Homosexuality In The 1960's Analysis

Homosexuality in the 1960’s wasn’t as open and fortunate as it is today. The same time period where Alison Bechdel and her two brothers being raised in west Pennsylvania in her graphic novel Fun Home, Her father Bruce and self were going through sexuality identification problems at the same time. Although it is not forwardly said but with evidence from the text, Bruce may have committed suicide in result of holding his true identity from the public, his wife Helen and family and covering up his sexual desire for younger men. All a mist of this, Homosexuality was still considered a mental illness and you could be jailed if you’re caught doing homosexual acts. Also the way homosexuals were portrayed made it look like to the rest of the world …show more content…
Page 153 in Fun Home, Alison illustrates the situation that almost threw him out of the closet. Being caught with a young man and beer in his car. Now, that situation is not something you’d want to have over you. Bad enough that men of the gay community in the 1960’s were portrayed as older men who prey on young boys or pedophiles. In a 1960 propaganda titled “Boys Beware” produced by Sid Davis Production for the Inglewood Police Department, it was used to inform the public about these mentally sick men that could possibly attack young and vulnerable boys of the community. To get this message across, everyday situations off the era were used. Tommy hitch hiking a ride from a total stranger to get home, boys playing in the park, Benny hopping in strange man’s car to help him retrieve his stolen bike and Robby and his friend changing in the washroom with a man watching them then deciding to take a shortcut home and noticing the same man following him. Surely, the idea got to everyone especially younger boys and authorities to become careful, to watch out for older men befriending boys. Imagine how awful Bruce and his Wife, Helen looked and felt about the position they were put into. Luckily instead of imprisonment or being thrown in a mental institution, the judge granted that he must complete a certain amount of hours meeting with a …show more content…
In the 1961 classic The Children’s Hour, Two school teachers played by Aubrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine, where rumored to be lesbians, which the rumor created by a devilish school girl was untrue and their whole life where turned upside down. Because their battered images, Hepburn’ marriage was practically over and MacLaine performed suicide due to the negative attitude the homophobic public was giving them. This movie came out while Bruce was alive doing his undercover things so the homophobic public that was in the movie was the same homophobic in real life. He would have been shunned out, possibly lost everything, and have his image tarnish which from evidence in Fun Home, it would have probably killed him earlier and