Before entering Rutgers University, my knowledge of homosexual lifestyles was minimal to non-existent. As it turns out, my previous years of formal education did absolutely nothing to prepare me for the experiences associated with what is considered to be an "alternative" lifestyle. All of the images and portrayals that I have seen involve the stereotypical feminine acting, closeted homosexual. Although Rutgers has succeeded in showing me that homosexuality exists in real life, as an institution it has not succeeded in accepting the lifestyle.
Rutgers is not to blame in this dilemna. This position is only a microcosm of larger society, which still turns a blind eye to those who want to learn more about homosexuality or those who were curious to the idea of accepting themselves as gay or lesbian. The stigma which is attached to homosexuality in this country pervades into most, if not all, institutions. From our earliest years of socialization, we have either been taught that homosexuality is inappropriate(a behavior to be left in the closet) or we have been kept in the dark from a lack of knowledge.
Both of these outcomes are equally detrimental to the acceptance of the lifestyle. Just as African Americans and women struggled for equality in the recent past(and currently as well), homosexuals are fighting a tougher battle for equality. However, because of the stigma attached to the stereotyped behaviors, decent information seems to be few and far between. In this case, the internet has proven to be a very useful tool in gauging the past, present and future of this struggle. The internet gives all of us the opportunity to take a glimpse at the major obstacles homosexuals must overcome. These issues include military privileges and victims of hate crimes and discrimination. However, we would be doing ourselves a great injustice if we did not recognize those communities which openly accept and acknowledge their sexuality, such as the members of Castro Street in San Francisco.
The main problem, however, remains a lack of information, especially for teenagers who are curious about the true history of homosexuality. For me, doing this assignment was a learning experience in itself, as there were a lot of things I did not know and I am sure that a good majority of people do not know with the exception of what they hear on TV. We have all heard that those who do not learn from their history are doomed to repeat it, so it makes me wonder why we are so adamant about denying children(and adults) the opportunity to learn about the struggles of homosexuals.
History
To this extent, I would like to begin this web resource page by looking at the history of gay and lesbian struggles in the face of this adversity. I will specifically focus on 20th century events and people to substantiate the fact that throughout history, gays and lesbians have been slighted because people have refused to accept alternative lifestyles. This close minded philosophy has manifested itself in covert ways. Unfortunately, however, homosexuals were also the victims of hate crimes in one of the most tragic events this century, the holocaust. In particular, I used a search engine on About.com to find an interesting article on Homosexuals and the Holocaust which was written by Ben Austin. This is a wonderful essay, as it serves to give an account on how the patterns of discrimination against homosexuals have repeated themselves over and over since the first century. These patterns ultimately led to the execution of some 10,000-15,000 gays and lesbians in the Holocaust during World War II. This 'justification', per se, shows a scary side of human nature, one which has yet to be tamed.
Not all of homosexual history is as bleak and disolate as the Holocaust.Stonewall and Beyond: Lesbian and Gay Culture was created back in 1994 in order to commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the infamous Stonewall Riots. This page takes a look at homosexual lifestyles and how the Stonewall Riots impacted on them. News articles are included alongside pictorials of events before and after Stonewall. This incident was seen by some as the turning point in homosexual acceptance, as many came 'out of the closet' following this incident. This page possesses the feel of an online museum, serving to inform the masses of the history that has been kept from us for so long. Unfortunately, although a lot of progress was made on June 27, 1969, there's still a long way to go in reaching equality, similar to African-Americans and women.
The Present-Hate crimes/Overt Discrimination
For homosexuals, coming out can have various consequences. From a best friend refusing to speak with you to a family disowning their own, you would like to believe that reactions to coming out remain tame. Unfortunately, some people have taken it upon themselves to play judge, jury and executioner on those who practice homosexuality. This self-empowerment sometimes results in hate crimes. The incident which has gotten the most news coverage within the past two years was the savage attack on Matthew Shepard. This was one of the most interesting web sites I found in relation to the attack and the aftermath, as it chronicles most of the news stories pertaining to this and other publicized hate crimes. This is definetely a good site for someone with little to no knowledge of the attack on Matthew Shepard and its repurcussions. While supporters of Shepard would look to him as a martyr, others have been more callous, referring to him as an example of what is to come. These opinions, more than anything else, tend to show us that homophobia still breeds within our society, and until we address situations such as these, problems will continue to arise. Unfortunately, in the near future, you will not hear about this crime in your high school history class...
Present-Military and Discrimination
Although many institutions have made it a point to single out homosexuality, none have done so with the fervor of the United States military. With the exception of the institution of the family, no one branch of society has so blatantly banned a person because of his or her sexual preferences. Spearheading this attack on homosexuals is the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" policy which was passed in 1993. This policy basically gives the military the right to kick out any military officer who has a record of homosexual conduct(or sexual misconduct to them). This policy has affected the lives of many military officers, as evidenced on the Gay Military Site. This site is impartial in analyzing court cases involving gays in the military. It also provides the most recent news stories regarding the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
While this page is fine for getting a general idea on what the policy is all about, it always helps to gather personal accounts. The internet, with its vast resources, have allowed us the opportunity to read the personal anecdotes of a few military officers who were victims of discrimination. A couple of the more interesting ones were Andy Holmes and Tim McVeigh. Andy Holmes gives a personal account of not only his struggle to keep his homosexuality a secret from the military, but also his struggle to reach a certain level of comfort with his own lifestyle. After finally accepting that he was gay, he confided to this military comrades, and was promptly discharged.
