1940s gay culture
Back in the 1920s, Berlin had already become a haven and refuge for gays and lesbians from all over the world. There are 170 clubs, bars and pubs for gays and lesbians, and successfully as riotous nightlife and a lgbtq+ neighbourhood. But parties aren't the only thing being organised – several political associations are founded in Berlin to fight for same rights. However, the Nazis' rise to power spells the death knell for this diversity, and it would accept several decades for Berlin to come back to its status as a global centre for the LGBTI* scene. Understand about how Berlin became a hotspot for gays and lesbians over the course of the 20th century, and how its scene attracted people from all over the world – and continues to undertake so today.
1897
The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee – the very first lgbtq+ and lesbian organisation in the society – was founded in Berlin. Its founder is the Jewish doctor Magnus Hirschfeld. His guiding principle: “Justice through science”. His goals: freedom from persecution by the mention and religious oppression, the fight for emancipation and social recognition. The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, remains the most politically powerful associa
"A first-class piece of journalism..." -- David Margolick, Vanity Fair*
Wellesley House Party 1940s/Courtesy: The History Project.
Published in Boston Spirit Magazine
What was it like to be queer in 1940s Boston? It’s impossible to fully capture the diverse experiences of LGBT people at any given second, much less a decade as momentous as the 1940s, but by reaching into the archives of The History Project, Boston LGBT archive, we can get a glimpse into the lives of five people who lived in a place and hour that is at once familiar and alien.
The South End in the 1940s was a densely populated neighborhood of bars, restaurants, cheap hotels, and rooming houses. Prostitutes mingled with bookies at joints appreciate the Junee Café (“When It’s Thirst, Come Here First”). On Washington Highway, you could take in a floor show at the Hoffman Grill, which specialized in the “Finest Italian American food.” In was perfect for anyone who wanted to inhabit anonymously.
Charles Gautreau stands in front of his mirror over the sink in his room in the New York Streets area of the South Conclude. He applies mascara and lipstick, puckering his lips and widening his eyes, he slowly turns into
A Brief History Of Leather And The Gays
Give to me your leather, hold from me my gays…
By Fraser Abe
Cubs, pups, otters, silver foxes and bears, oh my. The gay ecosystem has a rich taxonomy of subcultures that all somewhat stem from one Adam(4Adam)’s rib – the leather community. It’s been around since the 1940s, when the notion of otters and the like were just a twink-le (get it?) in some queen’s eye. We’re here to interval down the history of leather for you, going all the way support to the greatest generation.
It’s generally assumed that leather identity got its originate in the 1940s, as an offshoot to post-World War II motorcycle clubs that began popping up around the same time. Gays had flocked in droves to huge cities following Navy Discharges from the army, a way of removing homosexuals from service, as dishonourably discharging and imprisoning gays became impractical with the huge number of recruits during WWII. It led to large groups of homosexuals in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.
Meanwhile, a dissatisfaction with the post-WWII white picket fence view of America was building, especially as seen in films like 1953’s The Wild One, starring Marl
1940s in LGBT Rights
Censorship of LGBT issues becomes state-enforced.
Article 208 of the Penal Code (1949) prohibits "offensive public utterances" in writing, graphics, images, and other forms of expression. Before the civil war, it was reported that films with LGBT content were censored. In June 2022, it was reported that Syria's Directorate of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection confiscated around 600 rainbow kites as their designs were similar to the pride flag and therefore "indicating homosexuality". Various articles of Law No. 93 (1958) allow the Ministry to appoint or delete board members, disallow political participation, foreign funding, and allow the registration to be rescinded at will. Further, Article 35 allows any Board decision to be suspended âif it deems it to be against the law, the public order or moralsâ. This legal framework appears to pose severe barriers to the formal registration and the operation of an organisation working on sexual and gender diversity issues. During the civil war, some regions became more tolerant due to the division of the country. However, there were also some cases of even LGBTIQ+ people in support
“Gee!! I Wish I Were A Man”: Queer Americans in World War II
June is Pride Month and festivals and parades are happening across the nature in celebration of LGBTQA+ Pride. But Pride didn’t start as a procession, it started as a protest with the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and many historians posit that the roots of these LGBT activists can be found in the Society War II experiences of gays men and lesbians in the American military.
Anti-sodomy laws and regulations had been around since the Revolutionary War, leading in some cases to dishonorable discharge, courts-martial, or imprisonment for military men start having sex with other men. However, until 1942, no specific proviso barred homosexuals from serving in the military. With the growing acceptance of the validity of psychoanalysis in the medical profession in the 1920s and 1930s, attitudes towards sodomy and homosexual individuals had changed. In 1942, the relatively new profession of military psychiatrists warned of the “psychopathic personality disorders” that would make homosexuals unfit to fight. The military’s policy that homosexual acts were a crime that merited discharge gave way to a psychiatrist-controlled theory tha