Bibliography
Chauncey, George. Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. New York: Basic Books, 1994.
D'Emilio, John and Estelle Freedman. Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America. New York: Harper and Row, 1988.
Faderman, Lillian. To Believe In Women-What Lesbians Have Done For America-A History.
New York, New York, Houghton Mifflin Company. 1999.
Faderman, Lillian. Odd Girls and Twilight Lover: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth Century America. New York: Penguin Books. 1991.
Faderman, Lillian. Surpassing the Love of Men. New York, New York. Morrow.1981.
Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality Volume 1: An Introduction. Robert Hurley, trans. New York: Pantheon, 1978.
Johnson, David K. The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government, Chicago, Illinois. The University of Chicago Press. 2004.
Kennedy, Elizabeth Lapovsky and Madeline D. Davis. Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
Mann, William J. Behind the Screen, How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910-1969.
Penguin. 2001.
Wallace, David, A City Comes Out: The Gay and Lesbian History of Palm Springs. 2008.
Roscoe, Will. Changing Ones: Third and Fourth Genders in Native North America.New York: St Martin’s Press. 1998.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold Review
Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold
By Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis. Routledge, Chapman and Hall 1993.Pp. 434.
Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold" is an account of the changes within the lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. The authors cover the time period beginning in the mid-1930s and ending with the early 1960s. Drawing on oral histories collected from many women, it provides an exhaustive history of a working-class lesbian community. These personal stories provide a new look at working-class lesbians and their impact to the future of the lesbian community. There is vast evidence that the actions of these working class lesbians increased lesbian visibility and laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement to come.
The book is based on 13 years of research, and ranges over such topics as relationships and sex, coming out, butch-fem roles, friendship, motherhood, violence, work, racism and pride.. They conducted their interviews within their own community and as such had access and trust that an outsider might never be able to obtain. The women that were interviewed in this book felt that their willingness to live their lives such that their lesbianism was not denied, was critical factor in creating change. In addition to detailing community life, this work also chronicles the intimate relationships of these lesbians. As a result of the connections made between the authors and subjects, the women interviewed are often portrayed as the heroines that many of them really were.The centerpiece of this era was, of course, the bar community. Finding ways to socialize together was critical to ending the isolation of the lesbian experience. Bar communities served both as centers of sociability and a place to find a sexual partner. It was also the center of the community political life; though many participants didn’t realize that just being a part of working class lesbian culture was a political act. For many, it was a day to day struggle. But at the same time, some reported that they understood on some level that what they were doing was important and might just change the world.
It is impossible to study this era without covering the violence that pervaded the bar culture. There were two main types of violence, first the butches fighting with straight men to maintain their social space and protect their fems. But there was also fighting between butches. There were obvious causes such as jealousy and alcohol but one cannot determine how much the stresses of their day to day life, economic frustration and self esteem issues were to blame. Often, when one has to fight just to survive on a daily basis, some of that aggression is turned inward to ones own community. But all in all, the butches did so much to promote community solidarity and the violence may have been a necessary part of women protecting their own space and place to be.The overall synopsis of butch life took a different twist than one might have expected when examining the subject of sex. In this book we clearly see that butches were not just women wanting to be men. The main focus of butch sexuality was to please their fem. Some, though not all, were stone butches so their own gratification really held a much lesser place. Because many of the femmes had been involved in relationships with men and had often experienced violence, butches offered an alternative type of love. Prostitutes were often part of the community and turned to relationships with butches. But the book makes the point repeatedly that the butches did not think they were men. They were not trying to copy men but instead develop their own kind of masculine culture. Ironically, the role playing culture that they were modeled after was only a reality in the movies and to some extent middle class culture.Another twist to the role playing was that it was the butch women who were unlikely to find employment. Without a willingness to dress in a more feminine manner, their job prospects were practically non-existent. There were many cases were the fems had to support their butches. This resulted in a dynamic that simply did not exist in straight culture.
Children were a part of the culture as well. Though, today we are seeing a different kind of lesbian baby boom, there is no doubt that many lesbians were raising children during this time. However, in nearly all cases, the women, both butch and fems, had become pregnant while in a relationship of some sort with a man.All evidence indicates the most common form of relationships was the pattern of serial monogamy. Though it was not uncommon for women to have affairs on the side, the ideal was always a committed relationship. However, without any support system outside the community and the fact that the bar continued to be the only real option for socializing, the stresses on a relationship lasting were immense. The women did report that it was sometimes frustrating and demoralizing to pass from one relationship to the next but seemed a pattern that was difficult to break. That it not to say that the relationships were not emotionally strong and deep while given support to each other in what was often an otherwise hostile world.
One of the key changes between lesbian life in the 1940s and 1950s was the role the experienced butches began to take in terms of mentoring the younger ones. In the 1940s, lesbians did not actively introduce people to gay life. But as community culture and sexuality began to become more structured and roles defined, it became more necessary to have a mentor. An experienced butch would explain all aspects of role playing and even sexually how to please a fem, though some of it was learned intuitively as well. There is no doubt that racism was a part of the experience, though many women believed that as a result of the oppression faced elsewhere, it existed on a much lesser level than in the rest of society for this time period. While the books does not attempt to cover the middle class experience of this era to any degree, it seems likely that most middle class lesbians were having an entirely different experience. With the threat of losing their jobs, most were much more circumspect, though some would venture into the bars on occasion. This book recovers a neglected chapter of lesbian and gay history and reminds us of the enduring importance of our outlaw roots. It was during this time, that the friendships and community solidarity began to form the basis for a civil rights movement to come. It also formed the basis of a lesbian identity that is still evolving.
By Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis. Routledge, Chapman and Hall 1993.Pp. 434.
Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold" is an account of the changes within the lesbian community in Buffalo, New York. The authors cover the time period beginning in the mid-1930s and ending with the early 1960s. Drawing on oral histories collected from many women, it provides an exhaustive history of a working-class lesbian community. These personal stories provide a new look at working-class lesbians and their impact to the future of the lesbian community. There is vast evidence that the actions of these working class lesbians increased lesbian visibility and laid the groundwork for the civil rights movement to come.
