A Review of 40 Years of American History Covering LGBT Rights
The progress and regression of public opinion
Same-sex marriage was a major step forward in allowing LGBT people to achieve the legal legitimacy of their relationships. The 2015 decision of the Supreme Court was the final step of several court cases striking down state laws banning same-sex marriage. As more states are allowing same-sex marriage, public opinion also has shifted rapidly on the issue.
But same-sex marriage is only one aspect of the legal changes affecting homosexuals in America. Repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law in 2011 opened the military for gays and lesbians to serve openly without fear of retribution. Corporations 30 years ago discovered the benefits of diversity in hiring practices and in retaining good employees. We had the first President to openly champion LGBT rights and to campaign on the issue with Obama. Of course, Trump did just the opposite.
Several Fortune 500 CEOs publicly supported the cause and helped erase the stigma that threatened the careers of gays and lesbians. Sports stars and movie stars have joined the bandwagon of gay pride. In 2003 the U.S. Supreme Court struck down all state Sodomy laws that were the basis that made homosexuality a criminal offense. This was 30 years after the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders.
So have homophobia, discrimination, and hate talk disappeared?
Obviously not, but the people who practice such evil are on the defensive today, and public opinion has shifted against them. In fact, in comparison with the slow progress of civil rights for women and African Americans, the 40-year change in attitudes towards homosexuality has been swift. As recently as the ’70s, homosexuals were considered moral degenerates not worthy of anything but death. A vocal minority still expresses that view, especially among some religious groups and political parties. But most people around the world have rejected that hateful attitude. Public opinion varies among regions, ages, classes, and nations, but the data demonstrate a continuing upward progress in all these categories.
What has prompted this Cultural Revolution? Was it a media blitz, a shift in political strategies, a reversal of centuries of church dogma, or simply a more secular drift in how most people live? A case can be made, that the most significant impact has been the result of more and more people “coming out,” i.e., openly living their lives without lies or repression. As more people came to know and understand their friends, neighbors, co-workers, as role models and regular humans and not some frightful “other” category of nameless villains, then that personal connection made a huge impact on public opinion.
Some argue that the fight for LGBT civil rights is not comparable to that for women and African Americans because gays and lesbians can choose their “lifestyle” and therefore are more accountable for their behavior. First, there is no gay lifestyle. LGBT people are as varied as straight people, in their sexual orientation and gender identity, and how they manifest it differ widely. Straight people tend to judge all LGBT people solely based on those they see a Pride Parades or Festivals. You wouldn’t judge us only on how we looked when we went to church or a sports event. Of course, most would be surprised if we did show up a church, but that’s another false assumption. We have a lot more depth than simply how we dress.
Although the debate lingers on in the state courts and legislatures, perhaps the most ardent debate continues to be in the hallowed cloisters of church denominations that are re-assessing their doctrines and dogmas regarding the issue. Mainstream Protestant denominations have made major shifts in accepting LGBT members into full fellowship. Some even have gone so far as to allow ordination of gays and lesbians into the clergy and/or offering rituals for same-sex marriage. There are notable exceptions, such as the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention. But even in denominations such as the United Methodist Church, which has a strong homophobic official polity, many congregations, seminaries, bishops, and members are defying church orders. Most denominations have a LGBT advocacy group that operates independent of the church hierarchy and serves as a political caucus for change within the organization.
Within recent years several evangelicals have championed the cause. Justin Lee published his memoir titled Torn in which he not only recounts his story but challenges evangelical Christians to reconsider their position on the issue. Matthew Vines published a video on YouTube that went viral in which he re-interpreted the seven “gotcha” scriptures in the Bible. He has now formed a national organization called the Reformation Project.
How will historians and sociologists look back on this movement that really caught fire with the AIDS plague in the 80’s? With thousands of people dying every day, it became an issue that no longer could be ignored. Of course, the HIV epidemic quickly spread to the heterosexual population and is no longer exclusively an LGBT issue. Some would say that the media, and particularly the entertainment industry, has promoted this issue and thereby increased its visibility in public opinion. Conversely, others comment that the changes in public opinion merely reflect the shifts in society rather than direct it. The debates have been long and loud since they reflect strongly held beliefs and attitudes and challenge the status quo of decades. The Republican Party has made it a big part of their marketing strategy to appeal to their base.They particularly have chosen to attack transgender people.
The puritanical hypocrisy about sex in the 19th Century set the stage for a repression that didn’t explode until the 1960’s. People with same-sex orientation have been around since the beginning of recorded history, but the history books generally glossed over the issue. It is not a new phenomenon, but it certainly is a more public one. In the broader context of a culture or a particular society, what role do sexual practices have? Are they a reflection of the culture or do they help set the standards for the culture? John Boswell’s book Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century remains the most complete history of same-sex orientation.
Victorian England was one of the most sexually repressed societies, but it certainly was not inactive. It generally was duplicitous and was acceptable if you didn’t talk about it behave publicly. We talk about sex a lot more now, but does that mean that as a society we are more sexually active? That’s what some of the more avant-garde media would have you believe, but do they represent the majority or just a fringe element? We can’t even agree as to how large a minority has a same-sex orientation or how active (or repressed) they are in expressing it. Some say 2–5%, and others claim as high at 10%. The researchers William Masters & Virginia Johnson tended toward the higher end.
Has the public moved on to other concerns such as the Climate Crisis and Gun Safety? The younger generation certainly have come to accept that “that’s so gay” as not a pejorative term, regardless of what the Governor of Florida says. Who cares how long denominational hierarchies debate their dogma? Is it relevant to the needs or interests of society at large, or is it just another cultural divide that has been preempted by the politicians? It is a movement that that has promoted social justice for all, including people of color. The United States prides itself as the land of opportunity, but we still do not have equality for all. Race, economic class, and sexual orientation often are factors why some people face discrimination. We cannot overlook ageism and physical disabilities as excuses in holding some people back from their full potential. We are still fighting to form a more perfect union.
