THROUGH GAY EYES
Episode 14: History of the gay rights movement
Hi, everyone.
Today we're going to talk about the history of the gay pride festival.
I. Ancient Greece
Like everything else, it started with the ancient Greeks.
Their society accepted open homosexuality,
as long as it was an emotional and physical relationship between teacher and student.
II. Ancient Rome
In ancient Rome, free citizens could enjoy this so-called "desire,"
only if they took the active role in sex.
This tolerance, as modest as it was, disappeared with the spread of Christianity.
III. The Middle Ages
In the Middle Ages, all across Europe, both male and female homosexual "acts" were forbidden.
IV. 19th century
It was only in the second half of the 19th century
that those figures appeared who helped bring about the acceptance of homosexuality on a legal level.
We can't talk about societal acceptance yet, unfortunately,
because there was no forum for gays to organize a movement.
Gays were called sodomites until Kertbeny Károly came up with the expression "homosexual."
He was one of the members of the intelligentsia
who started the gay movements in the 19th century that lasted up until WWII.
IV. Post-World War II
World War II totally shook things up.
Instead of a homosexual movement, we can talk about a "homophile movement" beginning in the 1940s.
The very first lesbian and gay organization began in the Netherlands,
called Cultuur en Ontspanningscentrum, or the Cultural and Leisure Centre.
Similar movements began all across Western Europe, using the term "homophile,"
which means to love the same.
This puts the emphasis on "love."
They didn't really like the word "homosexual," which has the word "sex" – or "sexuality" – in it.
These movements were very conservative.
Their goal was to fit into society as much as possible.
They wanted to stand out as little as possible,
in order to be accepted by society and to further gay rights.
VI. The 1960s
In the U.S. in the 1960s, police brutality against gay couples was common.
In 1969, Stonewall patrons, many of whom were transvestites,
had had enough of the police raids and stood up to the police.
Every year in June, gay pride festivals and marches commemorate this event.
In memory of Stonewall, in 2009, Obama announced June LGBT pride month.
For more information
Translation and subtitles by Széll Melinda
