LGBTQ+ History

lgbtq-history

The idea of “romantic friendship”, love between young women, was considered the norm and even encouraged because it was believed to “constitute the richness, consolation, and joy of their lives.” In western society, this long-standing tradition that can be traced back to the Renaissance came to an abrupt end in the latter part of the 19th century; when sexologists began to suggest that love between women was abnormal. Interestingly, this coincided with increasing militancy of 19th-century feminists who were agitating together for not only suffrage but also for more opportunities in education and the job market. More than other phenomenon, education may be said to have been responsible for what eventually became referred to as lesbianism.

How does the math add up?

• As historian Lillian Faderman eloquently puts it “there was no male measuring sticks around to distract, define, or detract” at all women’s colleges, allowing them to form a peer culture unfettered by parental and societal dictates, to create their own hierarchy  of values, and to become their own heroes and leaders. 
  
  
• Although romantic friendships were still common outside of women’s colleges, sheltered from the “real world”, these passions were encouraged to be explored in academic settings as females could now meet each other in larger numbers. To add to this, colleges afforded them the leisure and the time necessary to cultivate those relationships. At colleges, romantic friendship was now called “smashes”, “crushes”, and “spoons”.
  
  
• By the time they it was time for them to leave and face a hostile world that was not yet prepared to receive them, sex solidarity became a necessity. They were not welcomed by men whom perceived it to be their own territory. They had to rely on each other for support and encouragement. These “crushes” are believed to have developed into life long friendships or love-relationships.  
  
  
• Conservative criticism against higher education for females argued that women became “masculinized” and rendered them attractive to one another:
  
• They were right in some aspects. Statistics corroborate that females who attended college were far less likely to marry than their uneducated counterparts: while only 10% of American women in general remained single between 1880-1990, about 50% of American college women remained single at that time. 
  
  
• This could be partially attributed to that most men feared educated females and would not take them as wives.
  
  
• However, this statistic may also be explained by that many pioneering females with ambition understood that marriage would seldom be feasible for them; running a home and raising children would prevent them from pursuing other goals as there were few husbands who could be expected to sacrifice their historically entrenched prerogatives to revolutionary female notions. 

= By the end of the century, ambitious women of the middle class who loved other females had the opportunity to escape from marriage. No longer economically constrained to give up their female lovers they began to resist social pressure toward marriage. For the first time in American history, large numbers of women could build lives with other women. They shared vast excitement and a sense of mission about their mutual roles of creating new possibilities for women. In same-sex households (”Boston Marriages”) they banded together against a world in that was still largely hostile to the opening of education and professions to women. Exactly how unlikely is it that such excitements would lead to passionate relationships at the time when there was not yet widespread stigma against female sex-relationships?

Source: Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers - a History of Lesbian Life in 20th-Century America by Lillian Faderman

Hey everyone, 

I’ve been away on vacation for the past two weeks so I haven’t spent much time online. Consequently, I’m really behind on messages but I’m doing my best to get back on track so just hang in there!

Ma Rain - Prove It On Me Blues

Notable lyrics:

Went out last night a crowd of my friends,

They must’ve been women, ‘cause I don’t like no men…

They say I did it, ‘nobody caught me,

They sure got to prove it on me

…

It’s true I wear a collar and a tie

George Hannah - The Boy in the Boat

Notable lyrics:

When you see two men walking hand in hand.

Just look ‘em over and try to understand. 

They’ll go to these parties have their lights down low. 

Only those parties were women can go. 

You think I’m lying, just ask Tack Anne. 

Took many a broad from many a man.

Bessie Jackson/Lucille Bogan - B.D. (Bulldyke) Women’s Blues

Notable lyrics:

Comin’ a time, BD Women, they ain’t goin’ to need no men.

Oh, the way they treat us is a low down and dirty thing.

Capturing the complex attitudes regarding female homosexual relations in music is no easy task. In 1920s Harlem, Blues echoed the era’s and the sophisticated Harlemites sentiments on wlw relations.

The blues songs sought to be obvious about the lesbianism, titillate their listeners, and reach a wide audience through humour: 

I know women that don’t like men.

The way they do is a crying sin.

It’s dirty but good, oh yes, it’s just dirty but good.

_______________________________________________________________________

 As you can see/hear, these artists were successful in their endeavours. Presenting lesbian stereotypes allowed the listeners recognize the situations and sexual daring, to either find them affirming (if wlw) or provocative and humorous. In fact, Historians describe one lesbian song “BD’s Dream” as one of the most heard songs in rent parties in the 1920s and 1930s.

Source: Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers by Lillian Faderman, and (x).

Marsha P. Johnson

• A leader of the Stonewall Riots. According to several eyewitnesses, Marsha was the one who “really started it”. She was “in the middle of the whole thing, screaming and yelling and throwing rocks and almost like Molly Pitcher in the Revolution or something”
  
• Dedicated her life to activism:
• Co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (later renamed Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries)
• Ensured that the young drag queens, trans women and other street kids on Christopher Street were fed and clothed. Marsha also housed them whenever she could. 
• In the 1980s, she was an activist and organizer in ACT UP. 
  
  

Stormé DeLarverie

• Also a leader in the Stonewall Riots - has been identified as the “butch lesbian that threw the first punch” against the police officers.
  
• Several eye-witnesses recollections also recognize her as the cross-dressing lesbian that yelled “why don’t you guys do something” at the bystanders that evoked the reaction from them that helped make Stonewall a defining moment in history.
  
• Unofficially worked at gay bars who otherwise couldn’t afford security.
  
  

Bayard Rustin

• Was a leading strategist of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement between 1955-1968:
  
• The formidable behind the scenes figure of the civil rights movement who organized the March on Washington
  
• Through his influence, the civil rights leadership adopted a non-violent stance.
  
• Is and was often overlooked in African-American history because of the public’s discomfort with his sexual orientation.
• Supported LGBTQ rights and movements.
• Was posthumously awarded Rustin the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
  
  

Miss Major Griffin-Gracy

• Another leader in the Stonewall Riots.
  
• Has been involved in community efforts since 1978. She has worked at local food banks, provide services for trans women suffering from addiction or homelessness. During the AIDS epidemic she also provided healthcare and funeral services.
  
• Is currently serving as the Executive Director for the Transgender GenderVariant Intersex Justice Project, working to assist transgender persons who are disproportionately incarcerated under a prison-industrial complex.

Alvin Ailey

• At the young age of 22, Alvin AIley became Artistic Directer for the Horton Dance Company where he choreographed as well as directed scenes and costume designs.
• Formed the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in 1958 but continued to choreograph for other companies.
• Ailey’s signature works prominently reflects his Black pride.
  
• Is credited for popularizing modern dance. 
• Was also posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
  

Feel free to add anyone I’ve missed!