The book is based on 13 years of research, and ranges over such topics as relationships and sex, coming out, butch-fem roles, friendship, motherhood, violence, work, racism and pride.. They conducted their interviews within their own community and as such had access and trust that an outsider might never be able to obtain. The women that were interviewed in this book felt that their willingness to live their lives such that their lesbianism was not denied, was critical factor in creating change. In addition to detailing community life, this work also chronicles the intimate relationships of these lesbians. As a result of the connections made between the authors and subjects, the women interviewed are often portrayed as the heroines that many of them really were.The centerpiece of this era was, of course, the bar community. Finding ways to socialize together was critical to ending the isolation of the lesbian experience. Bar communities served both as centers of sociability and a place to find a sexual partner. It was also the center of the community political life; though many participants didn’t realize that just being a part of working class lesbian culture was a political act. For many, it was a day to day struggle. But at the same time, some reported that they understood on some level that what they were doing was important and might just change the world.
It is impossible to study this era without covering the violence that pervaded the bar culture. There were two main types of violence, first the butches fighting with straight men to maintain their social space and protect their fems. But there was also fighting between butches. There were obvious causes such as jealousy and alcohol but one cannot determine how much the stresses of their day to day life, economic frustration and self esteem issues were to blame. Often, when one has to fight just to survive on a daily basis, some of that aggression is turned inward to ones own community. But all in all, the butches did so much to promote community solidarity and the violence may have been a necessary part of women protecting their own space and place to be.The overall synopsis of butch life took a different twist than one might have expected when examining the subject of sex. In this book we clearly see that butches were not just women wanting to be men. The main focus of butch sexuality was to please their fem. Some, though not all, were stone butches so their own gratification really held a much lesser place. Because many of the femmes had been involved in relationships with men and had often experienced violence, butches offered an alternative type of love. Prostitutes were often part of the community and turned to relationships with butches. But the book makes the point repeatedly that the butches did not think they were men. They were not trying to copy men but instead develop their own kind of masculine culture. Ironically, the role playing culture that they were modeled after was only a reality in the movies and to some extent middle class culture.Another twist to the role playing was that it was the butch women who were unlikely to find employment. Without a willingness to dress in a more feminine manner, their job prospects were practically non-existent. There were many cases were the fems had to support their butches. This resulted in a dynamic that simply did not exist in straight culture.
Children were a part of the culture as well. Though, today we are seeing a different kind of lesbian baby boom, there is no doubt that many lesbians were raising children during this time. However, in nearly all cases, the women, both butch and fems, had become pregnant while in a relationship of some sort with a man.All evidence indicates the most common form of relationships was the pattern of serial monogamy. Though it was not uncommon for women to have affairs on the side, the ideal was always a committed relationship. However, without any support system outside the community and the fact that the bar continued to be the only real option for socializing, the stresses on a relationship lasting were immense. The women did report that it was sometimes frustrating and demoralizing to pass from one relationship to the next but seemed a pattern that was difficult to break. That it not to say that the relationships were not emotionally strong and deep while given support to each other in what was often an otherwise hostile world.
One of the key changes between lesbian life in the 1940s and 1950s was the role the experienced butches began to take in terms of mentoring the younger ones. In the 1940s, lesbians did not actively introduce people to gay life. But as community culture and sexuality began to become more structured and roles defined, it became more necessary to have a mentor. An experienced butch would explain all aspects of role playing and even sexually how to please a fem, though some of it was learned intuitively as well. There is no doubt that racism was a part of the experience, though many women believed that as a result of the oppression faced elsewhere, it existed on a much lesser level than in the rest of society for this time period. While the books does not attempt to cover the middle class experience of this era to any degree, it seems likely that most middle class lesbians were having an entirely different experience. With the threat of losing their jobs, most were much more circumspect, though some would venture into the bars on occasion. This book recovers a neglected chapter of lesbian and gay history and reminds us of the enduring importance of our outlaw roots. It was during this time, that the friendships and community solidarity began to form the basis for a civil rights movement to come. It also formed the basis of a lesbian identity that is still evolving.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Surpassing the Love of Men
Surpassing the Love of Men
By Lillian Faderman. Triangle Classics 1981Pp. 496.
Lillian Faderman draws on literature from the sixteenth century through the present and makes the case that until the 20th century, love between women was common, revered, and accepted by all.Faderman describes these relationships between women as romantic friendships and avoids drawing any conclusions as to whether these relationships had a sexual component. With an absence of societal negativity, there is an abundance of literature as well as letters that indicate the pervasiveness of such friendships. Many of the women dreamed of a life together but that was the limiting factor of earlier eras. Women had no way to support themselves financially without a “man” in their life and consequently, there were few women who were able to successfully live out their friendship fantasies.
One of the key elements during these years was in the fact that men were practically of another species. Most of life was homosocial and the truth of the matter was that men and women had little in common. Since women were forbidden to participate in the arenas of men, had their intellect brushed aside, and were generally ignored, they found in other women a place of solace. Women valued each other’s ideas and shared a common sense of wanting, to do more and be more.Trouble ensued if a woman tried to usurp male privilege, by dressing or passing as a man. Society disapproved and found this quite disturbing.
From 1761 until 1815, a British Annual Register records the cases of 15 women who were prosecuted for dressing as men. However, lesbian sexual behavior might have been acceptable in some cases as it was seen as an apprenticeship to preparing the woman for a man. Men during early eras enjoyed a degree of confidence that is no longer possible. There may have even been a separation, sexual relationships between women seen as devoid of love. And love between women must be devoid of sex.But as some of these notions evolved, women learned the ideals of Platonic friendship from Renaissance writers. These friendship ideals applied to both men and women. In many ways, friendship between women served the interest of men. But a few took their friendship to another level.
