Gay Tale: "There is nothg Ms. DuVernay’s film that signifintly distorts this historic event or the learship role played by the Rev. Dr. Mart Luther Kg Jr."
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- HARLEM RENAISSANCE, HOMOSEXUALY, AND PASSGWOMEN LERATURE 230·FOLLOW15 M READ·APR 16, JUDH BUTLERIN JUDH BUTLER’S ARTICLE PASSG QUEERG: NELLA LARSEN’S PSYCHOANALYTIC CHALLENGE, SHE EXPLOR THE HOMOSEXUAL IAS NELLA LARSEN’S NOVEL PASSG. IN THE NOVEL PASSG, ONE OF THE MA CHARACTERS, IRENE HTS HER FEELGS FOR CLARE WHO IS THE SAME SEX AS HER. THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL IRENE EXPRS NOT JT HER LOVE, BUT HER SIRE TO BE CLARE SCE SHE REPRENTS EVERYTHG IRENE IS NOT. CLARE LI THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL WHICH GIV HER THIS “SEXUAL EEDOM” AND PASSN THAT IRENE NI HERSELF. THIS RULTS IRENE HATG CLARE BEE SHE AWAKENS A SEXUAL PASSN SI HERSELF FOR CLARE. IRENE TRI TO PH THE FEELGS AWAY BY REFG TO RPOND TO HER LETTERS AS WELL AS REFG TO VE HER ANYWHERE. ANOTHER WAY IRENE TRI TO MAKE UP FOR HER FEELGS OF SIRE IS WHEN SHE PASS THE FEELGS ONTO HER HBAND, BRIAN. SHE STARTS TO HALLUCATE THAT THE TWO ARE HAVG A SECRET AFFAIR BEHD HER BACK. THE FEELGS E TO A FULL CIRCLE THE LAST CHAPTER WHERE IRENE IS LAST SEEN HOLDG ONTO CLARE’S ARM AS SHE IS EHER PHED OR JUMPED OUT THE WDOW. IF IRENE DID PH CLARE MAYBE THIS WAS HER WAY OF FALLY GETTG RID OF HER SIRE FOR CLARE. THERE WAS ALSO THE ISSUE OF BOTH OF THEM BEG BLACK AND THE SOCIAL NSTRATS ON BLACK WOMEN’S SEXUALY. THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL IRENE IS TRAPPED BY THE SOCIAL NSTRATS OF BEG BLACK AS WELL AS HAVG FEELG FOR SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX. MAYBE THE TLE PASSG NOT ONLY MEANS TO PASS AS BEG WHE BUT FOR IRENE MEANS TO PASS HER FEELGS SHE HAS FOR CLARE.QUOT THAT SCRIBE IRENE’S PERCEPTN OF CLARE AND HER POSSIBLE “QUEER” SIRE.“AN ATTRACTIVE-LOOKG WOMAN…WH THOSE DARK, ALMOST BLACK, EY AND THAT WI MOUTH LIKE A SRLET FLOWER AGAST THE IVORY OF HER SK” (LARSEN 9)“ONE MOMENT CLARE HAD BEEN THERE, A VAL GLOWG THG, LIKE A FLAME OF RED AND GOLD. THE NEXT SHE WAS GONE” (79)“CLARE EXQUISE, GOLN AGRANT, FLNTG, A STATELY GOWN OF SHG BLACK TAFFETA, WHOSE LONG FULL SKIRT LAY GRACEFUL FOLDS ABOUT HER SLIM GOLN FEET” (53)“CLARE WHO SUDNLY CLOUD ALL HER DAYS” (65)“AND ALL BEE CLARE HAD A TRICK OF SLIDG DOWN IVORY LIDS OVER ASTONISHG BLACK EY AND THEN LIFTG THEM SUDNLY AND TURNG ON A RSG SE” (66)“WHAT SHE FELT WAS NOT SO MUCH RENTMENT AS A DULL SPAIR BEE SHE ULD NOT CHANGE HERSELF THIS RPECT, ULD NOT SEPARATE DIVIDUALS OM THE RACE, HERSELF OM CLARE KENDRY” (71)“THE SOFT WHE FACE, THE BRIGHT HAIR, THE DISTURBG SRLET MOUTH, THE DREAMG EY, THE RSG SE, THE WHOLE TORTURG LOVELS THAT HAD BEEN CLARE KENDRY” (80)IRENE AND BRIAN’S RELATNSHIPBRAZIL WAS A HUB NOT ONLY FOR ALL RAC BUT ALSO FOR ALL SEXUALI. THERE IS A POSSIBILY BRIAN WAS ATTRACTED TO BRAZIL FOR BOTH S RACIAL EENS AND S SEXUAL OPENNS. ALSO THE FACT THAT IRENE AND BRIAN SLEEP SEPARATE ROOMS ULD PROVE THAT HE WAS NOT HAPPY THEIR MARRIAGE. “HE SLEPT HIS ROOM NEXT TO HERS AT NIGHT. BUT HE WAS REMOTE AND ACCSIBLE. NO E PRETENDG THAT HE WAS HAPPY, THAT THGS WERE THE SAME AS THEY HAD ALWAYS BEEN. HE WASN’T AND THEY WEREN’T”(NELLA LARSEN PG. 68). WHILE IRENE AND BRIAN RARELY MA SEXUAL NTACT, CLARE AND IRENE OFTEN TOUCHED AN AFFECTNATE NATURE THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL.CARL VAN VECHTENPOTRA OF CARL VAN VECHTEN. NELLA LARSON’S CHARACTER, HUGH WENTWORTH, IS BASED ON THE WHE HARLEM RENAISSANCE FIGURE CARL VAN VECHTEN. VAN VECHTEN BEGAN HIS NEW YORK REER AS A CRIC FOR THE ENTERTAMENT DTRY. HE BEME VERY VOLVED WH THE ENTERTAERS OF ERA, AS WELL AS THERE HOMOSEXUAL SOCIAL CIRCLE. IT WAS THERE THAT VAN VECHTEN FORMED A EP NNECTN TO THE NIGHTLIFE OF HARLEM. VAN VECHTEN WAS AMONG MANY GAY DOWNTOWN WH WHO WENT UPTOWN SEARCH OF SEXUAL RECREATN. ACRDG TO THE NEW YORKER, HE PUBLISHED HIS NOVEL “NEGRO HEAVEN”, WHICH PRENTED HARLEM’S AIN AMERINS AS STEREOTYPILLY LASCIV THAT DREW SR OF WHE HARLEM TO “GO SLUMMG,” MANY OF WHOM WERE GAY.IN VAN VECHTEN’S SOCIAL LIFE HE WAS OPEN ABOUT HIS HOMOSEXUAL SIRE. DPE BEG MARRIED, HE HAD MANY MALE LOVERS. SCHOLARS HAVE DISVERED EXTENSIVE FLIRTAT BEHAVR LETTERS OM VAN VECHTEN TO A MYRIAD OF MEN. VAN VECHTEN’S WIFE WAS DISTRGHT BY THE SUATN; SHE OFTEN FELT AS IF SHE HAD TO WA LE FOR AN DIENCE WH HER HBAND. RICHARD BCE NUGENT, THE FIRST BLACK WRER TO PRODUCE ANK SCRIPTNS OF SAME-SEX SIRE, REMEMBERED AN ODD EXCHANGE WH VAN VECHTEN, LATER HIS LIFE. AT A PARTY, HE TOUCHED NUGENT’S SHOULR AND SAID, “IF YOU HAD JT PATTED ME ON THE HEAD AND SAID, ‘CARL, YOU’RE A NICE BOY,’ YOU ULD HAVE HAD ANYTHG YOU WANTED.” BUT, TO NUGENT, THIS SEEMED LS LIKE A PROPOSN AND MORE LIKE AN OLR MAN’S PLEA FOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT (THE NEW YORKER).”HOMOSEXUALY DURG THE HARLEM RENAISSANCETHE HARLEM RENAISSANCE N BE CHARACTERIZED BY A MOVEMENT OF AIN AMERIN ARTS AND CULTURE. HISTORIANS STATE THAT THIS ERA N BE FED BY BOTH RACE AND SEXUALY. ACRDG TO AN ARTICLE OM THE NEW YORKER, “THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE WAS, HENRY LOUIS GAT’S FORMULATN, “SURELY AS GAY AS WAS BLACK”. THERE WAS A GROWTH ART, JAZZ AND BLU, AND DRAG BALLS. THIS TIME PERD WAS FED AS “HOMOSEXUAL MEC” OR QUEER PARADISE. ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ATTRACTNS WAS GREEN WHICH VILLAGE WHERE HOMOSEXUALS FOUND EEDOM (SHEROE, GLENDA ELIZABETH).THE 1931 NOVEL STRANGE BROTHER, BY BLAIRE NIL, SUMS UP THE PERD’S PLITED SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY BT: “IN HARLEM I FOUND URAGE AND JOY AND TOLERANCE,” NOT ONE GAY CHARACTER. “I N BE MYSELF THERE … THEY ALL KNOW ABOUT ME, AND I DON’T HAVE TO LIE.” HARLEM PROVID REFUGE BEE HAD NO SEPARATE MUNY BASED ON SHARED SEXUAL ORIENTATN. SCHOLARS HAVE SAID THAT DURG THE 1920S AND 30S, HARLEM HAD ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT QUEER MUNI OF LOR THE 20TH CENTURY. DURG THIS TIME ARTIST WERE FORCED TO EHER RETIRE OR HI THEIR SEXUAL PREFERENCE. JAZZ AGE HARLEM OFFERED A BO OF LICENSE AND SEXUAL AMBIGUY THAT PROVID A FORTABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR THOSE ATTRACTED TO MEMBERS FOR THEIR OWN SEX (VILLAROSA, LDA).DPE THIS KD OF EEDOM AND PAGEANTRY, HOMOSEXUALY WASN’T UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED. HARLEM’S MOST POWERFUL MISTER, ADAM CLAYTON POWELL, PASTOR OF THE ABYSSIAN BAPTIST CHURCH UNTIL 1937, MPAIGNED AGAST WHAT HE SAW AS THE GROWG SURGE OF SEXUAL PERVERSN AND MORAL GENERACY. THE ANNUAL HATON LODGE EVENT WHERE HOMOSEXUALS WOULD E TOGETHER AND DRS DRAG, WAS OPENLY REFERRED TO AS THE “PARA OF THE PANSI,” “DANCE OF THE FAIRI” AND “FAGGOTS’ BALL.”HOMOSEXUAL PERFORMERS OM THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE CLU BSIE SMH, MA RAEY, ALBERTA HUNTER, JACKIE “MOMS” MOBLEY, JOSEPHE BAKER, ALA LEROY LOCKE, BCE NUGENT, WALLACE THURMAN, ETHEL WATERS, AND MADAM C. J. WALKER WHO IS SAID TO HAVE HAD AFFAIRS WH WOMEN, AND WAS STMENTAL BRGG ABOUT THE ACCEPTANCE OF GAYS HARLEM SOCIAL CIRCL.THE BLU, HOMOSEXUALY, & HARLEM RENAISSANCEPORTA OF GERT ‘MA’ RAEY, ()AS TURNS OUT, THE BLU WORLD WAS THE PERFECT REALM FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE THOUGHT OF AS “SEXUAL VIANTS” TO RI, PART BEE PEOPLE THE ENTERTAMENT DTRY HAD FAR MORE LEEWAY TO FLOUT SEXUAL MOR. BLU MIC ALSO THRIVED FAR OUTSI THE SPE OF THE DOMANT WHE AMERIN CULTURE THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY. DURG THE JAZZ AGE THERE WAS SPEAKEASI, DIVE BARS, AND PRIVATE PARTI WHERE BLU SGERS HAD THE EEDOM TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE SEXUALY, AND ON A RARE OCSN, THEY EVEN EXPRSED SONG. IT'S LIKELY THAT THE FLAPPER MOVEMENT TOOK SOME CU OM THE BLU DIVAS, WHO WERE ON THE CUTTG EDGE OF THAT SEXUAL REVOLUTN DURG THE 1900S WHICH NSISTED OF NVENTNS ABOUT PROPER WOMEN LEFT AND RIGHT. GERT ‘MA’ RAEY WHO IS KNOWN AS THE MOTHER OF THE BLU, HTED AT HER SEXUALY HER LYRICS, “IT’S TE I WEAR A LLAR AND A TIE. . TO THE GALS JT LIKE ANY OLD MAN” AND BSIE SMH, A MARRIED WOMAN WHO KEPT A FEMALE LOVER, ALSO SANG “WHEN YOU SEE TWO WOMEN WALKG HAND HAND, JT LOOK ’EM OVER AND TRY TO UNRSTAND… THEY’LL GO TO THOSE PARTI — HAVE THE LIGHTS DOWN LOW — ONLY THOSE PARTI WHERE WOMEN N GO”(PEPPERS, MARGOT).PORTRA OF BSIE SMH; LAWS OM:THE POLICS OF HOMOSEXUALY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY OF BLACK FREEDOM ANTISODOMY LAWS AND OTHERS MOLED AFTER BRISH STATUT BANNG “CRIM AGAST NATURE”, HAD BEEN EFFECT ACROSS AMERI SCE LONIAL DAYS (GAY 30’S). CONSERVATIVE LAWS REGARDG SEXUAL NDUCT BEGAN TO APPEAR THE 30’S. THERE WAS ALSO AN EMERGENCE OF BOTH LAWS AND ATTUS THAT SOUGHT TO FE PROPER MIDDLE-CLASS BLACK MASCULY AND FEMY STRICTLY HETEROSEXUAL TERMS.DURG THE JIM CROW ERA, SOUTHERNERS VIEWED HOMOSEXUALY AS WRONG AND WAS TREATED AS ANOTHER FORM OF BLACK SEXUAL VIANCE. THERE WAS A NOT AN OFFICIAL TERM FOR A PERSON WHO PRACTICED HOMOSEXUALY THE 20’S AND 30'S. THEREFORE, SCHOLARS REFERRED TO THEM AS “TERMATE”, “THIRD SEX”, OR "GENERATE”. THIS ERA WAS THE BEGNG OF MORN QUEER BLACK CULTURE AND THE BEGNGS OF ANTI-HOMOSEXUAL ATTUS WH BLACK MUNI.QUEER SEXUALY REPRENTED ANOTHER POSSIBLE SOURCE OF ARGUMENTS FOR BLACK FERRY AND EXCLN OM CIZENSHIP. THIS TENSIFIED DURG THE S AS AIN AMERIN'S