The Controversial History Behind Sexuality - 1951 Words

Throughout history, sexuality has been an extremely discussed and disputed topic. In the United States, views on gays and lesbians have fluctuated as social norms changed and adapted rapidly as the nation grew into a major international superpower. Even today, the topic of sexuality is one of the most controversial and progressive movements sweeping the country as more and more states pass laws allowing the marriage of gay and lesbian couples. This essay will attempt to delve into the controversial history behind sexuality in the United States, addressing both positive and negative issues, beginning in the 1920s until the end of the 20th century. Prior to World War II, especially during the early 1910s, society was very quickly realizing†¦show more content†¦Universities, especially Ivy-League schools such as Cambridge and Harvard, openly disallowed any openly-gay students from gaining acceptance into the school. According to a report by Chris Cuomo for ABC News, a recent discovery of Secret Court Files, 1920† found that Harvard University had, in the 1920s, a â€Å"secret court† that focused on identifying and expelling all gay and lesbian students at the university. Because of the still-rampant homophobia despite the growing culture in cities, the first gay rights organization was founded in Chicago by a man named Henry Gerber. However, the Society for Human rights, as it was called, had to be closed less than a year after it was founded due to increasing political and social pressure from outside sources. The 1920s and early 1930s became known as the â€Å"Panzy Craze,† a time when homosexualit y was recognized as a legitimate sexual orientation and when gay nightclubs and parties flourished. However, the later 1930s were a time where all the freedom and experimentation from the â€Å"roaring ‘20s† was reversed, and the national fell into a state of rigid conservatism once again. The gay community, like every other community in America, was feeling the effects of the Great Depression and the old Victorian and Puritan morals were beginning to take control once again. The 1930s brought an enormous decline in public