The famous Ladies of Llangollen, as a result of access to financial means, were able to actually live and build a life together. The perception that upper-class women were naturally chaste added innocence to the times.Marriage was a commercial affair and had little to do with an actual friendship or partnership between the man and woman. Women could only find any sort of respect or friendship in relationships with other women.Faderman uses literature to paint a picture of societal norms and values. She provides many examples were the heterosexual liaisons end in unhappiness, while the same sex friendships are happy. Though there are few examples of women who were actually able to live together is this blissful ideal, it was clearly the dream and aspiration for many.
She pulls in literature from Europe primarily but by the eighteenth century, finds evidence in American literature that romantic friendship had become an institution there as well. However, twentieth century biographers have often censored what was once accepted. An example of this regards Emily Dickinson letters to a woman as well as those of Mary Wollstonecraft. Because there was no stigma during their era, these women had felt perfectly free to write letters of great passion. But read through the eyes of this century, one would assume it to be lesbian passion.In 1811, there was a court case involving the two women who were the headmistresses of a school in Scotland. One of the students accused them of illegal conduct with each other. The lawyers defended the women by proving that they had a depth of love between them but such a thing as lesbian sexuality was not only unthinkable based on their great love and affection but perhaps even impossible. Such a naïve viewpoint only applied to women, male homosexuality was well known.
One of the most compelling features of same sex adoration was that seemed to be one of the driving motivations for a women to achieve, accomplish or excel at something. Because women found little respect from men, only other women could provide them with praise or words of encouragement. Literature and letters both indicate that not only did society accept this but also in many cases, men were happy with the arrangement. It was during the time that works by Sigmund Freud and other sexologists, that the idea of same sex love became stigmatized.
Faderman concludes her work with the rise of lesbian-feminism. In many feminist novels, lesbians are re-inventing themselves. They re-create society without patriarchy. This is in contrast to a current trend with lesbian politics, which is to propose that lesbians are just like everyone else, the only difference is the sex of the individual that they love.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
By Lillian Faderman. Penguin Books 1991Pp. 373.
This can really be considered the third work in Faderman’s historical trilogy though it was written before her more recent “What Lesbians Have Done for America”. She begins with a synopsis of her first book that covers in detail the subject of romantic friendships and takes us through to the twentieth century. During this time, we see the evolution of women’s relationships of all kinds as the veil of sexual innocence is finally removed. As in all her work, she reminds the reader that the concept of sexual orientation that we have today has not always been so. And this book documents “the extent to which sexuality,” and sexual categories, can be affected by a broad range of social factors and not just sexual drive. As she takes us beyond romantic friendships, Faderman describes the works of the early sexologists and the theory of sexual inversion. She believes that it was the publicity of their works that was responsible for giving a kind of sexuality to women. On the other hand, any woman who was drawn to non-feminine pursuits was often considered an invert. In many ways, sexuality had little to do with the label but instead a lack of acceptance of the proscribed roles of women.
During the 1920’s, we see an era where there is a real progression in terms of women’s roles and sexuality. At a time, when some people began to tentatively cross some of the required racial borders, the same can be said in terms of gender roles though most of the experimentation was a passing phase. But during this era, there was bisexual experimentation and the blossoming of a bohemian subculture that accepted gays and lesbians. There were also more public images of working class lesbians that dressed as men and took some degree of male privilege. But at the same time, the concept of compaionate heterosexual marriages began to take root. It was this, as much as anything that created a need to suppress women’s same sex relationships.The limited gains of the twenties were quickly reversed by the Great Depression. Living life as a lesbian was a great challenge and a bisexual compromise such that was made by Eleanor Roosevelt was the best that most women could do. From this time onward, the book chronicles several phases of what could be considered the modern era of lesbian identity.
During World War II, we see more lesbian social opportunity. War offers a much more difficult emotional issue that displaced the focus on sexual morality. In addition, many women were joining branches of the armed services which were often a magnet for women with an emotional pull toward other women. These factors combined with an opportunity to leave small home towns left more women than ever with the chance to meet others like themselves. So that even when the repression of the fifties began, the knowledge that they were not alone and an unwillingness to accept that fate helped form the basis for later political activism. And during that time, working class women began to form a clear structured distinct subculture.
Faderman’s analysis of the intersection of lesbian and feminist politics is perhaps the most interesting part of the book. Lesbian-feminist revised the concept of identity to suggest that all women had the potential to be lesbians. They also widened the definition of lesbianism to a love and support of other women. It was much more political than sexual and as a result added to the ranks, at least temporarily, of those that could be called lesbians. But the concept of forming a lesbian nation never really got off the ground. In-fighting and perhaps the fact that many of these women were on some level sexually drawn to men made the doom of this concept a certainty.From lesbian feminism evolved another cultural clash over the very basic concept of what kind of sexuality is acceptable. Traditional feminists felt that lesbian sex had to be within the bounds of lesbian ethics as they defined them. Many other, more sexually oriented lesbians were branching off to explore and experiment with pushing the sexual boundaries. Ironically, the reader may find that this was a war that marginalized the majority of lesbians who fell in neither camp. And that takes the story to its final chapter which shows that there was no longer “one way” to becoming a lesbian.This book is profound in that is able to present lesbianism not only as a sexual orientation, but as a cultural and political movement. And as such, it has been affected by the evolution of culture and politics. There are chapters left to write as the final chapter, called “The Tower of Babel to Community” ends before our present day venture into the world of marriage. While the baby boom continues, nothing defines the lesbian experience in 2005 than where each woman stands on the question of marriage.
By Lillian Faderman. Penguin Books 1991Pp. 373.