CREASGLY ME TO EMBRACE WHE MIDDLE-CLASS IAS ABOUT GENR AND SEXUALY AS A MEANS OF STRENGTHENG THEIR ARGUMENTS FOR ACCS TO FULL CIZENSHIP RIGHTS. FOR AIN AMERINS THAT BELONGED TO OR WISHED TO BE APART OF THE MIDDLE CLASS HARLEM, SUFFERED IMMENSELY IF THEY WERE NOT HETEROSEXUAL. THIS WAS BEE HOMOSEXUALY RRIED BIGGER NSEQUENC THAN DID FOR WORKG CLASS BLACKS (SHEROE, GLENDA ELIZABETH).LBIAN BLU SGERS HAD TO APPEAR BISEXUAL AT LEAST THEIR PUBLIC IMAGE. BLU SGER MA RAEY GOT TO TROUBLE WH THE POLICE FOR HER LBIAN BEHAVR 1925, SHE WAS ARRTED FOR TAKG PART AN Y AT HER HOME VOLVG THE WOMEN HER CHOS. SHE WAS CHARGED WH NNG AN CENT PARTY. A LARGE MIGRATN OF SOUTHERN AIN AMERINS EVENTUALLY LEFT TO HEAD TOWARD THE NORTH, MORE SPECIFILLY NEW YORK CY. THERE WAS SEXUAL EEDOM PECIALLY GREENWICH VILLAGE WHICH WAS FAMO FOR S GAY MUNY BEE “ WAS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE BLACK MEN ULD NGREGATE MERCIAL TABLISHMENTS” MAKG THE CENTER OF BLACK GAY LIFE THE URBAN NORTH (GEE CHNCEY).GAY NIGHTLIFE THE HARLEM NIGHTLIFE WAS A VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF GAY CULTURE. THE SUPPRSN OF THE ERA DROVE PEOPLE SEARCH OF GAY TERACTN TO THE FURTIVE NIGHT CLUB SCENE. THE GAY NIGHTLIFE N BE INTIFIED BY THREE DIFFERENT SCEN: RENT PARTI, BUFFET FLATS, AND DRAG BALLS.THERE WAS AN TENSE CREASE PUBLIC HOMOSEXUALY FOLLOWG THE PROHIBN. THE PANSY CRAZE, OF BOTH CHIGO AND HARLEM, WAS A SURGE OF POPULARY FOR GAY PERFORMERS. “AIN AMERIN DRAG ENTERTAERS PERFORMED FOR RACIALLY MIXED DIENC AT SOME OF THE SOUTH SI’S MOST FAMO ‘BLACK AND TAN’ [BARETS]. MEXIN ‘QUEERS’ RVED OUT A SPACE FOR THEMSELV ALONG ASHLAND AVENUE, AND ETHNIC WORKG-CLASS ‘QUEENS’ OM THE CY’S NORTH, SOUTH, AND WT SIS MET AT PRIVATE PARTI AND PUBLIC DRAGS THROUGHOUT THE CY (BLACKMER).”THE ENTERTAMENT INDTRY BEME A SAFE PLACE FOR HOMOSEXUALS TO MAKE SOCIAL NNECTNS. THE BLU MIC DTRY QUICKLY BEME A HUB FOR LBIAN ENTERTAERS. THE ARTISTS EVEN OCSNALLY EXPRSED THEIR HOMOSEXUAL SIR THEIR MIC. THE BLU WOMAN WERE PRECURSOR TO THE FLAPPER GENERATN FED BY SEXUAL EEDOM.IT WAS NOT ONLY THOSE PRACTICG HOMOSEXUALY THAT PARTOOK THE NIGHTLIFE SCENE. MANY BYSTANRS ME TO OBSERVE THE “SEXUAL VIANTS.” THIS CULTURE CLED QUICKLY FOLLOWG THE STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929 AND THE BEGNG OF THE GREAT DEPRSN.MEN DRSED UP TO PETE FOR THE BALL. IMAGE OF A MAN A FASHNABLE DRS DURG THE POPULAR NYC BALLS. DRAG BALLS TOOK PLACE AT THE ROCKLAND PALACE SAVOY. MEN WOULD DRS AS WOMEN AND WOMEN WOULD DRS AS MEN. MAL WOULD WEAR FLOWG GOWNS AND FEATHERED HEADDRS’S AND FEMAL WOULD APPEAR TUXEDOS AND BOX BLACK SUS. FOR THE MEN, THERE WAS ALSO A FASHN PARA. THERE WAS ALSO PRIZ WHICH WERE GIVEN TO THE MOST GEOLY GOWNED OF THE WH AND NEGRO WHO, POWRED, WIGGED, AND ROUGED, AND PETED FOR AWARDS. PEOPLE ME OM BOSTON, PHILALPHIA, PTSBURGH, AND ATLANTIC CY TO ATTEND. THE SHOW WAS PRENTED BY OTHER FORMER “QUEENS” OF THE BALL, PRIZE WNERS OF YEARS GONE BY WEARG THE STUM THAT WON THEM THEIR PRIZ. THE STUME BALLS, PARTI, SPEAKEASI AND BUFFET FLATS OF HARLEM PROVID AN ARENA FOR HOMOSEXUAL TERACTN, BUT NOT FOR THE VELOPMENT OF HOMOSEXUAL WORKS. ONE AREA WHERE BLACK LBIANS AND GAY MEN FOUND PARTICULAR BONDS OF IENDSHIP WAS WH HARLEM’S ENTERTAMENT WORLD.RACE AND SEXUALY THE HARLEM RENAISSANCEGEOGRAPHILLY, HARLEM WAS LOTED NVENIENTLY FOR WHE NEW YORKERS: AIN AMERINS LIVED “TOO FAR AWAY TO BE DANGERO YET CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE EXCG.” THOSE WHE VISORS SEARCH OF SEXUAL AND HOMOSEXUAL ADVENTUR HAD LS REASON TO FEAR SOCIAL OSTRACISM OR THE LOSS OF FAY TI AND EMPLOYMENT, AS THEY ULD RETA A SEXUALLY NSPICUO IMAGE THEIR EVERYDAY WHE ENVIRONMENT (SCHWARZ).E. FRANKL FRAZIER POTS OUT THAT THE BLACK MIDDLE CLASS HAS “STRIVEN TO MOLD THEMSELV THE IMAGE OF THE WHE MAN” — AN ASPIRATN WHICH TO SOME EXTENT IMPLI ATTEMPTS TO EMULATE THE “BT” WHE AMERINS TERMS OF LOOKS, TASTE, MORALY, AND VALUE SYSTEM. A MORE ACCURATE ANALYSIS SEEMS TO BE THAT THE BLACK BOURGEOISIE SOUGHT RPECTABILY. AIN AMERINS HAD BEEN PORTRAYED AND TREATED AS SEXUALLY SPIC AND EXCSIVE THE FORM OF SEXLS “DARKI” AND “MAMMI” OR OVERSEXED STUDS” AND “JEZEBELS.” THE BLACK BOURGEOISIE AIMED AT SEXUAL “NORMALY” BY MEANS OF AN ADHERENCE TO HIGHER MORAL STANDARDS THAT WH, WHO HAD THE POWER TO FE RPECTABILY, HAD NIED THEM FOR CENTURI. THIS MAY BE WHY IRENE SEEMS TO BE FIXATED ON CLARE WHENEVER THEY ARE TOGETHER, BUT ALSO TRI TO AVOID CLARE AT EVERY OPPORTUNY; SHE TRI TO HI HER SIRE FOR CLARE ORR TO MATA HER RPECTABLE ROLE AS A MOTHER, WIFE, AND LEAR HER MUNY.HAZEL CARBY NOT THE EMERGENCE OF “FEARS OF A RAMPANT AND UNNTROLLED FEMALE SEXUALY… AND FEARS OF THE