In the documentary Before Stonewall the experiences of the LGBTQ community throughout the 20th century are highlighted and discussed. The documentary begins in the early 1900’s. Many speakers at the beginning of the film set the stage, stating that during the early 1900’s getting caught as a gay individual meant being arrested, thrown in an asylum, beaten, or even resorting to suicide. The word “homosexual” was thought to be dirty, and individuals who were called homosexual were thought to be mentally unwell sexual deviants. Gay men even had to use “signals” such as wearing a red necktie or a matching necktie and handkerchief to alert to other gay men that they were available without drawing attention to themselves publicly. Gay men and women
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After the war the troops starting coming home, and a growing population of gays began forming in port cities. In the mid to late 40’s gays and lesbians began coming out of
the shadows a bit more, and talking more openly amongst themselves. During the late 40’s to early 50’s, gay culture began appearing in the mainstream, with Kinsey’s research on sexuality playing a huge role. Before individuals thought of homosexuality as something that was very uncommon, and with Kinsey’s research claiming that over 200,000 gays and lesbians existed in the US, people could not deny the validity and commonality of these sexualities. Furthermore, with the increased knowledge on the sheer number of gays and lesbians in the US, the 50’s brought the “dark ages.” These times were characterized by searching for deviants of any kind. People also began trying to establish a connection between communism and homosexuality, stating that gay people were Soviet spies sent to gather classified Intel. This conspiracy surrounding gay and lesbian people resulted in many men losing their jobs as a result of their sexuality. The US State
After the war the troops starting coming home, and a growing population of gays began forming in port cities. In the mid to late 40’s gays and lesbians began coming out of
the shadows a bit more, and talking more openly amongst themselves. During the late 40’s to early 50’s, gay culture began appearing in the mainstream, with Kinsey’s research on sexuality playing a huge role. Before individuals thought of homosexuality as something that was very uncommon, and with Kinsey’s research claiming that over 200,000 gays and lesbians existed in the US, people could not deny the validity and commonality of these sexualities. Furthermore, with the increased knowledge on the sheer number of gays and lesbians in the US, the 50’s brought the “dark ages.” These times were characterized by searching for deviants of any kind. People also began trying to establish a connection between communism and homosexuality, stating that gay people were Soviet spies sent to gather classified Intel. This conspiracy surrounding gay and lesbian people resulted in many men losing their jobs as a result of their sexuality. The US State