Essay Questions

Chauncey wrote this book partly to commemorate the Stonewall Rebellion. What was this and what social impact did it make?

The Stonewall Rebellion, also known as the Stonewall Riots, occurred in and were really the catalyst for a new era of in-your-face gay pride, and the resolution of many gay and lesbian people to come out to their families and communities, determined to live their lives as openly homosexual rather than hiding in the shadows The riots were said to be spontaneous, and for a short time they were, but once activists began to notice the impact that they were having, they began to organize further uprisings.

The riots had two major impacts on society; they opened the way for gay pride, and coined the phrase, "We're queer, we're here, get used to it!" that was often heard as a mass chant at the riots. They introduced the concept of the pride festival, and created a more public acknowledgement of the gay and lesbian community.

They also created the concept of "outing" which was both good, and bad. People began outing themselves, refusing to live a double, or a secret, life anymore. This was definitely a positive change, but unfortunately it came with a far less positive side effect, that of publicly outing the rich and famous who were known to be gay in secret, but who had not yet felt comfortable coming out to the public at large. This led to lawsuits and in some cases the beginning of the end of the careers of those whose mass appeal depended on their public persona rather than their private identity.

Chauncey highlights the differences between the working class perception of homosexuality in the early twentieth century and the perception several decades later. What are the main differences?

The main difference in the perception of homosexuality among heterosexual working class men in the early part of the twentieth century was one of acceptance, tolerance, and, to a large extent, disinterest and ambivalence. In many ways, working class men did not care enough about the issue of homosexuality, or sexual fluidity, to have any negative feelings towards it at all. There was widespread tolerance and acceptance of gay sexual practices among the working class heterosexual men.

This changed enormously as the decades progressed. There was growing public intolerance of homosexuality, and the police also began to crack down on the gay community, ultimately conducting raids in the early hours of the morning that led to the Stonewall Riots.

Chauncey mentions "house concerts" in the book. What were these?

House concerts were a popular and fun social pastime in the early part of the twentieth century. Simply, they were concerts held in private homes, and the audience was comprised of friends and social acquaintances of the home owner of host. These were not created by the gay community but they did provide a "cover" in some ways for homosexual friends to get together without suspicion. Quite soon, "house concert" became something of a euphemism for a gathering of like minded gay attendees and friends, enabling the community to socialize and gather together without having to do so publicly.

However, the nature and the development of these concerts began to drive the gay community underground, which Chauncey maintains contributed to the increasing marginalizing and criminalizing of homosexuality.