This can really be considered the third work in Faderman’s historical trilogy though it was written before her more recent “What Lesbians Have Done for America”. She begins with a synopsis of her first book that covers in detail the subject of romantic friendships and takes us through to the twentieth century. During this time, we see the evolution of women’s relationships of all kinds as the veil of sexual innocence is finally removed. As in all her work, she reminds the reader that the concept of sexual orientation that we have today has not always been so. And this book documents “the extent to which sexuality,” and sexual categories, can be affected by a broad range of social factors and not just sexual drive. As she takes us beyond romantic friendships, Faderman describes the works of the early sexologists and the theory of sexual inversion. She believes that it was the publicity of their works that was responsible for giving a kind of sexuality to women. On the other hand, any woman who was drawn to non-feminine pursuits was often considered an invert. In many ways, sexuality had little to do with the label but instead a lack of acceptance of the proscribed roles of women.
During the 1920’s, we see an era where there is a real progression in terms of women’s roles and sexuality. At a time, when some people began to tentatively cross some of the required racial borders, the same can be said in terms of gender roles though most of the experimentation was a passing phase. But during this era, there was bisexual experimentation and the blossoming of a bohemian subculture that accepted gays and lesbians. There were also more public images of working class lesbians that dressed as men and took some degree of male privilege. But at the same time, the concept of compaionate heterosexual marriages began to take root. It was this, as much as anything that created a need to suppress women’s same sex relationships.The limited gains of the twenties were quickly reversed by the Great Depression. Living life as a lesbian was a great challenge and a bisexual compromise such that was made by Eleanor Roosevelt was the best that most women could do. From this time onward, the book chronicles several phases of what could be considered the modern era of lesbian identity.
During World War II, we see more lesbian social opportunity. War offers a much more difficult emotional issue that displaced the focus on sexual morality. In addition, many women were joining branches of the armed services which were often a magnet for women with an emotional pull toward other women. These factors combined with an opportunity to leave small home towns left more women than ever with the chance to meet others like themselves. So that even when the repression of the fifties began, the knowledge that they were not alone and an unwillingness to accept that fate helped form the basis for later political activism. And during that time, working class women began to form a clear structured distinct subculture.
Faderman’s analysis of the intersection of lesbian and feminist politics is perhaps the most interesting part of the book. Lesbian-feminist revised the concept of identity to suggest that all women had the potential to be lesbians. They also widened the definition of lesbianism to a love and support of other women. It was much more political than sexual and as a result added to the ranks, at least temporarily, of those that could be called lesbians. But the concept of forming a lesbian nation never really got off the ground. In-fighting and perhaps the fact that many of these women were on some level sexually drawn to men made the doom of this concept a certainty.From lesbian feminism evolved another cultural clash over the very basic concept of what kind of sexuality is acceptable. Traditional feminists felt that lesbian sex had to be within the bounds of lesbian ethics as they defined them. Many other, more sexually oriented lesbians were branching off to explore and experiment with pushing the sexual boundaries. Ironically, the reader may find that this was a war that marginalized the majority of lesbians who fell in neither camp. And that takes the story to its final chapter which shows that there was no longer “one way” to becoming a lesbian.This book is profound in that is able to present lesbianism not only as a sexual orientation, but as a cultural and political movement. And as such, it has been affected by the evolution of culture and politics. There are chapters left to write as the final chapter, called “The Tower of Babel to Community” ends before our present day venture into the world of marriage. While the baby boom continues, nothing defines the lesbian experience in 2005 than where each woman stands on the question of marriage.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
To Believe in Women;
To Believe in Women; What Lesbians Have Done For America-A History
By Lillian Faderman. Houghton Mifflin 1999Pp. 434.
Lillian Faderman manages to cover most of the few famous women that we studied in school and draw out a much more personal picture. In this monumental work, she covers several important areas of women’s history, suffrage, social work, education and the professions. In each chapter, Faderman helps the reader to realize that most of the women that made these movements spent their personal lives in committed relationships with other women. The reader is left with the understanding and feeling that the world would be a very different place today without the work and devotions of these women who would have been, in a later time, described as lesbians. She includes the very famous such as Susan B. Anthony and lesser known women as well.For some, her controversial claims are a welcome completion to biographies that erased lesbian existence. Though this is not all new information as other historians have discovered much of this already but Faderman puts it all together in a cohesive view of the personal lives and loves of these women. There are those who will argue that there is no evidence to prove that these women were lesbians. On the other hand, there is also no conclusive evidence to prove that they were not.
Considering that the idea of self-identifying based on sexual orientation is a relatively new phenomenon, as Faderman discusses in several of her works, it is really a moot point. But one thing is certain; much historical documentation has been skewed away from presenting this side of the story due to the stigma of lesbianism.
Faderman begins with her study of the women’s suffrage movement leaders, which includes Anna Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt. She describes Shaw as someone who actually fit the “Sexual Inversion” model that was being popularized by Havelock Ellis. She was, to put it simply, a life long tomboy, both in hobbies and dress and left records that would indicate she might very have been considered a lesbian in later eras. Catt’s story was a little more complex. She married George Catt after the death of her first husband and insisted on her heterosexuality to the public. But her private letters indicate that she had a passionate relationship with another suffrage leader, Molly Hay and might have been bisexual if not a lesbian. Faderman continues with the social welfare arena, covering the lives of Jane Addams and Frances Kellor. She continued with women leaders in education such as M. Carey Thomas and Mary Emma Wooley and concluded with the field of medicine, covering the life of Emily Blackwell.
Some of the women in her book were married to men, though largely to understanding men who gave them much freedom. But many of these female pioneers were never married to men but instead in “Boston marriages” to other women. It is on this issue where Faderman makes her key point. She points out that heterosexual marriage historically tends to burden women with bearing children and overseeing household chores. Many of these women did not enter into these types of marriages but even more telling is that by entering into committed relationships with other women, they actually had support that enabled their works. In some cases, that support was financial, in some cases, one of the partners actually did run the household allowing the other to have more freedom to pursue social activism. And finally, the emotional support was critical in allowing these women to do their work.
