History
Prior to the 1700s, homosexual behavior was centered on either older-man/younger-man relationships in which the elder was seen as taking the younger "under his wing" or on males who lived as "non-males" all their lives, such as the effeminate males in Native American tribal life. After the 1700s, in European cities such as London and Paris, what we have come to know as true homosexuality developed. Males were more obvious and more direct in their preferences both for sexual activities, for dress and for personal expression.
The first use of the term "homosexual" was by Karoly Maria Kertbeny, in 1869. Laws in Britain called for the death penalty for "buggery" but these laws were abolished in 1861. In 1895, writer Oscar Wilde spent two years in prison for homosexual acts.
During the 1800s and the 1900s, homosexual and bisexual individuals began to be labeled with various tag words such as "molly" "fancy boy", "queers", or "fags". The early tolerance changed to opposition, reaching a level where assaults and violence towards homosexuals accelerated. Religious groups condemned hostility and violence against homosexuals but pointed to biblical condemnations of homosexuality.
Homosexual Rights In the United States
Author George Chauncey ("Gay New York")wrote that until the late 1940s male on male sex did not create any feelings of being homosexual. In the decades that followed, homosexuality was stigmatized, and many homosexuals went into the "closet". To this day there are individuals still living in a "closet" existence, hardened by the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" federal policies of the past several decades.
In 1969, the Stonewall Riot, at Stonewall Inn, took place. The Stonewall Inn was a welcoming place for LGBTs but a police raid was staged, followed by resistance giving rise to groups such as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Liberation Movement, which began to press for rights.
Activism by LGBT groups have changed the political landscape. The deadly HIV created sympathy and compassion toward those homosexuals afflicted. Cities such as Palm Springs and San Francisco have elected homosexual mayors; Hollywood stars have "outed" themselves and taken same sex partners. Meanwhile the federal government passed the Defense of Marriage Act, which states that a marriage is between a man and a woman.
Gay Marriage in the U.S.
Gay marriages are now legal is six states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire. Domestic Partnerships and Civil Unions are allowed in eight states: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Vermont. In some states, confusion and conflict are still raging. California passed a law allowing it, but then retracted the law.
International Gay Marriage and Rights
Some nations are very tolerant of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgenders, while some are extremely punitive. In June 2009, Lithuania passed a law banning information about homosexuality and bisexuality from places where youths can see it. Uganda is proposing a death penalty homosexuals and prison sentences for failure to report them. Less accepting areas of the world are the United States and Africa. Canada has a high acceptance level and permits gay marriages. The three nations that have the highest acceptance scores and allow gay marriages are the Netherlands, Spain, and Belgium.
Summary
Since the 1700s, attitudes about homosexuality and bisexuality have been at extremes. For decades since the turn of the 1900s, greater hostility was seen until the 1960s when groups formed to push for equality. After the 1960s, progress began to be made by LGBT groups in their efforts to win rights. Now the most critical issue for homosexuals is the right to a same sex marriage.