ASSERTN OF AN PENNT BLACK FEMALE SIRE THAT HAS BEEN UNLEASHED THROUGH MIGRATN.” THE FACT THAT MIGRANT WOMEN WERE OFTEN UNMARRIED MEANT THAT THEY NOT ONLY STOOD OUTSI A FAY STCTURE, REGARD AS FUNDAMENTAL TO BLACK AMERI’S “RACIAL UPLIFT,” BUT ALSO SEEMED TO REJECT THE ROLE OF MOTHERHOOD. (SCHWARZ)LBIANS WERE VIEWED AS PARTICULARLY VIANT. ACRDG TO BELL HOOKS, THE “PREVAILG ASSUMPTN WAS THAT TO BE A LBIAN WAS ‘UNNATURAL’ BEE ONE WOULD NOT BE PARTICIPATG CHILD BEARG.” IN THE I OF HARLEM, SCHWARZ NOT, GAY MEN WERE SLIGHTLY MORE ACCEPTABLE THAN LBIANS. (SCHWARZ)CONCERNS ABOUT FEMALE SEXUALY WERE MALY VOICED BLACK MIDDLE CLASS CIRCL, BUT A WOMAN’S CHOICE OF A FEMALE SEXUAL PARTNER WAS PRUMABLY EQUALLY PERCEIVED AS A SER THREAT A BLACK WORKG CLASS ENVIRONMENT. IN THIS SOCIAL NTEXT, LBIANS WERE, EVOKG AN “VERTED,” MASCULE IMAGE, ROGATORILY KNOWN AS “BULLDAGGERS” OR “BULLDYKERS.” SIGNIFINTLY, THEIR GENR ROLE VERSN SEEMS TO HAVE MET WH FAR LS FAVORABLE REACTNS THAN THAT OF THEIR MALE UNTERPARTS, THE FAIRI. WHILE THIS IS NOT TO IMPLY A SYMPATHETIC TREATMENT OF FAIRI, SEEMS THAT, FOR STANCE, NEWSPAPER REPORTS ON DRAG BALLS, CROSS-DRSG MEN WERE FAVORED: FAIRI AND THEIR ELABORATE STUM WERE OFTEN SCRIBED TAILED, LONG LUMNS AS “GEO BEYOND WORDS,” WHEREAS CROSS-DRSG WOMEN WERE MENTNED ONLY BRIEFLY, IF AT ALL. WHILE THEIR STUM WERE CERTALY FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT AND MEN’S CLOTH, AS ULD BE ARGUED, N ONLY TO A LIMED EXTENT BE ADMIRED FOR THEIR FABRICS OR LORS, IS NOTEWORTHY THAT UALLY ANY TONE OF ADMIRATN IS LACKG THE SCRIPTN OF CROSS-DRSG WOMEN. THEY APPEAR TO BE IMPLICLY BLAMED FOR THEIR LACK OF LORS AND ELEGANCE, OR, SHORT, THEIR LACK OF FEMY.(SCHWARZ)GLADYS BENTLEYGLADYS BENTLEY; BENTLEY THRIVED DURG THE BLACK RENAISSANCE HARLEM DURG THE ’20S AND EARLY ’30S, BEG UNQUTNABLY HARLEM’S FAVORE “BULLDAGGER.” WEARG BOX TI, ETON JACKETS, AND SHORT STRAIGHT HAIR, GLADYS CREATED A SENSATN WHEREVER SHE WENT. SHE EXPRSED HER CREATIVY AND HER SEXUALY FLOURISHED EE OM PREJUDICE OR SCTY BY EHER THE WHE OR AIN AMERIN MUNY. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS ALL-TOO-BRIEF PERD OF EEDOM END BY THE CLOSE OF THE 1930S. HOMOPHOBIA, UNG WH RACISM, SEXISM, AND CLASSISM, STROYED BENTLEY’S ABILY TO LIVE CREATIVELY AND EELY (WILSON).ON TOP OF BEG AN AIN AMERIN, GLADYS WAS A WOMAN. HER RACE, GENR, AND SEXUALY TRIPLY MARGALIZED HER THE EY OF THE WHE, HETEROSEXUAL, MASCULIST WORLD. SHE HAD NO PLACE TO HI OM HOMOPHOBIC OR SEXIST ATTUS. UNLIKE MANY OF HER WHE LBIAN AND GAY UNTERPARTS, SHE ULDN’T RETREAT BEHD A FA OF WHE AND HETEROSEXUAL NORMALCY. THE OPEN AND ACCEPTG ENVIRONMENT OF GLADYS’S IENDS MELTED BACK TO THE CLOSET. GLADYS’S OVERT SEXUALY AND PUBLIC PERSONA, HOWEVER, PREVENTED HER OWN RETREAT. GLADYS LOST HER FANCIAL SUPPORT WHEN HER SEXUALY AND RACE BEME AN ISSUE. IN THE END, SHE HAD TO SACRIFICE HER SEXUALY FOR SURVIVAL (WILSON). BEE IRENE DO NOT PASS HER MUNY, SHE N’T RISK HAVG A RELATNSHIP WH CLARE, WHO N PASS. IRENE WOULD BE TOO OSTRACIZED FOR BEG BOTH BLACK AND A LBIAN, UNLIKE CLARE, WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO HI BEHD THE FA OF BEG WHE.GLOSSARYCHIGO’S SHADOW HOMOSEXUAL WORLD OF THE 1930S WAS SO WELL VELOPED THAT PARTICIPANTS VISED THEIR OWN NT. THE E OF THE WORD “GAY” DID NOT BEE POPULAR UNTIL THE 1940S AND 50S. PROFSOR ERNT W. BURGS PILED A “GLOSSARY OF HOMOSEXUAL TERMS.”AUNTIE — OLR QUEER, OR ONE WHO ACTS OLDBELLE — ANY HOMOSEXUAL PERSON; ONE WHO IS UALLY AWARE OF HIS NDNBCH — TERM FOR HOMOSEXUALS, UALLY AMONG THEMSELVBLD — HOMOSEXUAL TRAVELG WH A GIRL, OR WHO MARRI TO NCEAL HIS NDNBROWNI- GAY MAN, TERM OM PHILALPHIABULLDAGGER- A MASCULE WOMANCHOS MOLL — TYPE OF YOUNG HOMOSEXUAL WHO IS EFFEMATE, ROUGE, LIPSTICK, DRS FOPPISHLYDIRT — PERSONS, OFTEN TRA, WHO BLACKMAIL OR ROB HOMOSEXUALS. USUALLY PICKED UP PUBLIC PLACFAGGOT — A GAY MANFAIRY — A GAY MANFRENCH — FELLATGREEN — HOMOSEXUAL WHO IS IGNORANT OF HIS NDN; AVERAGE PERSON WHO IS IGNORANT OF HOMOSEXUALYMARJORIE — HOMOSEXUAL WHO IS AFFECTED, FLIRTY, VERY EFFEMATE, “SWEET AND LOVELY”MISS LBOS — TERM APPLIED TO LBIAN GIRLPARTY — SEXUAL ACT; UALLY VOLV FELLATSISSY — A FEME MALETEA ROOM — PUBLIC TOILETTRA — ONE WHO WILL PERM HOMOSEXUALS TO HAVE SEXUAL RELATNS WH HIM, UALLY FOR MONEYRENT PARTI — KNOWN FOR THEIR WILD, SEXUALLY CHARGED ATMOSPHERE, AND BOOTLEG LIQUOR.QUEER — A PERSON WH HOMOSEXUAL TENNCIBUFFET FLATS — APARTMENTS NVERTED TO SEX CLUBS THAT FEATURED SHOWS AND PROSTUTN.WORKS CED
- THE GAY HARLEM RENAISSANCE
- GAY TALE, HENRY LOUIS GAT, FEND AVA DUVERNAY AND ‘SELMA’