Faderman makes note of the fact that that same-sex pairs were treated with the respect generally reserved for heterosexual couple. It is not entirely clear how far the knowledge of their intimate arrangements traveled outside their own circles but there did seem to be an acknowledgement of these relationships that existed on a wide scale basis. There is no doubt that this work will be inspiring and validating to many lesbians. Understanding what this tells us about lesbianism and what this tells us about women will continue to be studied and critiqued as examination like this continue in years to come.
By Lillian Faderman. Houghton Mifflin 1999Pp. 434.
Lillian Faderman manages to cover most of the few famous women that we studied in school and draw out a much more personal picture. In this monumental work, she covers several important areas of women’s history, suffrage, social work, education and the professions. In each chapter, Faderman helps the reader to realize that most of the women that made these movements spent their personal lives in committed relationships with other women. The reader is left with the understanding and feeling that the world would be a very different place today without the work and devotions of these women who would have been, in a later time, described as lesbians. She includes the very famous such as Susan B. Anthony and lesser known women as well.For some, her controversial claims are a welcome completion to biographies that erased lesbian existence. Though this is not all new information as other historians have discovered much of this already but Faderman puts it all together in a cohesive view of the personal lives and loves of these women. There are those who will argue that there is no evidence to prove that these women were lesbians. On the other hand, there is also no conclusive evidence to prove that they were not.
Considering that the idea of self-identifying based on sexual orientation is a relatively new phenomenon, as Faderman discusses in several of her works, it is really a moot point. But one thing is certain; much historical documentation has been skewed away from presenting this side of the story due to the stigma of lesbianism.
Faderman begins with her study of the women’s suffrage movement leaders, which includes Anna Howard Shaw and Carrie Chapman Catt. She describes Shaw as someone who actually fit the “Sexual Inversion” model that was being popularized by Havelock Ellis. She was, to put it simply, a life long tomboy, both in hobbies and dress and left records that would indicate she might very have been considered a lesbian in later eras. Catt’s story was a little more complex. She married George Catt after the death of her first husband and insisted on her heterosexuality to the public. But her private letters indicate that she had a passionate relationship with another suffrage leader, Molly Hay and might have been bisexual if not a lesbian. Faderman continues with the social welfare arena, covering the lives of Jane Addams and Frances Kellor. She continued with women leaders in education such as M. Carey Thomas and Mary Emma Wooley and concluded with the field of medicine, covering the life of Emily Blackwell.
Some of the women in her book were married to men, though largely to understanding men who gave them much freedom. But many of these female pioneers were never married to men but instead in “Boston marriages” to other women. It is on this issue where Faderman makes her key point. She points out that heterosexual marriage historically tends to burden women with bearing children and overseeing household chores. Many of these women did not enter into these types of marriages but even more telling is that by entering into committed relationships with other women, they actually had support that enabled their works. In some cases, that support was financial, in some cases, one of the partners actually did run the household allowing the other to have more freedom to pursue social activism. And finally, the emotional support was critical in allowing these women to do their work.
Faderman makes note of the fact that that same-sex pairs were treated with the respect generally reserved for heterosexual couple. It is not entirely clear how far the knowledge of their intimate arrangements traveled outside their own circles but there did seem to be an acknowledgement of these relationships that existed on a wide scale basis. There is no doubt that this work will be inspiring and validating to many lesbians. Understanding what this tells us about lesbianism and what this tells us about women will continue to be studied and critiqued as examination like this continue in years to come.
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The History of Sexuality
The History of Sexualtiy
By Michel Foucault
This is the first in Foucault’s three part History of Sexuality. It is a difficult read but worth it if you can walk away and question the meaning of normality in terms of sexuality. This book makes a case for the theory that the construction of sexual identity is a function of economics and politics. He also questions the struggle between sex as something that is liberating and something that has become a burden. The book was too difficult to understand to do much more than change the context with which to continue asking the questions when it comes to the topic of sexuality.
By Michel Foucault
This is the first in Foucault’s three part History of Sexuality. It is a difficult read but worth it if you can walk away and question the meaning of normality in terms of sexuality. This book makes a case for the theory that the construction of sexual identity is a function of economics and politics. He also questions the struggle between sex as something that is liberating and something that has become a burden. The book was too difficult to understand to do much more than change the context with which to continue asking the questions when it comes to the topic of sexuality.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Gay New York
Chauncey, George.
Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. New York: Basic Books, 1994
George Chauncey, of the University of Chicago produced this wonderful history that is a thorough and scholarly work. It is also a very interesting and vibrant read as it covers an almost forgotten era of gay cultural life that existed in New York City between 1890 and 1940. Many recent historical writers on American gay life have assumed that a real gay world only came into existence after World War II or even as late as the 1969 Stonewall resistance in New York. Instead of focusing on anti-gay hostility as preventing the development of an extensive gay subculture, he focuses on how that culture thrived despite the oppression. We see that many gay men lead anything but solitary lives. He also destroys the myth that gay men internalized the dominant culture's view of them as sick, perverted, and immoral. Instead of self hatred and acceptance of the policing of their lives, many men in this book found ways to resist it and affirm their lives and loves.
One thing that the book makes abundantly clear is that gay identify as we know it today did not exist during this time period. He covers the different labels used at the time, fairies, trade, and “normal men” to make clear that as long as one did not take the feminine role, he could move it and out of the culture. This was quite common with soldiers and sailors visiting New York. He contrasts the large class of fairies, who paraded their femme gayness openly and defiantly in the Village, Harlem, Times Square and the Bowery, and queers (a term that was gaining use in New York) or homosexuals. These men sometimes did affirm their homosexuality but often detested effeminacy. Many men, who engaged in frequent homosexual behavior but stuck to "manly" roles, just didn't regard themselves as being "that way."
