As this year’s LGBT history month draws to a close, it is perhaps a good moment to reflect on what that such a commemoration means to those of us who grew up and had our formative years during a different, much less tolerant era.
Thinking back now, it seems to me that the all the changes that have happened since the 1960s can be summed up in a single short phrase, “the elimination of fear”.
In those days, fear was an inevitable part of most gay people’s lives – and it could be all pervading, too. Arrest and prosecution could bring your whole life crashing down. At home, the fear was of ostracism by family and friends; in the workplace, there was the risk of losing your job or profession, as well as possible bullying or blackmail. And in your social life, if you could summon up the courage to visit a gay club or pub where they existed, there was always the fear of a police raid, or assault and a beating on the way home. Otherwise, the only means of contacting other gay people was cruising or cottaging, each of which had its own set of huge risks.
Religious belief brought with a whole new set of issues to be nervous about – many gay people in that era were beset by an almost overwhelming sense of sin which frequently resulted in mental health problems. Overlaying this was the fear of hell and damnation preached from the pulpit and once more the fear of discovery, along with the ostracism and expulsion from the community that so often followed.
Overlaying all this was what a character in my first novel* described as “the scorn of society” – homosexuality was classified as a mental disorder by the World Health Organisation until as recently as 1992, and even after decriminalisation in England and Wales in 1967, authorities made determined efforts to supress the growth of a gay press or the publication of contact ads – even invoking a moribund 17th century law to try and stop them.
Victory in that battle was vitally important and enabled the creation of a genuine gay community. This was achieved through pioneering journals like Gay News and the founding of organisations such as the Gay Liberation Front and the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) – the latter’s network of local branches was so important in ending isolation for so many gay people around the country.
These days, it is difficult to recall the sense of being alone to cope with all these issues. There was almost no representation of gay people in the media, no positive role models in popular culture, no stories told, virtually no films or TV about being gay (and the few that there were rarely ended well), no instructional information.
The arrival of the internet has broadened our ability to access information, join communities and be entertained. Despite the attempts of some governments, there is virtually no chance of putting the genie back into the bottle. Kids growing up gay in the UK never need to endure the combination of fear and isolation that previous generations withstood: would that such a statement was true in so many other parts of the world.
At the same time, we must not be complacent. We cannot run away from the fact that some of these issues are still with us, even in today’s enlightened times. Homophobic bullying in schools is still a major concern, whilst teenage homelessness amongst LGBT people is still too high in both the UK and the US – caused largely by parental rejection. Homophobic attacks are still, sickeningly, part of life in too many of our urban areas. Meanwhile, despite a major shift in social attitudes towards same sex relationships, most organised religions still consider gay love to be a sin to varying degrees, refuting the fundamental point that being gay is not a “lifestyle choice” but a fundamental part of who and what we are. Some more extreme groups are still encouraging the use of conversion therapy and even exorcism. There are always those who seek a reversal of the reforms that have taken place.
For gay people, the road from being social outcasts to citizens with rights has been a long, hard one and it is right that LGBT History Month recalls the battles that have been fought along the way. But the twin objectives of tolerance and acceptance have yet to be fully achieved and we must gather our strength and keep pushing against prejudice, ignorance and intolerance. That is the way we can achieve the elimination of fear.
* - Chris’s first novel The Stamp of Nature explores some of the difficulties of growing up gay in the 1960s and 1970s.