, LGBT people have not had a comfortable relationship with mental health professionals. The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) in 1973. Click here to listen to a 2007 radio broadcast on the background to this decision. It was replaced with the category 'sexual orientation disturbance', which was not removed until 1987. However, even then gay people could still be categorised under the umbrella category: 'sexual disorder not otherwise specified', because this disorder could include 'persistent and marked distress about one's sexual orientation'. My only comment here would be that this appears to be a meaningless definition: obviously someone is quite likely to experience 'persistent and marked distress' in a homophobic society; but it doesn't mean you're 'mad'! Disturbingly, a very recent study (published Mar 2009) indicated that significant minority of therapists (1 in 6) still regard us as having a problem, rather than the homophobic society we live in. www.treatmentshomosexuality.org.uk was set up by the Wellcome Trust to raise awareness of the issue, by gathering histories from people who have offered or been given treatment to change their sexual orientation.
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Posted 01 February 2010:
The first 'Gay Liberation Day March'
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first ever 'Gay Liberation Day March' in America. The march was held to commemorate the 'Stonewall riots' of the previous year, which are often regarded as marking the first instance when gay people fought back against the routine police oppression that they endured at this time. The first march in the UK was held in 1972, and was attended by only 2000 (really brave) people. Other cities in the UK have followed over the years and the calendar now lists over 20 cities in the UK which host Pride events. Norwich finally joined them last year when we turned Norwich into a rainbow for the day.
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The most recent articles are at the top
- Martin Niemöller's poem
- UK doctors' pioneering surgery for FTM & MTF transsexuals in the 1940s and early 50s
- The Well of Loneliness: thank goodness lesbian books no longer have to be so miserable
- Ellen DeGeneres - now the most famous lesbian in the world?
- The long road to equality for gay sexual partners
- Victim – some historical context
- Justin Fashanu, the first - & only – out gay professional football player
- S28, lest we forget… [continued]
- S28, lest we forget…
- Convicted for being gay 51 years ago, still a criminal in the eyes of the law
- Troubled triangles
- Valentine's Gay
- The Rainbow Flag, a Symbol of Gay Pride
- The first MP to come out as gay
- I am what I am (& not what you think I am)
- Breaking through the 9pm watershed
- The 'Labouchere Amendment' or 'the Blackmailers' Charter'
- Alan Turing – another reminder that gay people are part of everyone's history
- Where did 'gay' come from?
- Hidden in plain view?
- Update from 'across the pond': Everyone is equal but some are more equal than others…
- With this piece of paper I thee register…
- A lesbian by any other name, or even no name at all…
- Could the UK learn something from S Africa?
- 'Treatments' and sexual orientation
- The first 'Gay Liberation Day March'