He traces the changes that seemed to take place in these forms of identity over the years and quotes positive attitudes on the subject expressed by members of each class.Chauncey’s sources include newspapers, gossip sheet reports, cartoons, reports made by a wide assortment of vice investigators, and other now public records as well as the memoirs of individual gay men. Chauncey paints an authentic picture that includes widespread cruising in various streets, parks, and bathrooms. He also discusses the numerous if random examples of vice arrests. He notes that the leading "protectors of morality" at that time were more interested in curbing female prostitution than other male activities but at times, focus would turn to homosexual activity.
He shows that a vast culture existed in particular apartment buildings and at the YMCA. Chauncey describes the YMCA, which ironically was established to prevent the very sort of "immoral" activity, as a center of gay cultural life. He ties this together with the statistics that show such a large number of single men residing in New York which required affordable bachelor housing facilities. He also shows that there were numerous public gathering places such as restaurants, bars, and cafeterias that were frequented by the gay subculture though few exclusively gay places. Because of the fluidity of participation in the gay life, it was much likely that individuals would come and go, socializing with those on the fringe of the subculture.He describes the culture of the baths, which arose within all cultural groups but survived longer in the gay subculture than most. Perhaps this phenomenon survived longer and was safer haven because the baths provided a very private sort of public space. In addition to providing a place for sexual experience, the baths were also a place where economic lines could be easily crossed. They were also a place where friendships that lasted for years were spawned, even though the men may only have socialized in this more private environment. Raids were not common but they did happen and the arrest records bear out the fact that more affluent men frequented the baths.
He details drag shows and heavily advertised drag balls which sometimes drew as many as 8,000 attendees. Many of those in attendance included straight society members who came to watch. There were many newspaper stories elaborating on these events, in detailing the dress worn by those in drag. Lesbians also attended these gala events. The dangers of arrest, raids, gay bashers and exposure were there, but seemed less common than they would later be, and New York's overt gay world seems to have been much more open from 1910 to 1930 than it was between 1940 and 1950..As long as historians remember that gay identify was vastly different in years past, there is an incredible world of culture that is still to be discovered. Though this era was a repressive time in some ways, there was a freedom to pursue gay culture that was lost during the 1950s. And though gay culture might have been somewhat invisible to outsiders, it was not invisible to those who went looking. During that era, “coming out” meant coming out in the gay subculture. It was years later before the concept of coming out to straight society became associated with that term.
Since reading this book, I found this very interesting map.
Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. New York: Basic Books, 1994
George Chauncey, of the University of Chicago produced this wonderful history that is a thorough and scholarly work. It is also a very interesting and vibrant read as it covers an almost forgotten era of gay cultural life that existed in New York City between 1890 and 1940. Many recent historical writers on American gay life have assumed that a real gay world only came into existence after World War II or even as late as the 1969 Stonewall resistance in New York. Instead of focusing on anti-gay hostility as preventing the development of an extensive gay subculture, he focuses on how that culture thrived despite the oppression. We see that many gay men lead anything but solitary lives. He also destroys the myth that gay men internalized the dominant culture's view of them as sick, perverted, and immoral. Instead of self hatred and acceptance of the policing of their lives, many men in this book found ways to resist it and affirm their lives and loves.
One thing that the book makes abundantly clear is that gay identify as we know it today did not exist during this time period. He covers the different labels used at the time, fairies, trade, and “normal men” to make clear that as long as one did not take the feminine role, he could move it and out of the culture. This was quite common with soldiers and sailors visiting New York. He contrasts the large class of fairies, who paraded their femme gayness openly and defiantly in the Village, Harlem, Times Square and the Bowery, and queers (a term that was gaining use in New York) or homosexuals. These men sometimes did affirm their homosexuality but often detested effeminacy. Many men, who engaged in frequent homosexual behavior but stuck to "manly" roles, just didn't regard themselves as being "that way."
He traces the changes that seemed to take place in these forms of identity over the years and quotes positive attitudes on the subject expressed by members of each class.Chauncey’s sources include newspapers, gossip sheet reports, cartoons, reports made by a wide assortment of vice investigators, and other now public records as well as the memoirs of individual gay men. Chauncey paints an authentic picture that includes widespread cruising in various streets, parks, and bathrooms. He also discusses the numerous if random examples of vice arrests. He notes that the leading "protectors of morality" at that time were more interested in curbing female prostitution than other male activities but at times, focus would turn to homosexual activity.
He shows that a vast culture existed in particular apartment buildings and at the YMCA. Chauncey describes the YMCA, which ironically was established to prevent the very sort of "immoral" activity, as a center of gay cultural life. He ties this together with the statistics that show such a large number of single men residing in New York which required affordable bachelor housing facilities. He also shows that there were numerous public gathering places such as restaurants, bars, and cafeterias that were frequented by the gay subculture though few exclusively gay places. Because of the fluidity of participation in the gay life, it was much likely that individuals would come and go, socializing with those on the fringe of the subculture.He describes the culture of the baths, which arose within all cultural groups but survived longer in the gay subculture than most. Perhaps this phenomenon survived longer and was safer haven because the baths provided a very private sort of public space. In addition to providing a place for sexual experience, the baths were also a place where economic lines could be easily crossed. They were also a place where friendships that lasted for years were spawned, even though the men may only have socialized in this more private environment. Raids were not common but they did happen and the arrest records bear out the fact that more affluent men frequented the baths.
He details drag shows and heavily advertised drag balls which sometimes drew as many as 8,000 attendees. Many of those in attendance included straight society members who came to watch. There were many newspaper stories elaborating on these events, in detailing the dress worn by those in drag. Lesbians also attended these gala events. The dangers of arrest, raids, gay bashers and exposure were there, but seemed less common than they would later be, and New York's overt gay world seems to have been much more open from 1910 to 1930 than it was between 1940 and 1950..As long as historians remember that gay identify was vastly different in years past, there is an incredible world of culture that is still to be discovered. Though this era was a repressive time in some ways, there was a freedom to pursue gay culture that was lost during the 1950s. And though gay culture might have been somewhat invisible to outsiders, it was not invisible to those who went looking. During that era, “coming out” meant coming out in the gay subculture. It was years later before the concept of coming out to straight society became associated with that term.
