MetaFilter posts tagged with gay and history

Gay History - Online Documentaries

hippybear — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:42:42 -0800

A treasure trove of gay and lesbian documentaries to watch online. Our course begins with a brief overview. (9m05s)

Before Stonewall

Phyllis Lyon and Dell Martin started a newsletter for lesbians. (9m49s) Other women read dimestore lesbian novels [Forbidden Love - Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10unavailable (approx 75m)]. Gay bikers held rally weekends (silent, 2m30s). Life, pre-Stonewall, as told by gay seniors who lived it. (6m55s)

Stonewall

The setting and events of Stonewall, told by Phil Davis. (36m04s) Stonewall veterans share their stories. (6m12s) The first march, as told by gay seniors who lived it. (6m31s) GLBT groups began to organize and create community centers. (8m06s) Bonus movie: 1971 Gay Activist Alliance takeover of the NYC Wedding Bureau after City Clerk Herman Katz threatened to crack down on MCC gay union ceremonies. (5m preview, 47m34s with Veoh Player install)

The First Decade After Stonewall

Gilbert Baker designed the Gay Pride Flag. (27m46s) A pride parade from the mid-70s. (10m0s) The Times Of Harvey Milk (1h28m0s) [used by Sean Penn to study for his portrayal]. Harry Hay (Mattachine society founder) starts the Radical Faeries. (1m56s) The early years of the Radical Faeries, told by Jerry the Faerie. (10m0s) The Age Of AIDS Part 1 2 3 4 (approx 3h30m) [not strictly gay] Black, White, and Gray: A Portrait of Sam Wagstaff and Robert Mapplethorpe (1h12m) Twenty Years After Stonewall (including speeches by Harry Hay and Harvey Fierstein, amongst others) Part 1 2 3 4 (approx 68m) Paris Is Burning [NYC Vogue "Houses"] Part 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 (approx 1h10m)

Gay in the Twenty-First Century

Radical Faerie Sanctuary at Short Mountain. (28m19s) Gay Conversion Therapy (21m06s) [sound is out of sync at beginning, gets better]. 30 Days: A Straight Man In A Gay World (45m44s) I Have Gay Parents. (40m19s) Gay media figures examine the forty years since Stonewall. (1h21m) Forty Years After Stonewall (34m00s) Bonus films: Gay Hollywood: The Last Taboo Part 1 2 (approx 47m) and The Lavendar Lens: 100 Years of Celluloid Queers (1h57m52s) Plus: Fellow Travelers Part 1 2 3 (approx20m30s) - Photographer Mark Thompson narrates his portraits of gay leaders. Also: Saint Of 9/11 (1h31m) Story of Fire Department Chaplain Father Mychal Judge, first recorded casualty of the terrorist attacks. [note: Sept 11 footage]

Gay Liberation

Kattullus — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:13:57 -0800

1969: The Year of Gay Liberation is an online exhibit of the New York Public Library focusing on the radical gay rights movements of the late sixties and early seventies, focusing on the organizations The Mattachine Society of New York, Daughters of Bilitis, Gay News, Gay Liberation Front, Radicalesbians, Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries and the Gay Activists Alliance, and the events of the Stonewall Riot and Christopher Street Liberation Day. This is but one part of the NYPL's fine LGBT collection, which includes, among other things, resources for teens, AIDS/HIV collections, and digital collections on ACT UP, Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen, Bessie Bonehill, Gertrude Stein, Gran Fury, Julian Eltinge, Richard Wandel and Walt Whitman.

Nothing but to keep on trying

fiercecupcake — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:18:42 -0800

Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon were the first to wed in California -- again. Martin and Lyon are best known for founding the Daughters of Bilitis, the first lesbian rights organization in the U.S. Congratulations, Del and Phyllis!

People with a History

Kattullus — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 12:20:31 -0800

People with a History is "an online guide to lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans history." Ranging from the first stirrings of civilization to the modern day, People with a History gathers together original sources and academic articles dealing with queerness throughout history. To give you a feel for the wealth of material on the site, here are a few pages that caught my interest: The Vikings and Homosexuality, Coptic Spell: Spell for a Man to Obtain a Male Lover, an acount of a gay marriage ceremony described by Michel de Montaigne, But Among Our Own Selves (an 18th Century gay ballad), a chapter from The Life of St. Theodore of Sykeon, a 7th Century Byzantine monk and bishop, which mentions adelphopoiesis, or the rite of brothermaking, Wu Tsao, 19th Century Chinese lesbian poet, and finally Polari: The Lost Language of Gay Men.

