In the early twentieth century, gay men and women were barred from being themselves. American society was silent to their needs because being gay was considered wrong and immoral.
LGBTQ as an Illness
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, gay men and lesbians were at risk for psychiatric lockup as well as jail, losing jobs, and child custody when courts defined gay love as sick, criminal and immoral. It wasn't until 1973 that the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality as an "illness" classification in its diagnostic manual.
Article: http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/history.aspx
Article: http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/history.aspx
Executive Order 10450
On April 27, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued executive order 10450, which banned any LGBTQ people from obtaining government jobs. He also ordered private contractors that did business with the government to fire their gay employees. He encouraged other countries to do the same. Article: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-howard/april-27-1953-lavender-scare_b_1459335.html |
Those Who Had to Keep Quiet
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a Renaissance man who was a master of science, engineering and art. His most famous works include the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. While his compositions are world renowned, it is less recognized that he was gay. His sexual orientation was discovered by the public posthumously.
Article: https://www.advocate.com/world/2016/7/08/20-lgbt-people-who-changed-world#slide-3
Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was a famous poet. While he was in the closet during his life and stated his heterosexuality in his autobiography, he traveled with a gay companion. Scholars and historians agree that his sexual orientation was a significant influence throughout his poetry. Article: http://www.uis.edu/gendersexualitystudentservices/langstonhughes/ |
Montgomery Clift (1920-1966) was a method actor and four-time Oscar nominee who was once considered the most beautiful man in the world. A terrible auto accident caused him to turn to the bottle which eventually led to his death. Many people have said that his alcoholism would not have been nearly as serious had he been able to live his life authentically.
Article: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2014/09/scandals-of-classic-hollywood-montgomery-clift