Since reading this book, I found this very interesting map.
Intimate Matters
Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America
By John D’Emilio and Estelle B. Freedman
The authors did an excellent job of presenting a descriptive non-judgmental history of sexual practices in the United States from colonial times to the1980s. They covered sexual meanings and language, sexual regulation, and sexual politics.In early America, the main deterrent to premarital sex was the fear of pregnancy and community norms. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century, reproduction and sexuality were critically linked. Sexuality was not a private matter and family and community roles were ever present.But in the eighteenth century, with the first signs of a decline in marital fertility, we see a foreshadowing of changes that were to come. Reproductive control and growing power of women in the domestic sphere were both factors. Adultery and pre-marital sex did occur and because of the double standard, the repercussions were much more severe for women. And pregnancy still was an ever present possibility for women.Throughout the nineteenth century, the meaning of sexuality balanced between the reproductive side of the past and the romantic leanings of the present. It was during this time that sexuality and romantic love began to merge within the confines of marriage. At the same time, race and sexuality was an area where the political aspects can most visibly be seen. Bans on interracial marriage and fears of race mixing pervaded the south and were major factors in the racial strife to come.
The publication of Alfred Kinsey’s studies in 1948 and 1953 put sex into the public discourse in a brand new way. The studies revealed that the ideal of sex only within the confines of sanctioned marriage was not reality. All kinds of sexuality were much more common that anyone imagined and this included homosexuality.And during the 1960s, sexuality emerged as an issue of power and politics, with both the rise of feminism and the gay civil rights movement. At the same time, the ideal of associating sex with equality was more important than ever before. The sexual revolutions spawned the realization that not everyone could agree on sexual idea. There was a variety in sexual images that had never existed during prior generations.
By John D’Emilio and Estelle B. Freedman
The authors did an excellent job of presenting a descriptive non-judgmental history of sexual practices in the United States from colonial times to the1980s. They covered sexual meanings and language, sexual regulation, and sexual politics.In early America, the main deterrent to premarital sex was the fear of pregnancy and community norms. Throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century, reproduction and sexuality were critically linked. Sexuality was not a private matter and family and community roles were ever present.But in the eighteenth century, with the first signs of a decline in marital fertility, we see a foreshadowing of changes that were to come. Reproductive control and growing power of women in the domestic sphere were both factors. Adultery and pre-marital sex did occur and because of the double standard, the repercussions were much more severe for women. And pregnancy still was an ever present possibility for women.Throughout the nineteenth century, the meaning of sexuality balanced between the reproductive side of the past and the romantic leanings of the present. It was during this time that sexuality and romantic love began to merge within the confines of marriage. At the same time, race and sexuality was an area where the political aspects can most visibly be seen. Bans on interracial marriage and fears of race mixing pervaded the south and were major factors in the racial strife to come.
The publication of Alfred Kinsey’s studies in 1948 and 1953 put sex into the public discourse in a brand new way. The studies revealed that the ideal of sex only within the confines of sanctioned marriage was not reality. All kinds of sexuality were much more common that anyone imagined and this included homosexuality.And during the 1960s, sexuality emerged as an issue of power and politics, with both the rise of feminism and the gay civil rights movement. At the same time, the ideal of associating sex with equality was more important than ever before. The sexual revolutions spawned the realization that not everyone could agree on sexual idea. There was a variety in sexual images that had never existed during prior generations.
Friday, February 01, 2008
The Lavender Scare
The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government
By David K. Johnson. University of Chicago Press 2004Pp. 277.
There have been many studies of the Cold War era including those that specifically focus on what is commonly known as McCarthyism. In this book, David Johnson provides us with a much needed analysis of a key element of that repression. He shows us how the U.S. government came to focus on gays as "security risks." During this time, homosexuals were often considered on a par with or more of a threat than suspected communists. In this book, we see how members of Congress and national security bureaucrats found it necessary to systematically purge gays and lesbians from all kinds of government positions.
Many historians of the Cold War have marginalized the persecution of gays as part and parcel of McCarthyism. Johnson points out that the “Lavender Scare” was instead a deeply ingrained part of fifties culture which actually pre-dated McCarthyism and long outlived it.This book clearly indicates that the purge of gays and lesbians was more than just McCarthyism. Even though McCarthy often made references in his speeches to “communists and queers”, he was not the principal architect of the homosexual purges. Speculation has centered on his own fear that as a middle age bachelor, the charges might come back and stick to him as well. As we see throughout, it was not just homosexuals that had to fear this persecution; anyone could be a target as most of the investigations were based on innuendo and stereotypes.
During the peak of the New Deal, there is no doubt that Washington DC had become a gay city. With the job opportunities available and the appeal of being away from their families of origin, it made sense that gays would choose to migrate to some of the larger cities and DC was no different. The process of urbanization was critical in creating a social and economic base for a gay and lesbian subculture. Washington DC was unique in that civil service jobs were appealing to those that lived outside of societal norms. Government jobs were the only ones where women had any chance of chance of breaking in. And the old-boy network was not as pervasive as in business. So there was truth that fact that gays and lesbians could be found throughout government service. As a result the gay community had begun to gain in visibility. This did not go unnoticed nor was it without repercussions, with frequent “pervert elimination campaigns”. These primarily targeted the gay cruising areas that were actually world renowned, like Lafayette Park.There were other incidents that helped seal the association of government service, particularly the State Department, with homosexuality. One such event was the scandal involving the head of the dept, Sumner Welles. The story was that he had sexually propositioned an African American porter on a train trip back to Alabama from DC. There was an attempt hush up the incident for Welles, who was a married man, though ultimately, he was forced to resign. And ultimately, the State Department began examining its policies and came to the conclusion that it was necessary to remove homosexuals. The reasoning was not that there was a threat of blackmail or national security issues but that their presence created a morale issue for non-gay members who did not want to work with them or be associated with such a reputation.As the effort to purge gays and lesbians grew and there were official congressional studies, the security risk factor was raised. The irony is that there was little or no evidence of any security violations and the sensationalist stories such as that of Sumner Welles were about married men who had homosexual affairs. However, it is clear that the more repression that is directed towards gays and lesbians, the more they have to fear and the more likely it is that blackmail might be effective.
