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| Channing Tatum |
“So does this mean I get Channing Tatum?” That was the first
thing my best friend said to me after I told her that I was gay. We always had
this running humorous argument of who was going to marry the celebrity Channing
Tatum. But now with my true interests out in the open, she could have him all
to herself; it was honestly the best reaction I could’ve asked for. In all, I
consider myself a very lucky person. I have had nothing but positive responses
coming out to friends and family, and most of my other LGBT friends could say
the same thing. Would we have had the same acceptance 50 years ago? My friends
and I are skeptical.
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| Advertisement 1960s |
The 1960s were
a time of change and liberation for homosexuals in North America. Many
events such as the Stonewalls Riots brought more awareness upon the LGBT
community. But even with these movements, run by a small population of
people, there was a great majority of society that was still against
homosexuality. A 1967 CBS report called The Homosexuals concluded that “Americans view homosexuality more harmful
than adultery, abortion and prostitution” and as much as the majority of
homosexuals would not change who they are, they wouldn’t want loved ones to go
through what they go through as a homosexual. Homosexuality was classified as a
mental disorder by psychiatrists until 1973 and could be cured through
shock therapy or lobotomies. Gays could also be sent to prison as sex
offenders.
Allen
Ginsberg, an openly gay American poet, explicitly references gay sex and what
it was like being a homosexual during that time period in his poem Howl. He writes that “[gay men]
lost their lover boys to the […] heterosexual dollar.” Sexual orientation had
to be set aside for the sake of careers and income. With homosexuality
surfacing more in the media came much controversy. Ann Landers, an advice
columnist, published a column about the responses readers had to a
previous column she had written giving advice to a homosexual. The readers go
on to comment that gays are “oddballs” and you become guilty of being a
homosexual just by talking with a gay man. There was more negative feedback on
gay men than there was positive.
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| LGBT flag |
There has
been much more progress in society today compared to 50 years ago. In Canada,
homosexuality and same sex marriages are now legal. The Human Rights Act protects
the LGBT community from any form of discrimination. According to the Human Rights Campaign, 2 out of 3 LGBT youth are out to all their peers and
report that 75% of their peers don’t have a problem with their identity as
LGBT. Youth today are in fact considered the most accepting of
homosexuality than any other age group.
As of today, 16 countries recognize
same sex marriages (the U.S is progressing to be the 17th) and over 200 LGBT pride parades are held around the world. All of these are small
positive steps towards a more accepting world of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender people. We still have a long way to go but nevertheless there has been
remarkable progress from where the LGBT community stood 50 years ago. I am most
certainly proud to be who I am and I cannot wait to see more gay rights form
around the world.
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