The Future of GLBT History

Throughout time, we've been through countless wars, rulers, religions and mindsets. We went from a social mindset that condoned homosexuality or any sex to complete hatred of it. The pendulum has swung more times than can be counted. We worshipped transgendered deities and thought nothing of those who gender-blended. Later, largely due to the politics and religion of our time and whose opinion happened to matter most at the time, we grew to despise homosexuality, inciting an all-out holocaust on those who may be something other than straight. Again, the pendulum is swinging to the side of reason, and the world is at least tolerating homosexuals, save incidences like Matthew Shepard's slaying and the fact that we are still fighting in Congress for equal rights. Here's to hoping that our pendulum will swing a little more our way.

So ends this whirlwind tour of queer history, from those first ancient blushes of pink to the full-fledged rainbow we see today at Twin Cities Pride. Although our special history may not be canonized in classroom textbooks (yet), by piecing together the disparate parts of our past we can slowly begin to build a rich tapestry, weaving together our collective and individual triumphs and setbacks. As a community, we must work to ensure that this reservoir of knowledge never fades from our minds, continuing to celebrate it among ourselves and to share it with the world at large. Knowing the past not only allows us a much fuller appreciation of the privileges we enjoy in the present, but gives us a blueprint for making many improvements necessary for future queer generations to live safe, happy and Pride-filled lives.

Footnotes

1. Kepner J. Becoming A People...a 4,000 year chronology of gay and lesbian history.

2. Boswell J. Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe. Villard Books; 1994.

3. CloudFish e-mailed me a contribution (many thanks!!!) sharing his/her insights into Fire Island, NY, and the origin of how the lavender & purple came to be associated with the GLBT:
   
   The color purple (and lavender) became the colors of the gay movement because it is the main color of Sayville (Gayville), NY, where almost all the veterans of Stonewall spent time. The color of Sayville is purple trimmed with gold rim (see below). Fire Island became the world center of gays because a) prior to WWII, Sayville was the country's largest resort full of summer theaters and b) it was a movie making hub thanks to the south sun! The only way to the Fire Island Communities was through Sayville. A large percentage of the workers there were gay. As there was no roads or families in Fire Island, the Pines became a refuge and a place to hide.
   
   (Sayville is a. type of flower [a gorgeous photo of Sayville] and b. name of a town on the South shore of Long Island, in SE New York. Pop: 12,013 -- BryonyTrinity)

Bibliography

Loughery, John. The Other Side of Silence: Men's Lives and Gay Identities: A Twentieth-Century History. New York: Henry Holt & Co. (1998).

Miller, Neil. Out of the Past: Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the Present. New York: Vintage Books (1995).

Out in All Directions: A Treasury of Gay and Lesbian America, eds. Lynn Witt, Sherry Thomas, Eric Marcus. New York: Warner Books, Inc. (1995).

Rutledge, Leigh W. The Gay Decades: From Stonewall to the Present: The People and Events that Shaped Gay Lives. New York: Plume (1992).

Spencer, Colin. Homosexuality in History. New York: Harcourt Brace & Co. (1995).

"Swade's Tribal Chant: Lesbian History." http://www.swade.net/lesbian/tribal_chant/les_hist.html

"Timeline: The People and the Stories of Modern Gay History." http://www.gayhistory.com/rev2/timeline/timeline01.htm

This article was originally published in PrideGuide 2001 owned by TCPride.com who owns the copyright to this written work. The right to re-publish it on my Web--suphawut.com--was officially granted to me in writing by TCPride's Community Relations Director Kim Nelson (URL | E-mail) whose helpful cooperation I greatly appreciated. For the 2002 on-line issue of PrideGuide, click here.