Gay Rights Movement without Stonewall

I think you're being dramatic dear, there were always assimulationists (Rick Stokes any one?) and radicals, its only now that the media is willing to cover us, and for course they like to cover what doesn't scare them, but you can find our freaky side easily enough, the gay bars aren't yet being turned into daycares, the leather daddies have not traded in the chaps in for dad jeans etc, we even have a little bear cub on AH.com who's 19-20 had a 30 something bear boyfriend lol, so yeah its a matter of coverage and a matter of it being okay to be okay, to be an out gay in the 1970s, well you didn't have to be a freak, but it sure helped, now more... idk if there's a nice way of saying conforming, people scared to rock the boat or wanting to be "normal" in the past they lived and died in the closet, now they can be out which is great, so its a mix of more out people and a straight media wanting to cover the non-scary gays, but don't cry we're still kinky crazy and fun :)

black angel I think this is more of a generational difference of opinion. I don't ever recall shunning of people by fellow gays who wanted the mainstream life. Sorry I had more to post but I am getting tired.
 
black angel I think this is more of a generational difference of opinion. I don't ever recall shunning of people by fellow gays who wanted the mainstream life. Sorry I had more to post but I am getting tired.

I didn't say that was the issue, the issue was the straights and culture in general, being gay SO toxic and not ok in the 1970s that to come out you'd need to be insanely brave and a lot of people who came out A) were breaking such a basic social rule that its not shocking they questioned and tried to break others and B) likely were so sexually and emotional out of the norm (not a bad thing) that they couldn't fit into a closet, now today coming out is, not normal but as a culture we have an understanding of it, you're no longer breaking a basic social rule so its much easy for those who like mainstream lifestyle to come out, they're not challenging everything by coming out and I'd guess people who like sex with one person over the long term want to live in suburbia and have 2.5 might have an easier time living in the closet than say some one who needs an leather wearing bear to fist him to get off (in my eyes those are both value neutral)

I think generally gays have always been (or tried to be) open to all our sub-groups, from the leather daddies to the gay parents, though often mainstream and radical have butted heads, see Rick Stokes Vs. Harvey Milk
 
Sadly you are true we are the new boring normal. I miss the time that we were "Stonewall Generation". :(

Everyone misses their youth, I suppose. But it was a generation of police raids, casual deadly bashing, rampant AIDS, conversion therapy and you name it, you had it. It was also a generation of which only a few fought, some out of principle, some out of necessity, and the majority instead dealt with all of the above very painfully.

Anyone who's young and thinks they would have liked to be part of that era has to simply find some period literature and read it. It was an interesting culture, sure, but if one's under the impression it was easy to fit in or really supportive or something has really got to read with a bit more attention. It was depressing and dangerous and yes, toxic.

I think all cultures at some point get diluted out or simply change, it's just a matter of deciding what is worth keeping. We're no different.
 
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I didn't say that was the issue, the issue was the straights and culture in general, being gay SO toxic and not ok in the 1970s that to come out you'd need to be insanely brave and a lot of people who came out A) were breaking such a basic social rule that its not shocking they questioned and tried to break others and B) likely were so sexually and emotional out of the norm (not a bad thing) that they couldn't fit into a closet, now today coming out is, not normal but as a culture we have an understanding of it, you're no longer breaking a basic social rule so its much easy for those who like mainstream lifestyle to come out, they're not challenging everything by coming out and I'd guess people who like sex with one person over the long term want to live in suburbia and have 2.5 might have an easier time living in the closet than say some one who needs an leather wearing bear to fist him to get off (in my eyes those are both value neutral)

I was born and raised in Central OH not exactly a liberal paradise at the time. In 1978 I was 22 and came out to everybody. I consider my self normal, not a body builder or a screaming queen, I don't consider my self brave but I was raised to accept people as the were and Dammit you had to accept me as I was! I should have been a little less strident but such as youth. Those who truly loved me accepted it and others, like society in general, came around. Starting in 1984 I was in a 19.5 year relationship, no kids, and we generally lived in non gay areas. We never advertised or hid that we were gay. I have found that most people care more about how your lawn looks than who you sleep with, except for the poor husbands whose wife said "why cant our lawn look like that".:p
 
Everyone misses their youth, I suppose. But it was a generation of police raids, casual deadly bashing, rampant AIDS, conversion therapy and you name it, you had it. It was also a generation of which only a few fought, some out of principle, some out of necessity, and the majority instead dealt with all of the above very painfully.

Anyone who's young and thinks they would have liked to be part of that era has to simply find some period literature and read it. It was an interesting culture, sure, but if one's under the impression it was easy to fit in or really supportive or something has really got to read with a bit more attention. It was depressing and dangerous and yes, toxic.

I was to young for Stone Wall, although that was my inspiration, and ironically of all places in the late 1970's the candidates for Mayor of Columbus Oh came into the bars and campaigned. Yes I lost a lot of friends to AIDS but other then that I missed everything else bad. I now live in FL, not for long, feel more repressed than I ever have.:mad:
 
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I was born and raised in Central OH not exactly a liberal paradise at the time. In 1978 I was 22 and came out to everybody. I consider my self normal, not a body builder or a screaming queen, I don't consider my self brave but I was raised to accept people as the were and Dammit you had to accept me as I was! I should have been a little less strident but such as youth. Those who truly loved me accepted it and others, like society in general, came around. Starting in 1984 I was in a 19.5 year relationship, no kids, and we generally lived in non gay areas. We never advertised or hid that we were gay. I have found that most people care more about how your lawn looks than who you sleep with, except for the poor husbands whose wife said "why cant our lawn look like that".:p

you are a sample of one (or two) of course there are odd ones out I was making a general statements
 
I guess I lucked out with my positive, no pun, experiences.

pretty much yeah, I mean so did I and I'm guessing most gay members of the board, even today their are parents who throw out, murder, and send to re-education their queer children (and thats just the USA, god help those else where)
 
I don't have much to add, I just want to thank you guys for an informative thread on an aspect of history I don't know too much about.
 
Also, don't forget, mainstream media has a real problem dealing with the fringes & radicals. Don't want to scare off the advertisers who're keeping the shows on the air, y'know.;)
 
Gay Rights Movement might Evolved and Rise anyways even without Stonewall.

LGBT Rights and Emancipation Movement Existed even before Stonewall. :)

LGBT Rights Traced Back to 17th-18th Century when Karl Heinrich Ulrichs became the first self-proclaimed homosexual to speak out publicly for homosexual rights when he pleaded at the Congress of German Jurists in Munich for a resolution urging the repeal of anti-homosexual laws. :)

When, France Decriminalized Homosexuality in 1789. :) even, Without French Revolution, the Bourbon Constitutional Monarchy might Decriminalized Homosexuality. :)
 
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