HARLEM RENAISSANCE, HOMOSEXUALY, AND PASSGWOMEN LERATURE 230·FOLLOW15 M READ·APR 16, JUDH BUTLERIN JUDH BUTLER’S ARTICLE PASSG QUEERG: NELLA LARSEN’S PSYCHOANALYTIC CHALLENGE, SHE EXPLOR THE HOMOSEXUAL IAS NELLA LARSEN’S NOVEL PASSG. IN THE NOVEL PASSG, ONE OF THE MA CHARACTERS, IRENE HTS HER FEELGS FOR CLARE WHO IS THE SAME SEX AS HER. THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL IRENE EXPRS NOT JT HER LOVE, BUT HER SIRE TO BE CLARE SCE SHE REPRENTS EVERYTHG IRENE IS NOT. CLARE LI THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL WHICH GIV HER THIS “SEXUAL EEDOM” AND PASSN THAT IRENE NI HERSELF. THIS RULTS IRENE HATG CLARE BEE SHE AWAKENS A SEXUAL PASSN SI HERSELF FOR CLARE. IRENE TRI TO PH THE FEELGS AWAY BY REFG TO RPOND TO HER LETTERS AS WELL AS REFG TO VE HER ANYWHERE. ANOTHER WAY IRENE TRI TO MAKE UP FOR HER FEELGS OF SIRE IS WHEN SHE PASS THE FEELGS ONTO HER HBAND, BRIAN. SHE STARTS TO HALLUCATE THAT THE TWO ARE HAVG A SECRET AFFAIR BEHD HER BACK. THE FEELGS E TO A FULL CIRCLE THE LAST CHAPTER WHERE IRENE IS LAST SEEN HOLDG ONTO CLARE’S ARM AS SHE IS EHER PHED OR JUMPED OUT THE WDOW. IF IRENE DID PH CLARE MAYBE THIS WAS HER WAY OF FALLY GETTG RID OF HER SIRE FOR CLARE. THERE WAS ALSO THE ISSUE OF BOTH OF THEM BEG BLACK AND THE SOCIAL NSTRATS ON BLACK WOMEN’S SEXUALY. THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL IRENE IS TRAPPED BY THE SOCIAL NSTRATS OF BEG BLACK AS WELL AS HAVG FEELG FOR SOMEONE OF THE SAME SEX. MAYBE THE TLE PASSG NOT ONLY MEANS TO PASS AS BEG WHE BUT FOR IRENE MEANS TO PASS HER FEELGS SHE HAS FOR CLARE.QUOT THAT SCRIBE IRENE’S PERCEPTN OF CLARE AND HER POSSIBLE “QUEER” SIRE.“AN ATTRACTIVE-LOOKG WOMAN…WH THOSE DARK, ALMOST BLACK, EY AND THAT WI MOUTH LIKE A SRLET FLOWER AGAST THE IVORY OF HER SK” (LARSEN 9)“ONE MOMENT CLARE HAD BEEN THERE, A VAL GLOWG THG, LIKE A FLAME OF RED AND GOLD. THE NEXT SHE WAS GONE” (79)“CLARE EXQUISE, GOLN AGRANT, FLNTG, A STATELY GOWN OF SHG BLACK TAFFETA, WHOSE LONG FULL SKIRT LAY GRACEFUL FOLDS ABOUT HER SLIM GOLN FEET” (53)“CLARE WHO SUDNLY CLOUD ALL HER DAYS” (65)“AND ALL BEE CLARE HAD A TRICK OF SLIDG DOWN IVORY LIDS OVER ASTONISHG BLACK EY AND THEN LIFTG THEM SUDNLY AND TURNG ON A RSG SE” (66)“WHAT SHE FELT WAS NOT SO MUCH RENTMENT AS A DULL SPAIR BEE SHE ULD NOT CHANGE HERSELF THIS RPECT, ULD NOT SEPARATE DIVIDUALS OM THE RACE, HERSELF OM CLARE KENDRY” (71)“THE SOFT WHE FACE, THE BRIGHT HAIR, THE DISTURBG SRLET MOUTH, THE DREAMG EY, THE RSG SE, THE WHOLE TORTURG LOVELS THAT HAD BEEN CLARE KENDRY” (80)IRENE AND BRIAN’S RELATNSHIPBRAZIL WAS A HUB NOT ONLY FOR ALL RAC BUT ALSO FOR ALL SEXUALI. THERE IS A POSSIBILY BRIAN WAS ATTRACTED TO BRAZIL FOR BOTH S RACIAL EENS AND S SEXUAL OPENNS. ALSO THE FACT THAT IRENE AND BRIAN SLEEP SEPARATE ROOMS ULD PROVE THAT HE WAS NOT HAPPY THEIR MARRIAGE. “HE SLEPT HIS ROOM NEXT TO HERS AT NIGHT. BUT HE WAS REMOTE AND ACCSIBLE. NO E PRETENDG THAT HE WAS HAPPY, THAT THGS WERE THE SAME AS THEY HAD ALWAYS BEEN. HE WASN’T AND THEY WEREN’T”(NELLA LARSEN PG. 68). WHILE IRENE AND BRIAN RARELY MA SEXUAL NTACT, CLARE AND IRENE OFTEN TOUCHED AN AFFECTNATE NATURE THROUGHOUT THE NOVEL.CARL VAN VECHTENPOTRA OF CARL VAN VECHTEN. NELLA LARSON’S CHARACTER, HUGH WENTWORTH, IS BASED ON THE WHE HARLEM RENAISSANCE FIGURE CARL VAN VECHTEN. VAN VECHTEN BEGAN HIS NEW YORK REER AS A CRIC FOR THE ENTERTAMENT DTRY. HE BEME VERY VOLVED WH THE ENTERTAERS OF ERA, AS WELL AS THERE HOMOSEXUAL SOCIAL CIRCLE. IT WAS THERE THAT VAN VECHTEN FORMED A EP NNECTN TO THE NIGHTLIFE OF HARLEM. VAN VECHTEN WAS AMONG MANY GAY DOWNTOWN WH WHO WENT UPTOWN SEARCH OF SEXUAL RECREATN. ACRDG TO THE NEW YORKER, HE PUBLISHED HIS NOVEL “NEGRO HEAVEN”, WHICH PRENTED HARLEM’S AIN AMERINS AS STEREOTYPILLY LASCIV THAT DREW SR OF WHE HARLEM TO “GO SLUMMG,” MANY OF WHOM WERE GAY.IN VAN VECHTEN’S SOCIAL LIFE HE WAS OPEN ABOUT HIS HOMOSEXUAL SIRE. DPE BEG MARRIED, HE HAD MANY MALE LOVERS. SCHOLARS HAVE DISVERED EXTENSIVE FLIRTAT BEHAVR LETTERS OM VAN VECHTEN TO A MYRIAD OF MEN. VAN VECHTEN’S WIFE WAS DISTRGHT BY THE SUATN; SHE OFTEN FELT AS IF SHE HAD TO WA LE FOR AN DIENCE WH HER HBAND. RICHARD BCE NUGENT, THE FIRST BLACK WRER TO PRODUCE ANK SCRIPTNS OF SAME-SEX SIRE, REMEMBERED AN ODD EXCHANGE WH VAN VECHTEN, LATER HIS LIFE. AT A PARTY, HE TOUCHED NUGENT’S SHOULR AND SAID, “IF YOU HAD JT PATTED ME ON THE HEAD AND SAID, ‘CARL, YOU’RE A NICE BOY,’ YOU ULD HAVE HAD ANYTHG YOU WANTED.” BUT, TO NUGENT, THIS SEEMED LS LIKE A PROPOSN AND MORE LIKE AN OLR MAN’S PLEA FOR ACKNOWLEDGMENT (THE NEW YORKER).”HOMOSEXUALY DURG THE HARLEM RENAISSANCETHE HARLEM RENAISSANCE N BE CHARACTERIZED BY A MOVEMENT OF AIN AMERIN ARTS AND CULTURE. HISTORIANS STATE THAT THIS ERA N BE FED BY BOTH RACE AND SEXUALY. ACRDG TO AN ARTICLE OM THE NEW YORKER, “THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE WAS, HENRY LOUIS GAT’S FORMULATN, “SURELY AS GAY AS WAS BLACK”. THERE WAS A GROWTH ART, JAZZ AND BLU, AND DRAG BALLS. THIS TIME PERD WAS FED AS “HOMOSEXUAL MEC” OR QUEER PARADISE. ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR ATTRACTNS WAS GREEN WHICH VILLAGE WHERE HOMOSEXUALS FOUND EEDOM (SHEROE, GLENDA ELIZABETH).THE 1931 NOVEL STRANGE BROTHER, BY BLAIRE NIL, SUMS UP THE PERD’S PLITED SOCIAL GEOGRAPHY BT: “IN HARLEM I FOUND URAGE AND JOY AND TOLERANCE,” NOT ONE GAY CHARACTER. “I N BE MYSELF THERE … THEY ALL KNOW ABOUT ME, AND I DON’T HAVE TO LIE.” HARLEM PROVID REFUGE BEE HAD NO SEPARATE MUNY BASED ON SHARED SEXUAL ORIENTATN. SCHOLARS HAVE SAID THAT DURG THE 1920S AND 30S, HARLEM HAD ONE OF THE MOST VIBRANT QUEER MUNI OF LOR THE 20TH CENTURY. DURG THIS TIME ARTIST WERE FORCED TO EHER RETIRE OR HI THEIR SEXUAL PREFERENCE. JAZZ AGE HARLEM OFFERED A BO OF LICENSE AND SEXUAL AMBIGUY THAT PROVID A FORTABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR THOSE ATTRACTED TO MEMBERS FOR THEIR OWN SEX (VILLAROSA, LDA).DPE THIS KD OF EEDOM AND PAGEANTRY, HOMOSEXUALY WASN’T UNIVERSALLY ACCEPTED. HARLEM’S MOST POWERFUL MISTER, ADAM CLAYTON POWELL, PASTOR OF THE ABYSSIAN BAPTIST CHURCH UNTIL 1937, MPAIGNED AGAST WHAT HE SAW AS THE GROWG SURGE OF SEXUAL PERVERSN AND MORAL GENERACY. THE ANNUAL HATON LODGE EVENT WHERE HOMOSEXUALS WOULD E TOGETHER AND DRS DRAG, WAS OPENLY REFERRED TO AS THE “PARA OF THE PANSI,” “DANCE OF THE FAIRI” AND “FAGGOTS’ BALL.”HOMOSEXUAL PERFORMERS OM THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE CLU BSIE SMH, MA RAEY, ALBERTA HUNTER, JACKIE “MOMS” MOBLEY, JOSEPHE BAKER, ALA LEROY LOCKE, BCE NUGENT, WALLACE THURMAN, ETHEL WATERS, AND MADAM C. J. WALKER WHO IS SAID TO HAVE HAD AFFAIRS WH WOMEN, AND WAS STMENTAL BRGG ABOUT THE ACCEPTANCE OF GAYS HARLEM SOCIAL CIRCL.THE BLU, HOMOSEXUALY, & HARLEM RENAISSANCEPORTA OF GERT ‘MA’ RAEY, ()AS TURNS OUT, THE BLU WORLD WAS THE PERFECT REALM FOR PEOPLE WHO WERE THOUGHT OF AS “SEXUAL VIANTS” TO RI, PART BEE PEOPLE THE ENTERTAMENT DTRY HAD FAR MORE LEEWAY TO FLOUT SEXUAL MOR. BLU MIC ALSO THRIVED FAR OUTSI THE SPE OF THE DOMANT WHE AMERIN CULTURE THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY. DURG THE JAZZ AGE THERE WAS SPEAKEASI, DIVE BARS, AND PRIVATE PARTI WHERE BLU SGERS HAD THE EEDOM TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE SEXUALY, AND ON A RARE OCSN, THEY EVEN EXPRSED SONG. IT'S LIKELY THAT THE FLAPPER MOVEMENT TOOK SOME CU OM THE BLU DIVAS, WHO WERE ON THE CUTTG EDGE OF THAT SEXUAL REVOLUTN DURG THE 1900S WHICH NSISTED OF NVENTNS ABOUT PROPER WOMEN LEFT AND RIGHT. GERT ‘MA’ RAEY WHO IS KNOWN AS THE MOTHER OF THE BLU, HTED AT HER SEXUALY HER LYRICS, “IT’S TE I WEAR A LLAR AND A TIE. . TO THE GALS JT LIKE ANY OLD MAN” AND BSIE SMH, A MARRIED WOMAN WHO KEPT A FEMALE LOVER, ALSO SANG “WHEN YOU SEE TWO WOMEN WALKG HAND HAND, JT LOOK ’EM OVER AND TRY TO UNRSTAND… THEY’LL GO TO THOSE PARTI — HAVE THE LIGHTS DOWN LOW — ONLY THOSE PARTI WHERE WOMEN N GO”(PEPPERS, MARGOT).PORTRA OF BSIE SMH; LAWS OM:THE POLICS OF HOMOSEXUALY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY OF BLACK FREEDOM ANTISODOMY LAWS AND OTHERS MOLED AFTER BRISH STATUT BANNG “CRIM AGAST NATURE”, HAD BEEN EFFECT ACROSS AMERI SCE LONIAL DAYS (GAY 30’S). CONSERVATIVE LAWS REGARDG SEXUAL NDUCT BEGAN TO APPEAR THE 30’S. THERE WAS ALSO AN EMERGENCE OF BOTH LAWS AND ATTUS THAT SOUGHT TO FE PROPER MIDDLE-CLASS BLACK MASCULY AND FEMY STRICTLY HETEROSEXUAL TERMS.DURG THE JIM CROW ERA, SOUTHERNERS VIEWED HOMOSEXUALY AS WRONG AND WAS TREATED AS ANOTHER FORM OF BLACK SEXUAL VIANCE. THERE WAS A NOT AN OFFICIAL TERM FOR A PERSON WHO PRACTICED HOMOSEXUALY THE 20’S AND 30'S. THEREFORE, SCHOLARS REFERRED TO THEM AS “TERMATE”, “THIRD SEX”, OR "GENERATE”. THIS ERA WAS THE BEGNG OF MORN QUEER BLACK CULTURE AND THE BEGNGS OF ANTI-HOMOSEXUAL ATTUS WH BLACK MUNI.QUEER SEXUALY REPRENTED ANOTHER POSSIBLE SOURCE OF ARGUMENTS FOR BLACK FERRY AND EXCLN OM CIZENSHIP. THIS TENSIFIED DURG THE S AS AIN AMERIN'S CREASGLY ME TO EMBRACE WHE MIDDLE-CLASS IAS ABOUT GENR AND SEXUALY AS A MEANS OF STRENGTHENG THEIR ARGUMENTS FOR ACCS TO FULL CIZENSHIP RIGHTS. FOR AIN AMERINS THAT BELONGED TO OR WISHED TO BE APART OF THE MIDDLE CLASS HARLEM, SUFFERED IMMENSELY IF THEY WERE NOT HETEROSEXUAL. THIS WAS BEE HOMOSEXUALY RRIED BIGGER NSEQUENC THAN DID FOR WORKG CLASS BLACKS (SHEROE, GLENDA ELIZABETH).LBIAN BLU SGERS HAD TO APPEAR BISEXUAL AT LEAST THEIR PUBLIC IMAGE. BLU SGER MA RAEY GOT TO TROUBLE WH THE POLICE FOR HER LBIAN BEHAVR 1925, SHE WAS ARRTED FOR TAKG PART AN Y