Representing (Repressed) Homosexuality in the Pre-Stonewall Hollywood Essay

Representing (Repressed) Homosexuality in the Pre-Stonewall Hollywood Homo-Military Film - Essay Example It was thus easy to detect homosexually behavior among the officers. Theories have been put forward trying to explain this phenomenon. Some believed that people who had homosexual tendencies joined the army so that they could repress these feelings however, with the many intimate contacts with the young men they find themselves succumbing to temptations. Others engage in this act out of curiosity and need to experiment new things. There are several films that have been produced that show the existence of homosexuality in the 1950s and 1960s without violating the censorship act. Among them is the gay deceiver, Damn the Defiant, Billy Buddy and the Strange Ones. All these moves contain scenes that imply homosexual actions without actually talking about homosexuality (Sconce, 73). This article analyzes the production history, reception and the social context of these films. The social context Looking back in the social context of the 1960s would help us understand the reception of the g ay related movies. In this age, people perceived homosexuality in a very different light than they do today. There were no gay hubs as the ones that exist in Ney York, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Most homosexuals practiced this lifestyle in secret with the fear of being marked by the society. Homosexuality as a sex identity was seen to be a mental illness and any acts of homosexuality were labeled as crime. Before the passing of the 1967 Sex offense Bill, homosexuality was illegal. Lesbianism was however not considered illegal but people who practiced it were looked down upon by the society. Although the cities would be seen as the refuge of minorities, it was not supportive of the gay community. The often found refuge in gay bar but these ones would also be raided by police patron. The police would also alert the media in case there was such a raid such that people who were caught ended up featuring in the news (Butt, 238). The Stone Wall bar owned by the mafia exploited gay peo ple making money from them. The rural areas were not a better hub for the gay people either. People living here were expected to get married and have children. Many homosexuals were thus pressured into getting married with these marriages having unhappy endings and in some cases leading these men to commit suicide. The issue of homosexuality became a contentious one when Bill Clinton tried to amalgamate the forces. It became evident that the issue of homosexuality had existed for centuries. People were also concerned on the reasons that would make gay men join the military. . It was viewed that the military was a refuge that tried to still the chaos they were going through inside due to repressing their homosexual desires. They would also escape from the pressure of the society that expected them to have heterosexual relationships. The manner in which the military was organized with strict discipline would create a new identity for them as soldiers replacing their old confused ident ity. Psychologist actually said that the gay men joined the force hoping that this experience would cure them considering that homosexuality was then believed to be a mental illness. Intercourse of queer men in the military was a common thing during the World War 2 and even after. Some psychologists were of the view that the prevalence of gays in the military was as a result of the antigay policies. This is because human