The surprisg tth about the liv of gay men Victorian England · Manchter Metropolan Universy

gay in victorian era

There were drag parti, lbian relatnships, a secret gay rights group - and more.

Contents:

BEFORE STRAIGHT AND GAY

Robert K. Mart, GAY STUDIES AND THE VICTORIAN PERIOD, Newsletter of the Victorian Studi Associatn of Wtern Canada, Vol. 13, No. 1 (SPRING 1987), pp. 69-76 * gay in victorian era *

Homosexualy Victorian eraIn Victorian era homosexualy had s differenc and siari. The Victorian era is important to be looked at so that we know the cultural ntext which Osr Wil ed to live homosexualy went agast the notn of masculy, was talked about rarely and threatened the fay stcture as well as was believed to go agast beg fundamentally Brish. This lack of rmatn om different mediums of munitn is the reason why discsn of homosexualy was not seen throughout society.

SEX SYMBOL: HOW ANTO BEME A GAY CO WORD THE VICTORIAN ERA

Discsns about homosexualy among society was very mimal bee Victorian cizens tried to ignore the fact ncept that mal might have sexual relatnship wh other mal. Homosexualy Victorian eraAttus and expectatns about maral and timate relatnships were very strict durg Victorian era.

On the other hand, male homosexual acts, even the on nducted privately was nsired crimal act. Homosexualy Victorian eraPublicly homosexualy was not discsed and was hard to accs private sexual behavur.

Many believed that one uld be moral and at the same time have sexual was one of the reasons why homosexualy was extremely problematic issue the Brish society faced at that time. In the fundamental Brish society, was embarrassg to speak of this sexual was only when the trials of Osr Wil were gog on that the term and ia of classifyg homosexualy me to limelight. Homosexualy was very rarely discsed Victorian society and whenever was discsed there were severe nsequenc for the men.

THE SURPRISG TTH ABOUT THE LIV OF GAY MEN VICTORIAN ENGLAND

Observable homosexualyEven though heterosexualy was nsired normal and natural throughout Victorian era, there is seen visible crease homosexualy pecially among men as well as telligentsia durg that perd of history. The reason was that homosexualy was prohibed as cent behavur public and privately, gay sex behd closed doors was not nsired crimal offence until 1885.

HomosexualyVictorian cizens rarely lived up to their stereotyp when me to genr, health and sexualy. Also, prsur om relig stutns and ernment led to creatg laws agast homosexualy.

THE SURPRISG TTH ABOUT THE LIV OF GAY MEN VICTORIAN ENGLAND

It is believed that Victorians had a more lenient attu towards gay relatnships or attu to sex between men than their 1960s unterparts. Before Straight and GayThe discreet, disorientg passns of the Victorian eraMarc BurckhardtEven by the formidable standards of ement Victorian fai, the Bensons were an timidatg lot.

THE SURPRISG TTH ABOUT THE LIV OF GAY MEN VICTORIAN ENGLAND

As a great al of queer history has by now monstrated, the strictly fed tegori of “homosexual” and “heterosexual” are relatively new: bright l drawn across the late-20th-century sexual landspe that ma “g out” a dichotomo the Victorians, the suatn was much more fluid.

Though sex between men was a crimal offense ( Bra, lbianism was visible before the law), there was, as yet, hardly a homosexual inty fed by same-sex sire. He don’t diagnose the Bensons retrospectively and anachronistilly as a fay of reprsed homosexuals.

*BEAR-MAGAZINE.COM* GAY IN VICTORIAN ERA

GAY STUDIES AND THE VICTORIAN PERIOD on JSTOR .

TOP