The government denied the idea that homosexuals were just like everyone else. Homosexuality, during that time, was considered a mental illness not to mention the fact that laws were rewritten to target gay people. For example the Sodomy Laws—which is a law that defines certain sexual acts as crimes.—were specifically aimed at gay people. People were scared of gay people, the majority of the community believed that gay people were worse than communist not to mention the fact that people protested to not allow gay people to have rights—which is kind of dumb because every human being has unalienable Rights.—and don't even get me started with the church. The church thought that the gay community were an abomination, that they wanted to convert their children and that all of them, from the gay community, were going to go to hell and lastly gay people, back in the day, couldn't raise kids.
However, also stated that there is no historical standing in that origin of law that was targeting homosexual conduct in a direct view. Sodomy laws passed in earlier times, were not passed to prohibit same sex acts but was aimed to ban sexual acts that were not intended to procreate in general, whether it was between men and woman, or man and man. Also, those laws were not enforced between consenting adults in private. Prosecutions against sodomy were of predatory acts against anyone who were forced and non consenting; such as children and men, and or between man and
They were forced to live in fear, hiding all signs of affection for each other, and even as Zackie Salmon said fearing for their own safety (Kaufman 58). Religion had a large part to do with this. The Bible says that homosexuality is wrong, and in deeply religious Wyoming this can be taken quite seriously. The demeaning words of different pastors such as the Baptist Minister, planted the seeds of hate in the citizens of Laramie, saying how he “hope he had a moment to reflect as he was tied to that fence” on the lifestyle he chose to live (Kaufman 62). Even after his death, some members of the towns were still blaming Matthew Shepard for his own murder, simply because they did not agree with homosexuality.
Castration, electroshock therapy, and hypnosis were popular medical treatments as “cures” for homosexuality. In an interview with a Stonewall riot veteran, Roy McCarthy, he said, “We were tired of gay people getting locked up in psychiatric hospitals and getting tortured! We had our own Auschwitzes and Dachaus! And we were just pissed off about all of that! And it had to end!”
“Parents in the old days actually threw their children out with the clothes they were wearing when they found out they were gay.” Rejected as outcasts in a society of prejudice and discrimination against minority groups, suicide and homeless rates ran high in the LGBT community as many felt they had nowhere else to turn to. The gay community seemed to be a lost cause in their fight for equality. The Stonewall Inn and Mafia Corruption
Some of them were sent to mental hospitals or concentration camps like in Nazi Germany. “Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals. ”(Theodor Adorno) The court would even make homosexual men castrated for one of the other consequences of being a homosexual person in the community. Homosexuals weren’t welcomed back to their homes in the aftermath of war for the “shame” they brought on their family's reputation. Hitler's race is the one who gave the idea of them as monsters.
The society, however, was influenced by the politics of the era. A President that disregarded the epidemic, dismissing it as strictly homosexual community problem. Right wingers didn't accept
Alfred Charles Kinsey altered the way in which people of the twentieth century understood homosexuality. This created a great deal of discussion and controversy that became an enduring part of American culture, which introduced the world into viewing homosexuality as customary. Historian Dagmar Herzog supports Alfred Charles Kinsey’s findings by observing Europeans reactions to Kinsey’s report in comparison to Americans reactions. Historian Dagmar Herzog argues what Kinsey accomplished was phenomenal, he took ordinary people and the rage and intensity of their sexual longings and the diversity of their actual sexual practices seriously as no one had done before (Herzog, 2006). Therefore, Kinsey influenced the way the world viewed homosexuality
The 1930s ushered in a long period of stricter legal, political, and social regulation of homosexuality. In the 1960s, homosexuality was regarded as a moral perversion and a psychological disorder. Open or suspected homosexuals suffered public suspicion, job
Homosexuality is viewed as “unacceptable” and “against religion”, while others believer everyone should be viewed the same. The Declaration of Independence
This was a significant moment in our history, a time in which we have somewhat overcome. We have made extreme progress now since the 60s, making it more acceptable for homosexuals to live their lives in peace. Although, it has not been one hundred percent successful. Times have changed and it is no longer considered a dark age for homosexuals like it was back in the 60s. Homosexuals are sometimes still targeted, but more now by individuals rather than big groups of people and government officials.
Homosexuality, at this point, was regarded as a mental illness. Many had to hide their identity to avoid being made fun of and even imprisonment. Many police forces used young, undercover cops to try and get a confession out of homosexuals. During World War II, about 250,000 women signed up for the army. Many lesbians joined to meet other women and do men’s
“The first step ― which usually lasted six months ― [is] where they “deconstruct us as a person.” Their tactics still haunt me. Aversion therapy, shock therapy, harassment and occasional physical abuse. Their goal was to get us to hate ourselves for being LGBTQ (most of us were gay, but the entire spectrum was represented), and they knew what they were doing....”
They experienced this things because of homophobia or hatred of homosexuality. LGBT has many problems that they need to face. In some countries, being homosexual is a moral sin. There are many argument about sexuality and religion. And in some
Homosexuality was once considered sacred in ancient Rome, albeit being treated poorly since the middle ages. Like this, homosexuality has been suppressed for a long time and thenceforth, the public opinion towards it has been on a downward road until recent years when LGBT groups started stepping up front and coming out along with the increasing controversy towards their rights. The subject of homosexuality has always been polemical. Every once in a while a news article would come up saying something like "Manny Pacquiao provokes storm by calling gay people ‘worse than animals’" or "Sam Smith Talks Coming Out As Gay".
