LGBT+ History by the Decades: The Roaring Twenties | Episode 1

Although the history of the people in the lgbtq+ community goes back to history itself The story we have to tell has to start somewhere Even though there is no clear beginning, the roots of the movement can be found in every time period. It was in America's adolescence that we begin to look at how the modern gay rights movement began to take form. Post-World War One America saw a nice rise in the economy because that's usually what happens post-war if your America. The 20s brought an age of what a lot of people like to call a sort of sexual liberation. There are ways to analyze the various sociological theories at play here. however in a few words things changed Civil rights attitudes were becoming apparent to white people though, and I say this because people of color have been aware of the terrible situation since ever Marcus Garvey and the pan-african movement were gaining rapid traction around the country But World War One was his time where queer people started realizing that other queer people existed. Blue discharges were given to the soldiers who were believed to be homosexual or generally unfit and often were disproportionately given to people of color People who received these charges did not receive benefits from the VA, as the GI Bill prohibited people who had blue discharges from receiving benefits It was often difficult to find a work or a place in society as there was a negative connotation of having a blue discharge. Being LGBTQ was a crime and was seen as a mental illness, So it was not uncommon for LGBTQ people to be sent to mental institutions. As many men went off to war, many women took a factory work and contributed to the effort. Women's increased visibility in the workplace changed how society viewed them. In 1920, women in America were victorious in fighting for the right to vote. Over time women in the 20s experimented with traditionally masculine gender roles They enjoyed flapper culture, and sexual liberation, and shorter hair. Lesbian subculture was beginning to form Cities were gaining people in the millions, and diversity in the American population was as present as ever Mass culture through media was on the rise, and queer identities and its presence in American culture was on the rise as well. Hollywood, since this is before the Hays Code or the censoring Motion Picture Code of America, looked for shocking ways to get the general audiences to watch films They tried to use queerness as the gimmick to get people to watch. The effeminate man was here for laughs the butch woman for snickers However, queer viewers were attracted in some ways to cinema for the chance to see themselves on screen. Queer people fought in the war and came to a world that rejected them queer people worked in their countries and faced backlash every day Sometimes they found solace in gay bars that remained secret and unnamed. One of the only places that explicitly mentioned queer people around this era was the many psychological studies that try to analyze them Henry Gerber Henry Gerber was a German immigrant to the United States He was sent to a mental institution for being gay and after leaving fought in World War 1 for the United States Working in Berlin during the war he discovered the thriving queer subculture He decided to start the Society for Human Rights here in America, the first homophile institution in the United States Although it was exclusionary to bisexuals, which I am quite sad about, it is important to note for being the first queer organization in the United States Alan L Hart Alan L. Hart was a doctor who led the way for x-ray being used for tuberculosis detection. It's a really great thing because if you haven't noticed, everyone in that time period died from TB, like everyone. He was one of the first trans men to medically transition and had a successful medical practice. His medical transition is the first documented medical transition in America William Haines Haines was a prominent actors during the 20s and started in wildly successful films He was open about his relationship with Jimmy Shields despite being a male heartthrob of sorts Even though most people lived in half denial that Haines was just living platonically with another man, most knew Haines and Shields relationship. When the secret became too open Haines lost his job Queer history never began around during this time period. The Great Depression hit around 1929, and people began to lose track of LGBTQ rights Religion spread to keep public morale and the Hays Code Acted as a brutal censor on the motion picture industry in America The queer movement was silenced for decades, but as America entered the second world and found a place on the world stage We'll find where the post-war boom takes the culture and how mass culture and conformity prompted thousands of youth to rebel tune in next time for another LGBTQ by the decades

Channel: AreTheyGay

Views: 333,752

Rating: 4.9189239 out of 5

Keywords: lgbt, queer, lgbtqia, lgbt+, lgbtqia+, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, history, homosexual, pansexual, poc, woc, stonewall, 1920s, 20s, 30s, wwi, world war i, world war 1, world, war, WWII, women's rights, feminism, the roaring 20s, the roaring twenties, 1930s, 1910s

Id: wyi9D8VwAWI

Length: 4min 50sec (290 seconds)

Published: Thu Jul 13 2017