Newly Published Portras Document a Century of Gay Men's Relatnships | Smart News | Smhsonian Magaze

Contents:

• GAY FRIENDSHIP
• NEWLY PUBLISHED PORTRAS DOCUMENT A CENTURY OF GAY MEN LOVE
• HOW TO MAKE GAY FRIENDS: AN LBGT FRIENDSHIP GUI
• HOW TO FD YOUR GAY BT FRIEND
• HOW TO MAKE GAY FRIENDS
• HOW TO TELL IF YOUR GUY FRIEND IS GAY
• HOW TO HAVE A GAY FRIEND
• GAY FRIENDSHIP
• GAY IENDSHIP (11)
• GAY MEN AND STRAIGHT MEN AS FRIENDS

GAY FRIENDSHIP

gayiendship.

Gay Friendship. GAY iendship. “Lovg” featur around 300 photos that offer an timate look at gay relatnships between the 1850s and 1950s.

Gay Rights,. That’s so gay! ”The pos, facial exprsns, and body language of the men below will strike the morn viewer as very gay ed.

NEWLY PUBLISHED PORTRAS DOCUMENT A CENTURY OF GAY MEN LOVE

But is ccial to unrstand that you nnot view the photographs through the prism of our morn culture and current nceptn of homosexualy. The term “homosexualy” was fact not ed until 1869, and before that time, the strict dichotomy between “gay” and “straight” did not yet exist. It was a behavr — accepted by some cultur and nsired sful by at the turn of the 20th century, the ia of homosexualy shifted om a practice to a liftyle and an inty.

You did not have temptatns towards a certa s, you were a homosexual person.

Thkg of men as eher “homosexual” or “heterosexual” beme mon. As this new nceptn of homosexualy as a stigmatized and onero intifier took root Amerin culture, men began to be much more reful to not send msag to other men, and to women, that they were gay. At the same time, also may expla why untri wh a more nservative, relig culture, such as Ai or the Middle East, where men do engage homosexual acts, but still nsir homosexualy the “crime that nnot be spoken, ” remas mon for men to be affectnate wh one another and fortable wh thgs like holdg hands as they walk.

HOW TO MAKE GAY FRIENDS: AN LBGT FRIENDSHIP GUI

Whether the men below were gay the way our current culture unrstands that ia, or the way that they themselv unrstood , is unknowable.

HOW TO FD YOUR GAY BT FRIEND

The men’s very fortable and faiar pos and body language might make the men look like gay lovers to the morn eye — and they uld very well have been — but that was not the msage they were sendg at the time. Bee homosexualy, even if thought of as a practice rather than an inty, was not somethg publicly exprsed, the men were not knowgly outg themselv the shots; their pos were mon, and simply reflected the timacy and tensy of male iendships at the time — none of the photos would have ed their ntemporari to bat an the thor of Picturg Men, John Ibson, nducted a survey of morn day portra studs to ask if they had ever had two men e to have their photo taken, he found that the event was so rare that many of the photographers he spoke to had never seen happen durg their reer. The snapshots ually were veloped by someone else who would have gotten a look at all of them, so aga, the pictur were not likely purposeful exprsns of gay love, but rather ptured the very mon level of fort men felt wh one another durg the early 20th of the reasons male iendships were so tense durg the 19th and early 20th centuri, is that socializatn was largely separated by sex; men spent most their time wh other men, women wh other women.

In the 50s, some psychologists theorized that genr-segregated socializatn spurred homosexualy, and as cultural mor changed general, snapshots of only men together were supplanted by those of ed all male environments, such as mg mps or navy ships, was mon for men to hold danc, wh half the men wearg a patch or some other marker to signate them as the “women” for the eveng.

But the 50s, when homosexualy reached s peak of pathologizatn, eventually they too created more space between themselv, and while still affectnate began to teract wh ls ease and ’s not te that Amerin men are no longer affectnate wh each other at all. Servg is such an unqutnably manly thg, that homophobia dissipat; soldiers re ls about one’s sexualy than whether the man n get the job man who served WWII and experienced tense mararie wh his battlefield brothers, often had trouble adjtg to life back home, which he got married, settled the suburbs, and felt cut off and isolated om other men and the kd of ep iendships he had enjoyed durg the BuddyLife is a book that we study Some of s leav brg a sigh There was wrten by a buddy That we mt part, you and INights are long sce you went away I thk about you all through the day My buddy, my buddy Nobody que so te Miss your voice, the touch of your hand Jt long to know that you unrstand My buddy, my buddy Your buddy miss youMiss your voice, the touch of your hand Jt long to know that you unrstand My buddy, my buddy Your buddy miss youYour buddy miss you, y I doWrten 1922 by Walter Donaldson, “My Buddy” was origally spired by the heartbreakg ath of Donaldson’s fiancee, but was adopted durg WWII by the troops as a way to exprs their ep attachment to each other. And may also be traced to the culture’s greater acceptance of homosexualy, although that has turn solidified beg gay as an inty, and seems unlikely that men will cease wantg to munite to others whether they are homosexual or heterosexual anytime soon.

HOW TO MAKE GAY FRIENDS

So how do you make gay iends? In some of my most sperate hours for gay bondg, I’ve attend LGBTQ+-themed therapy groups my area.

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR GUY FRIEND IS GAY

Outsi of LGBTQ+-specific meetups, a great way to fd LGBT iendships is actually by attendg meetups that gay people typilly like.

If the h 90s TV show, “Will and Grace” was one of your favor, you may be yearng for that perfect gay bt iend (GBF). This stereotype has ed people to start lookg for their own GBFs, and ed some gay men to feel prsured to f themselv to that box. Not every gay person lik shoppg, dog your hair, patg nails, or sayg thgs like "fabulo!

People don't have to be gay to be trendy, fun, or good at listeng, so don't lim yourself. Remember that every gay person is unique. Jt like straight people, gay people n be fashnable or cluels, sporty or un-athletic, sassy or straight-laced, supportive or distant, iendly or gff, and any other mix of personaly tras.

HOW TO HAVE A GAY FRIEND

Even if you believe you mt have that flamboyant gay man to be your GBF, nsir first the person si––what you are lookg for is a te iend, not a rative accsory.

Not every gay person will want to be your iend. On TV and films, the relatnship seems to be all about one character and how their gay iend is always g to the rcue.

GAY FRIENDSHIP

If your new iend is gay, they won't tomatilly like fashn, shoppg, or other stereotypil terts. Any tips if my iends have abandoned me for beg gay? Don't bee iends wh a gay person of a different genr, hopg to change them so they will "play for the other team" and start datg you.

GAY IENDSHIP (11)

If they're gay, that's the way nature tend to be, so don't try to change them. Every time you attend a Pri March, ftival or cent Gay Club Night, you may have noticed jt how many fellow queers live your cy. Follow the steps to extend your Gay social work.

GAY MEN AND STRAIGHT MEN AS FRIENDS

There are a few webs that list specialized LGBTQ meet-ups, but hontly, simply Google your hobby, cy, and the word "gay" and see what up. Post notic general birdg, bikg, and crochetg areas to let folks know you'd like to enjoy your pastime wh gay pany. Jog a gay-rights anizatn is an obv way to meet gay people, but you uld broan out to anythg you're terted .

How to e out as gay to fay members?

When I me out to my parents I started off by sayg "Hey one of my iends me out to me and said they were gay what should I do?