And yet, there was never any evidence to indicate that it really happened. As Johnson observes, the Lavender Scare long outlived the Second Red Scare and during the Eisenhower administration it became institutionalized. In his memoirs, Eisenhower commented that he perceived gays as unintentional security risks. It is important to remember that this was before the concept of sexual orientation as an identity so the perception was that anyone could succumb to moral weakness and commit a homosexual act.At the end of the books, we see how this repression actually fostered the gay civil rights movement and led many to unite and fight discrimination. He shares a few personal stories that help portray the constant fear and stress that had become part of the gay government employee experience. He also points out how the experience of being fired simply for being gay drew some into the Washington gay sub-culture. Out of a job, with less to lose, these gay individuals began to identify themselves by their sexual identity. Johnson examines the national Mattachine Society and the local Mattachine Society of Washington. This group was led by Frank Kameny, an astronomer fired by the federal government for being gay. Though he never intended to be a political activist, his experience led him to a new approach of social activism. And while many consider Stonewall to be the official beginning of the gay civil rights movement, Johnson points out that there were many facets that led to change.This work is an important contribution to the history of the cold war. It also reminds us that the fight for gay and lesbian civil rights and the very concept of a gay identity has its origins in more than one historical event. It was the government’s repressive action that ultimately helped to unite gays and lesbians. And this repression helped to spur the modern gay civil rights movement.
By David K. Johnson. University of Chicago Press 2004Pp. 277.
There have been many studies of the Cold War era including those that specifically focus on what is commonly known as McCarthyism. In this book, David Johnson provides us with a much needed analysis of a key element of that repression. He shows us how the U.S. government came to focus on gays as "security risks." During this time, homosexuals were often considered on a par with or more of a threat than suspected communists. In this book, we see how members of Congress and national security bureaucrats found it necessary to systematically purge gays and lesbians from all kinds of government positions.
Many historians of the Cold War have marginalized the persecution of gays as part and parcel of McCarthyism. Johnson points out that the “Lavender Scare” was instead a deeply ingrained part of fifties culture which actually pre-dated McCarthyism and long outlived it.This book clearly indicates that the purge of gays and lesbians was more than just McCarthyism. Even though McCarthy often made references in his speeches to “communists and queers”, he was not the principal architect of the homosexual purges. Speculation has centered on his own fear that as a middle age bachelor, the charges might come back and stick to him as well. As we see throughout, it was not just homosexuals that had to fear this persecution; anyone could be a target as most of the investigations were based on innuendo and stereotypes.
During the peak of the New Deal, there is no doubt that Washington DC had become a gay city. With the job opportunities available and the appeal of being away from their families of origin, it made sense that gays would choose to migrate to some of the larger cities and DC was no different. The process of urbanization was critical in creating a social and economic base for a gay and lesbian subculture. Washington DC was unique in that civil service jobs were appealing to those that lived outside of societal norms. Government jobs were the only ones where women had any chance of chance of breaking in. And the old-boy network was not as pervasive as in business. So there was truth that fact that gays and lesbians could be found throughout government service. As a result the gay community had begun to gain in visibility. This did not go unnoticed nor was it without repercussions, with frequent “pervert elimination campaigns”. These primarily targeted the gay cruising areas that were actually world renowned, like Lafayette Park.There were other incidents that helped seal the association of government service, particularly the State Department, with homosexuality. One such event was the scandal involving the head of the dept, Sumner Welles. The story was that he had sexually propositioned an African American porter on a train trip back to Alabama from DC. There was an attempt hush up the incident for Welles, who was a married man, though ultimately, he was forced to resign. And ultimately, the State Department began examining its policies and came to the conclusion that it was necessary to remove homosexuals. The reasoning was not that there was a threat of blackmail or national security issues but that their presence created a morale issue for non-gay members who did not want to work with them or be associated with such a reputation.As the effort to purge gays and lesbians grew and there were official congressional studies, the security risk factor was raised. The irony is that there was little or no evidence of any security violations and the sensationalist stories such as that of Sumner Welles were about married men who had homosexual affairs. However, it is clear that the more repression that is directed towards gays and lesbians, the more they have to fear and the more likely it is that blackmail might be effective.
And yet, there was never any evidence to indicate that it really happened. As Johnson observes, the Lavender Scare long outlived the Second Red Scare and during the Eisenhower administration it became institutionalized. In his memoirs, Eisenhower commented that he perceived gays as unintentional security risks. It is important to remember that this was before the concept of sexual orientation as an identity so the perception was that anyone could succumb to moral weakness and commit a homosexual act.At the end of the books, we see how this repression actually fostered the gay civil rights movement and led many to unite and fight discrimination. He shares a few personal stories that help portray the constant fear and stress that had become part of the gay government employee experience. He also points out how the experience of being fired simply for being gay drew some into the Washington gay sub-culture. Out of a job, with less to lose, these gay individuals began to identify themselves by their sexual identity. Johnson examines the national Mattachine Society and the local Mattachine Society of Washington. This group was led by Frank Kameny, an astronomer fired by the federal government for being gay. Though he never intended to be a political activist, his experience led him to a new approach of social activism. And while many consider Stonewall to be the official beginning of the gay civil rights movement, Johnson points out that there were many facets that led to change.This work is an important contribution to the history of the cold war. It also reminds us that the fight for gay and lesbian civil rights and the very concept of a gay identity has its origins in more than one historical event. It was the government’s repressive action that ultimately helped to unite gays and lesbians. And this repression helped to spur the modern gay civil rights movement.
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