The universal oppression of homosexuality
The book notices that before the Gay Rights movement of the late sixties and early seventies, there really had never been a mass movement to demand the fair treatment of homosexuality in the public mainstream. Either because of conservatism and traditionalism, or because of religion, or for some unknown reason, the ironic truth was that the gay community had always existed in small, secret ways, under oppression, mistreatment, and persecution.
The irony of homophobia
It is technically ironic that homophobia would be so universal and widespread as it was in the past (and continues to be, unfortunately). The idea that any person should have serious objections to what another person does in private is bizarre. The book describes the phenomenon historically, explaining the lengths some people would go to just to make gay people look bad. There were smear campaigns and serious persecution, and for what? For something as personal and private as sexuality.
The pride of the gay community
Now, the Gay Pride movement is in full bloom; in almost every major city of America, there is some time when the city returns to this issue and celebrates diversity. But that didn't happen overnight. There were martyrs in this movement who fought for these rights. Ironically, the pressure, shame, and hatred that kept the gay community so tightly constrained throughout American history has now resulted in one of the most obvious, colorful, and proud demonstrations of culture in the nation's history—and not for no reason! The book recalls a dark and lonely time when being gay was basically considered a peak offense.
The continued persecution
Although there are now legal protections against discrimination against people based on sexual orientation, the persecution still continues in various ways. For instance, gay marriage was only legalized within this very decade, meaning that those legal protections had still not been granted, even fifty years after the movement's inception. The persecution is ironic because it is still prevalent and powerful; people still believe non-sensical, hateful ideas about sexual orientation all over the country.
Morality and sexuality
There is an obvious irony about sexual orientation and morality. The moralist arguments against homosexuality are severely immoral. They don't see things from anyone else's point of view, which is closed-minded and offensive. They use religious texts to judge others harshly, which is ironic and wrong. Chauncey explains that religious, moral-minded people often intentionally spread misinformation in the media about gay people also being pedophiles and such. The hatred is obvious, but in this case it is also ironic, because much of the hatred against gay people is done in the name of God or morality.