Timothy McVeigh's story is a little different. McVeigh was discharged from the Navy just for having the word 'gay' in his America Online(AOL) profile. Speaking on his prompt dismissal, McVeigh hits on a very important point, "I am convinced that you will also agree that the Navy's actions were homophobic paranoia at its peak." These words substantiate my main theme, that the lack of education in regard to homosexuality has led to history repeating itself. In this case, the military does not even try to understand, they just react to what THEY see as the norms of our society. In the end, however, McVeigh found redemption, as he was retired with honors(as a Master Cheif Petty Officer) and the Navy dropped their appeal. Situations such as these offer a glimmer of hope that one day, maybe the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue" policy will be eradicated.
Unfortunately, even if this policy is eradicated, the unwavering bias of the typical American would still exist. Hate crimes such as the one on Matthew Shepard show that even if the law says it is legal to be a gay or a lesbian, society will continue to see it as morally wrong. Some of these people react in more extreme ways than others. An example of the extreme method would be the murder of Barry Winchell. Maybe eradicating the policy would be a catalyst for acceptance, however. In order for this policy to become extinct, it looks like the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network will have to fight fire with fire. Since the "Don't Ask..." policy presumably gives homosexuals no rights if they disclose their homosexuality, this page shows that they do have rights to privacy, and they have the right to keep their private lives private if they choose.
Future--Education and Acceptance(???)
The internet does not only harbor documents of negativity when it comes to homosexuality. As a matter of fact, there is more acceptance on the net than there is the the real world. There are many chat rooms, such as WBS.net which have gay and lesbian chat rooms. These rooms operate just like any other chat rooms, people converse in them. In my experiences I have never seen any discrimination occuring in these chat rooms. This is a great development for teens who are debating whether or not they are 'normal' by societal standards. A page which is similar to this is !OutProud!. This page is directed toward teenagers and educators alike. It emphasizes coming to terms with one's sexuality and being able to express it to those who are the most important to you, including your closest friends and family members. Through acceptance, maybe we can avoid the overt and covert forms of discrimination which occur in our society. This page also contains a search engine so you can find gay and lesbian support anywhere in the country. This page definetely provides a sense of community, which is a running theme throughout these 'education' pages. A more political take on the issues effecting gay and lesbian life in the United States occurs on a webpage called TurnOUT! In addition to recapping policy issues(including Family, Military, AIDS, Youth and Civil rights), this page also harbors a sense of community through the different support groups it associates with(including GLAAD and PFLAG). This page is currently in the midst of a huge update and soon will be even more user friendly.
My main goal in writing this paper was to provide a history of homosexual struggles with society. In this case, I believe that education is key to understanding the plight of gays and lesbians. Unfortunately, since society is so close-minded about this issue, education is not provided. For instance, why do we never see a gay or lesbian couple walking down the street holding hands?? This is, in my opinion, the most underestimated form of emotional expression. However, the norms of society dictate that only heterosexual couples can afford this luxury. As well, African-Americans have similarities with homosexuals, from a social acceptance standpoint. The "I Have A Dream" speech and the Stonewall Riots both led to a general acknowledgement of the struggles which both groups faced. Unfortunately, this acknowledgement has not come full circle, hence we are still striving for equal rights on both accounts. Acknowledgement does not mean acceptance, and for the time being, equality is a ways off. There is hope though, as the internet provides a wealth of information, and everyday, millions of people are discovering these pages. Hopefully, within time, the discrimination which persists in this country will be eradicated, in both its covert and overt forms. For now, all we can do is accept everyone, friend and foe, without judgement.
As the Holocaust shows, hate crimes tend to draw an unfortunate link between gays and Jews. However, as I have found on the internet, there are people who are ready to take a deeper look at that history in hopes that it will never happen again. On the International Association of Lesbian and Gay Children of Holocaust Survivors, the subtitle line reads: "Just as a hidden Memory is forgotten... If History is hidden, then history is forgotten!" This quotation is simple yet very few people understand it, and this is why discrimination continues to persist in our society.
I will continue to update this page with links to more informative sites, as good information is scattered all over the net, but for beginners, the Gay and Lesbian Politics: WWW and Internet Resources was one of the most comprehensive sites that I have come across. This site offers a broad range of topics, including national and local organizations, the latest relevant news, AIDS, marriage and so on. This is definetely the best site for a beginner who has little to no knowledge of gay and lesbian struggles.
To return to the main page, just click HERE!!!!!