AT HER HOME VOLVG THE WOMEN HER CHOS. SHE WAS CHARGED WH NNG AN CENT PARTY. A LARGE MIGRATN OF SOUTHERN AIN AMERINS EVENTUALLY LEFT TO HEAD TOWARD THE NORTH, MORE SPECIFILLY NEW YORK CY. THERE WAS SEXUAL EEDOM PECIALLY GREENWICH VILLAGE WHICH WAS FAMO FOR S GAY MUNY BEE “ WAS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE BLACK MEN ULD NGREGATE MERCIAL TABLISHMENTS” MAKG THE CENTER OF BLACK GAY LIFE THE URBAN NORTH (GEE CHNCEY).GAY NIGHTLIFE THE HARLEM NIGHTLIFE WAS A VERY IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF GAY CULTURE. THE SUPPRSN OF THE ERA DROVE PEOPLE SEARCH OF GAY TERACTN TO THE FURTIVE NIGHT CLUB SCENE. THE GAY NIGHTLIFE N BE INTIFIED BY THREE DIFFERENT SCEN: RENT PARTI, BUFFET FLATS, AND DRAG BALLS.THERE WAS AN TENSE CREASE PUBLIC HOMOSEXUALY FOLLOWG THE PROHIBN. THE PANSY CRAZE, OF BOTH CHIGO AND HARLEM, WAS A SURGE OF POPULARY FOR GAY PERFORMERS. “AIN AMERIN DRAG ENTERTAERS PERFORMED FOR RACIALLY MIXED DIENC AT SOME OF THE SOUTH SI’S MOST FAMO ‘BLACK AND TAN’ [BARETS]. MEXIN ‘QUEERS’ RVED OUT A SPACE FOR THEMSELV ALONG ASHLAND AVENUE, AND ETHNIC WORKG-CLASS ‘QUEENS’ OM THE CY’S NORTH, SOUTH, AND WT SIS MET AT PRIVATE PARTI AND PUBLIC DRAGS THROUGHOUT THE CY (BLACKMER).”THE ENTERTAMENT INDTRY BEME A SAFE PLACE FOR HOMOSEXUALS TO MAKE SOCIAL NNECTNS. THE BLU MIC DTRY QUICKLY BEME A HUB FOR LBIAN ENTERTAERS. THE ARTISTS EVEN OCSNALLY EXPRSED THEIR HOMOSEXUAL SIR THEIR MIC. THE BLU WOMAN WERE PRECURSOR TO THE FLAPPER GENERATN FED BY SEXUAL EEDOM.IT WAS NOT ONLY THOSE PRACTICG HOMOSEXUALY THAT PARTOOK THE NIGHTLIFE SCENE. MANY BYSTANRS ME TO OBSERVE THE “SEXUAL VIANTS.” THIS CULTURE CLED QUICKLY FOLLOWG THE STOCK MARKET CRASH OF 1929 AND THE BEGNG OF THE GREAT DEPRSN.MEN DRSED UP TO PETE FOR THE BALL. IMAGE OF A MAN A FASHNABLE DRS DURG THE POPULAR NYC BALLS. DRAG BALLS TOOK PLACE AT THE ROCKLAND PALACE SAVOY. MEN WOULD DRS AS WOMEN AND WOMEN WOULD DRS AS MEN. MAL WOULD WEAR FLOWG GOWNS AND FEATHERED HEADDRS’S AND FEMAL WOULD APPEAR TUXEDOS AND BOX BLACK SUS. FOR THE MEN, THERE WAS ALSO A FASHN PARA. THERE WAS ALSO PRIZ WHICH WERE GIVEN TO THE MOST GEOLY GOWNED OF THE WH AND NEGRO WHO, POWRED, WIGGED, AND ROUGED, AND PETED FOR AWARDS. PEOPLE ME OM BOSTON, PHILALPHIA, PTSBURGH, AND ATLANTIC CY TO ATTEND. THE SHOW WAS PRENTED BY OTHER FORMER “QUEENS” OF THE BALL, PRIZE WNERS OF YEARS GONE BY WEARG THE STUM THAT WON THEM THEIR PRIZ. THE STUME BALLS, PARTI, SPEAKEASI AND BUFFET FLATS OF HARLEM PROVID AN ARENA FOR HOMOSEXUAL TERACTN, BUT NOT FOR THE VELOPMENT OF HOMOSEXUAL WORKS. ONE AREA WHERE BLACK LBIANS AND GAY MEN FOUND PARTICULAR BONDS OF IENDSHIP WAS WH HARLEM’S ENTERTAMENT WORLD.RACE AND SEXUALY THE HARLEM RENAISSANCEGEOGRAPHILLY, HARLEM WAS LOTED NVENIENTLY FOR WHE NEW YORKERS: AIN AMERINS LIVED “TOO FAR AWAY TO BE DANGERO YET CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE EXCG.” THOSE WHE VISORS SEARCH OF SEXUAL AND HOMOSEXUAL ADVENTUR HAD LS REASON TO FEAR SOCIAL OSTRACISM OR THE LOSS OF FAY TI AND EMPLOYMENT, AS THEY ULD RETA A SEXUALLY NSPICUO IMAGE THEIR EVERYDAY WHE ENVIRONMENT (SCHWARZ).E. FRANKL FRAZIER POTS OUT THAT THE BLACK MIDDLE CLASS HAS “STRIVEN TO MOLD THEMSELV THE IMAGE OF THE WHE MAN” — AN ASPIRATN WHICH TO SOME EXTENT IMPLI ATTEMPTS TO EMULATE THE “BT” WHE AMERINS TERMS OF LOOKS, TASTE, MORALY, AND VALUE SYSTEM. A MORE ACCURATE ANALYSIS SEEMS TO BE THAT THE BLACK BOURGEOISIE SOUGHT RPECTABILY. AIN AMERINS HAD BEEN PORTRAYED AND TREATED AS SEXUALLY SPIC AND EXCSIVE THE FORM OF SEXLS “DARKI” AND “MAMMI” OR OVERSEXED STUDS” AND “JEZEBELS.” THE BLACK BOURGEOISIE AIMED AT SEXUAL “NORMALY” BY MEANS OF AN ADHERENCE TO HIGHER MORAL STANDARDS THAT WH, WHO HAD THE POWER TO FE RPECTABILY, HAD NIED THEM FOR CENTURI. THIS MAY BE WHY IRENE SEEMS TO BE FIXATED ON CLARE WHENEVER THEY ARE TOGETHER, BUT ALSO TRI TO AVOID CLARE AT EVERY OPPORTUNY; SHE TRI TO HI HER SIRE FOR CLARE ORR TO MATA HER RPECTABLE ROLE AS A MOTHER, WIFE, AND LEAR HER MUNY.HAZEL CARBY NOT THE EMERGENCE OF “FEARS OF A RAMPANT AND UNNTROLLED FEMALE SEXUALY… AND FEARS OF THE ASSERTN OF AN PENNT BLACK FEMALE SIRE THAT HAS BEEN UNLEASHED THROUGH MIGRATN.” THE FACT THAT MIGRANT WOMEN WERE OFTEN UNMARRIED MEANT THAT THEY NOT ONLY STOOD OUTSI A FAY STCTURE, REGARD AS FUNDAMENTAL TO BLACK AMERI’S “RACIAL UPLIFT,” BUT ALSO SEEMED TO REJECT THE ROLE OF MOTHERHOOD. (SCHWARZ)LBIANS WERE VIEWED AS PARTICULARLY VIANT. ACRDG TO BELL HOOKS, THE “PREVAILG ASSUMPTN WAS THAT TO BE A LBIAN WAS ‘UNNATURAL’ BEE ONE WOULD NOT BE PARTICIPATG CHILD BEARG.” IN THE I OF HARLEM, SCHWARZ NOT, GAY MEN WERE SLIGHTLY MORE ACCEPTABLE THAN LBIANS. (SCHWARZ)CONCERNS ABOUT FEMALE SEXUALY