The Olst Gays History | Psychology Today

Contents:

• WHO WAS KARL HERICH ULRICHS? MEET THE FIRST MAN TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• THE OLST KNOWN GAY MAN?
• THE OLST GAYS HISTORY
• WHO WAS THE FIRST GAY PERSON THE WORLD?

WHO WAS KARL HERICH ULRICHS? MEET THE FIRST MAN TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

Karl Herich Ulrichs is nsired by many as the first gay activist morn tim, and the first person to publicly “e out”. Throughout his life, Ulrichs fought tirelsly for the rights of gay people – even before the term ‘homosexual’ was ed. In fact, Ulrichs is wily creded as the pneer of the morn gay rights movement, and is famo for makg his own words up to scribe gay men, lbians, bisexuals and tersex people.

Afterwards, he worked the civil service of Hanover until 1854, when he stepped down before he uld be dismissed over his homosexual activy. Between 1863 and 1865, Ulrichs wrote a seri of five says published as Forschungen über das Rätsel r mannmännlichen Liebe (Studi on the Riddle of Male-Male Love), which he provid his own terms for gay men, lbians, bisexuals and tersex people.

In his says, Ulrichs lled gay men ‘Urng’ – a term spired by a sectn Plato’s philosophil text Symposium – and lbians as ‘Dng’.

THE OLST KNOWN GAY MAN?

Ulrichs’ fns were ground-breakg for the time – wasn’t until 1869 that Atrian wrer Karl-Maria Kertbeny ed the term “homosexual. April 7, 2011 -- Archaeologists the Czech Republic have unearthed the grave of what may be the remas of the olst known homosexual or transgenr prehistoric body dat to the Copper age -- or 2900 to 2500 years ago -- and was buried a manner that was typilly rerved for male skeleton was found on s si, facg east, and was surround by domtic jugs, objects prevly seen only female grav. Homosexualy, as Wterners thk of today, wh a lot of add societal baggage that wouldn't ronate at all wh prehistoric man, Arnold said.

"Homosexualy is found a great many other speci -- om ducks to chimps -- as well as many cultur where people are allowed to exprs . In some societi, is even celebrated, such as the Navajo where lbians are believed to have a special nnectn to the spirual world, " Helen Fisher, a blogil anthropologist at Rutgers Universy, wrote an email to "So, " Fisher ntued, "there is every reason to thk that some of our anctors were gay. But they did not have a rigid nventn of sexualy as eher heterosexual or homosexual, and, at least at certa tim, and certa strata, may have tolerated and even celebrated same-sex love.

" Beyond her LGBTQ activism, DeLarverie also anized and performed at fundraisers for women who suffered om domtic vlence and their Jam Baldw (Photo by Ted Thai)The LIFE Picture Collectn/GettyJam Baldw (1924-1987)A wrer and social cric, Baldw is perhaps bt known for his 1955 llectn of says, "Not of a Native Son, " and his groundbreakg 1956 novel, "Gvanni's Room, " which picts them of homosexualy and bisexualy. Baldw spent a majory of his lerary and activist reer tg others about Black and queer inty, as he did durg his famo lecture tled “Race, Racism, and the Gay Communy” at a meetg of the New York chapter of Black and Whe Men Together (now known as Men of All Colors Together) and playwright Lorrae Hansberry her New York Cy apartment April Attie / Getty ImagLorrae Hansberry (1930-1965)Hansberry was an activist and playwright bt known for her groundbreakg play “A Rais the Sun, ” about a stgglg Black fay on Chigo’s South Si. The inic work was then ma to a 1961 film starrg Sidney Poier and Ruby to “A Rais the Sun” fame, Hansberry — who never publicly acknowledged she was a lbian — joed lbian rights group Dghters of Bilis and ntributed letters about femism and homophobia to s magaze, “The Ladr, ” acrdg to LGBTQ historian Eric Marc, host of the “Makg Gay History” podst.

THE OLST GAYS HISTORY

Now 79, Miss Major, known to many simply as “Mama, ” ris Ltle Rock, Arkansas, where she ntu to be a vol Sprg's mayor Ron On, April 18, Khan / LA Tim via Getty ImagRon On (Born 1950)When On was elected mayor of Palm Sprgs, California 2003, he ma history by beg the first openly gay Ain Amerin man elected mayor of an Amerin cy. The term gay is equently ed as a synonym for homosexual; female homosexualy is often referred to as different tim and different cultur, homosexual behavur has been varly approved of, tolerated, punished, and banned.

Homosexualy was not unmon ancient Greece and Rome, and the relatnships between adult and adolcent mal particular have bee a chief foc of Wtern classicists recent years. Others—om factns wh mastream Prottantism to anizatns of Reform rabbis—have advoted, on theologil as well as social grounds, the full acceptance of homosexuals and their relatnships.

Morn velopments Attus toward homosexualy are generally flux, partially as a rult of creased polil activism (see gay rights movement) and efforts by homosexuals to be seen not as aberrant personali but as differg om “normal” dividuals only their sexual orientatn.

WHO WAS THE FIRST GAY PERSON THE WORLD?

The nflictg views of homosexualy—as a variant but normal human sexual behavur on one hand, and as psychologilly viant behavur on the other—rema prent most societi the 21st century, but they have been largely rolved ( the profsnal sense) most veloped untri. The Amerin Psychiatric Associatn, for example, classified “ego-syntonic homosexualy” (the ndn of a person ntent wh his or her homosexualy) as a mental illns 1973.

Nohels, some relig groups ntue to emphasize reparative therapy the attempt to “cure” homosexualy through prayer, unselg, and behavur modifitn.

Selected theori of homosexualy Psychologists the 19th and 20th centuri, most of whom classified homosexualy as a form of mental illns, veloped a variety of theori on s orig. It is likely that many stanc of homosexualy rult om a batn of born or nstutnal factors and environmental or social fluenc. Together wh a growg acceptance of homosexualy as a mon exprsn of human sexualy, long-standg beliefs about homosexuals had begun to lose crence.