Response 3 of 5
In George Chauncey’s piece, “Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World,” he focuses on the largely forgotten, or even purposefully hidden, lives, communities, and lifestyles of the growing and thriving gay community in early 20th century New York. Chauncey describes the gay history of New York and its many gay enclaves as “not supposed to have existed,” based on the intentional burial of truths by many influential historians. Chauncey illustrates the gay scene and their communities by addressing common beliefs and misconceptions about gays, especially those from ignorant historians and the pre-WWII era.
First, Chauncey addresses the myth of isolation, which claims that gays were not able to develop their subculture due to constant fear from the aggressive masses. Chauncy disproves this by exemplifying many bustling communities, such as Greenwich, Times Square, and Harlem, including their speakeasies, clubs, street corners, etc. He also makes mention of the flourishing of gay authors and artists from these neighborhoods, each having its own subset of unique cultural identity.
Next, he discusses the myth of invisibility, that even if these communities were to exist, they were so secretive and “underground” that they were invisible to other gay men. This claim holds very little truth, due to the style, hair color choices, key spot selection, and even mannerisms and code, all of which were giveaways for gay men to easily identify each other.
Lastly, the myth of internalization, where gays would not resist against mistreatment due to the internalized feelings of self-hatred instilled into them by the masses. This myth, in my opinion, holds a partial truth. There were, and still are, many gay people who truly believe on the inside that they are lesser than the average straight person. They often fear shaming from their loved ones, thus preventing them from not only protesting for their rights, but even coming out. On the contrary, thousands upon thousands of gay people are now protesting, and to a lesser extent, back then as well. People started groups and coalitions to fight their oppression. This is the type of unity and sense of security that gave birth to gay enclaves, and most enclaves in general.
The City of New York has immense diversity, with substantial populations from several dozens of countries from around the world. These feelings of mistrust and fear that the gay community felt, stems at the root, from being different from the norm, which at the time was white American, born and raised. Every immigrant group, for at least the first few decades upon arrival, was treated poorly and not given equal rights. This was one of the reasons why ethnic enclaves exist, like Greenpoint for Polish people, Astoria for Greeks, Flushing for chinese, etc. People yearned for a sense of security and familiarity, both of which could be found within people of their same kind. All of these truths are maintained for the reason behind the gay enclave formation.
1) New York City is considered one of the country’s most progressive. How would an overwhelming amount of gays incoming to a conservative city look like? Would they still be able to from their own style of life and unique forms of communication?
2) How is connecting with others through your sexual identity different than connection through race or country of origin? Is it different?
3) Do these myths for gay men still hold true today? Does the addition of gay women change any norms or peoples views on homosexuality?
4) How has social media and television changed the way people view and treat gay people?