WERE MALY VOICED BLACK MIDDLE CLASS CIRCL, BUT A WOMAN’S CHOICE OF A FEMALE SEXUAL PARTNER WAS PRUMABLY EQUALLY PERCEIVED AS A SER THREAT A BLACK WORKG CLASS ENVIRONMENT. IN THIS SOCIAL NTEXT, LBIANS WERE, EVOKG AN “VERTED,” MASCULE IMAGE, ROGATORILY KNOWN AS “BULLDAGGERS” OR “BULLDYKERS.” SIGNIFINTLY, THEIR GENR ROLE VERSN SEEMS TO HAVE MET WH FAR LS FAVORABLE REACTNS THAN THAT OF THEIR MALE UNTERPARTS, THE FAIRI. WHILE THIS IS NOT TO IMPLY A SYMPATHETIC TREATMENT OF FAIRI, SEEMS THAT, FOR STANCE, NEWSPAPER REPORTS ON DRAG BALLS, CROSS-DRSG MEN WERE FAVORED: FAIRI AND THEIR ELABORATE STUM WERE OFTEN SCRIBED TAILED, LONG LUMNS AS “GEO BEYOND WORDS,” WHEREAS CROSS-DRSG WOMEN WERE MENTNED ONLY BRIEFLY, IF AT ALL. WHILE THEIR STUM WERE CERTALY FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT AND MEN’S CLOTH, AS ULD BE ARGUED, N ONLY TO A LIMED EXTENT BE ADMIRED FOR THEIR FABRICS OR LORS, IS NOTEWORTHY THAT UALLY ANY TONE OF ADMIRATN IS LACKG THE SCRIPTN OF CROSS-DRSG WOMEN. THEY APPEAR TO BE IMPLICLY BLAMED FOR THEIR LACK OF LORS AND ELEGANCE, OR, SHORT, THEIR LACK OF FEMY.(SCHWARZ)GLADYS BENTLEYGLADYS BENTLEY; BENTLEY THRIVED DURG THE BLACK RENAISSANCE HARLEM DURG THE ’20S AND EARLY ’30S, BEG UNQUTNABLY HARLEM’S FAVORE “BULLDAGGER.” WEARG BOX TI, ETON JACKETS, AND SHORT STRAIGHT HAIR, GLADYS CREATED A SENSATN WHEREVER SHE WENT. SHE EXPRSED HER CREATIVY AND HER SEXUALY FLOURISHED EE OM PREJUDICE OR SCTY BY EHER THE WHE OR AIN AMERIN MUNY. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS ALL-TOO-BRIEF PERD OF EEDOM END BY THE CLOSE OF THE 1930S. HOMOPHOBIA, UNG WH RACISM, SEXISM, AND CLASSISM, STROYED BENTLEY’S ABILY TO LIVE CREATIVELY AND EELY (WILSON).ON TOP OF BEG AN AIN AMERIN, GLADYS WAS A WOMAN. HER RACE, GENR, AND SEXUALY TRIPLY MARGALIZED HER THE EY OF THE WHE, HETEROSEXUAL, MASCULIST WORLD. SHE HAD NO PLACE TO HI OM HOMOPHOBIC OR SEXIST ATTUS. UNLIKE MANY OF HER WHE LBIAN AND GAY UNTERPARTS, SHE ULDN’T RETREAT BEHD A FA OF WHE AND HETEROSEXUAL NORMALCY. THE OPEN AND ACCEPTG ENVIRONMENT OF GLADYS’S IENDS MELTED BACK TO THE CLOSET. GLADYS’S OVERT SEXUALY AND PUBLIC PERSONA, HOWEVER, PREVENTED HER OWN RETREAT. GLADYS LOST HER FANCIAL SUPPORT WHEN HER SEXUALY AND RACE BEME AN ISSUE. IN THE END, SHE HAD TO SACRIFICE HER SEXUALY FOR SURVIVAL (WILSON). BEE IRENE DO NOT PASS HER MUNY, SHE N’T RISK HAVG A RELATNSHIP WH CLARE, WHO N PASS. IRENE WOULD BE TOO OSTRACIZED FOR BEG BOTH BLACK AND A LBIAN, UNLIKE CLARE, WHO WOULD BE ABLE TO HI BEHD THE FA OF BEG WHE.GLOSSARYCHIGO’S SHADOW HOMOSEXUAL WORLD OF THE 1930S WAS SO WELL VELOPED THAT PARTICIPANTS VISED THEIR OWN NT. THE E OF THE WORD “GAY” DID NOT BEE POPULAR UNTIL THE 1940S AND 50S. PROFSOR ERNT W. BURGS PILED A “GLOSSARY OF HOMOSEXUAL TERMS.”AUNTIE — OLR QUEER, OR ONE WHO ACTS OLDBELLE — ANY HOMOSEXUAL PERSON; ONE WHO IS UALLY AWARE OF HIS NDNBCH — TERM FOR HOMOSEXUALS, UALLY AMONG THEMSELVBLD — HOMOSEXUAL TRAVELG WH A GIRL, OR WHO MARRI TO NCEAL HIS NDNBROWNI- GAY MAN, TERM OM PHILALPHIABULLDAGGER- A MASCULE WOMANCHOS MOLL — TYPE OF YOUNG HOMOSEXUAL WHO IS EFFEMATE, ROUGE, LIPSTICK, DRS FOPPISHLYDIRT — PERSONS, OFTEN TRA, WHO BLACKMAIL OR ROB HOMOSEXUALS. USUALLY PICKED UP PUBLIC PLACFAGGOT — A GAY MANFAIRY — A GAY MANFRENCH — FELLATGREEN — HOMOSEXUAL WHO IS IGNORANT OF HIS NDN; AVERAGE PERSON WHO IS IGNORANT OF HOMOSEXUALYMARJORIE — HOMOSEXUAL WHO IS AFFECTED, FLIRTY, VERY EFFEMATE, “SWEET AND LOVELY”MISS LBOS — TERM APPLIED TO LBIAN GIRLPARTY — SEXUAL ACT; UALLY VOLV FELLATSISSY — A FEME MALETEA ROOM — PUBLIC TOILETTRA — ONE WHO WILL PERM HOMOSEXUALS TO HAVE SEXUAL RELATNS WH HIM, UALLY FOR MONEYRENT PARTI — KNOWN FOR THEIR WILD, SEXUALLY CHARGED ATMOSPHERE, AND BOOTLEG LIQUOR.QUEER — A PERSON WH HOMOSEXUAL TENNCIBUFFET FLATS — APARTMENTS NVERTED TO SEX CLUBS THAT FEATURED SHOWS AND PROSTUTN.WORKS CED
I thk that gay people have a sense of who’s homophobic.
THE GAY HARLEM RENAISSANCE
“I’m sure I was as homophobic as anybody, I’m embarrassed to say, ” Gat says.
“I jt blurted out that I had the feelg he was gay, ” says Gat. “I said I had never had a gay iend before, and probably had fears and phobias surroundg people who are gay.
GAY TALE, HENRY LOUIS GAT, FEND AVA DUVERNAY AND ‘SELMA’
Ain Amerin lerary cric and profsor Henry Louis Gat once reflected that the Harlem Renaissance was “surely as gay as was Black, not that was exclively eher of the. Some wrers of the perd clud homoerotic them—or, rarely, discsns of same-sex romantic relatnships— their work. From the start of his profsnal sgg reer at the Hot-Cha, Daniels built a voted followg of gay fans wh his sophistited rendns of jazz standards and showtun.