The Boys of Boise

jonp72 — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 18:39:18 -0800

In 1955, at least twelve men in Boise, Idaho were arrested for "infamous crimes against nature.". In the resulting dragnet, the vice president of the Idaho First National Bank was sentenced to seven years in prison, while national magazines fomented a McCarthyite Lavender Scare with headlines such as Male Pervert Ring Seduces 1,000 Boys. This dark chapter in Idaho gay history was documented in both John Gerassi's 1966 book, The Boys of Boise and the recent film, The Fall of '55, by documentarian Seth Randal, but neither Gerassi nor Randal could identify The Queen, a closeted but politically connected homosexual who allegedly used his massive clout to stop the witch hunt.

Anders als die Andern

kirkaracha — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:08:17 -0800

Anders als die Andern ("Different From the Others") [IMDB|Wikipedia] was one of a series of films on sexual issues directed by Richard Oswald in the late 1910s and sponsored by Magnus Hirschfeld's Institute for Sexual Science. The 1919 movie (photo reconstruction), "the first major gay-themed film ever made," and "the world's first homosexual emancipation film," was made in part to protest against Paragraph 175, which was added to Germany's Reich Penal Code in 1871 and prohibited sex acts "between persons of male sex." [more inside]

Franklin Kameny Papers Online

LarryC — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 13:14:07 -0800

The Kameny Papers Project preserved and presents the papers of gay rights pioneer Franklin Kameny, who had activists picketing the White House in 1965, well before Stonewall. The website includes a nice archive of his papers, including correspondence, a small photo gallery, and some charming hate mail from members of Congress. See also the Franklin Kameny pages at the Rainbow History Project. Yesterday, the Library of Congress accepted Kameny's papers. [via Andrew Sullivan]

The Great Queers of History

madamjujujive — Sun, 21 Aug 2005 04:11:11 -0800

The Great Queers of History - I am sometimes asked, ‘But does it really matter that some historical figure, for example Tchaikovsky, was gay? ... But I like to pose some questions of my own in response: ‘If it doesn't really matter, why has society taken such great pains to conceal Tchaikovsky’s sexuality, maybe even murder him for it? from Lists of famous homosexuals ( ... and a prior related post by anastasiav, Homosexuality in 18th Century England)

Dude, be prepared. Be that Boy Scout they won't let you be anymore.

amberglow — Mon, 09 May 2005 13:15:52 -0800

The Uses of Canaries--and what canaries need to do --...Why go to all that trouble when we have reduced the homosexual, himself, to nothing more than a body part? Remove the homo -- he's just a diseased body part, after all -- and the problem is solved. Of course there will always be those so pathologically sex-panicked that they have to rely on their Think Pieces to get their pornography fix. Not worth worrying about, generally. But when United States Senators start in with the Depravity Fillip, and the DF starts showing up in the campaign literature of various groups... well, you want to keep your eye on that sort of thing. You maybe want to start thinking about that famous canary in the mine-shaft. ...

The Trial of John Dicks, and other True Stories

anastasiav — Thu, 03 Mar 2005 15:45:39 -0800

Homosexuality in 18th Century England :: an amazing compilation of primary source material from newspaper reports and other sources.

Jodie Dallas LIVES!

WolfDaddy — Tue, 11 May 2004 11:06:46 -0800

If you're in New York City or LA between now and June 27th, the Museum of Television and Radio is presenting "Not That There's Anything Wrong With That --The History of Gay and Lesbian Images on Television" (via the Queer as Folk section of Showtime's site) (Anyone else remember Robert Reed playing a transsexual on Medical Center?)

wild stag bags drag lads

RJ Reynolds — Mon, 10 Mar 2003 22:25:33 -0800

Fifty years ago this month, then-19-year-old George Mansour was arrested for having sex with a sailor at a private party -- his name was published in the paper and his acceptance to Boston University was revoked. This fascinating slice of recent history (don't miss the hilarious interview) coincides interestingly with current privacy-related news at home and abroad. [via uffish]