Cultural Perceptions of Homosexuality Before and After 1869

Cultural Perceptions of Homosexuality Before and After 1869

Introduction

Elements within society like sex, age, gender, class, and power prior to 1869 were all crucial in determining the social perception of homosexuality as we see it today. Certainly, there have been numerous advances since that time period, yet simultaneously certain geographic areas have endured some backtracking. Within the bounds of the United States of America, the fact that something as basic as homosexual marriage would be disallowed certainly points to how the past has played a fundamental role in shaping society as it exists today, along with the associated impressions. However, prior to 1869, the concept of governmental control whether or not individuals can get married regardless of their gender preferences, is something that already existed in different places. Germany, for example, had state-controlled impositions against homosexual behavior prior to 1869. Within the United States, homosexuality has been consistently perceived with hostility, even dating back to some of the “founding fathers”, like Thomas Jefferson who, despite being a huge advocate of individual liberty, was compelled to impose brutal penalties for homosexual behavior. The culmination of a past of social, sexual, economic, and gender elements have comprised the public consciousness that, today, continues to interpret things like homosexual behavior in a consistent, and often times detrimental, way and approach over time.

Sexual Perceptions Prior to 1869

Prior to 1869, sexual perceptions were crucial in establishing the foundation upon which modernized perceptions exist. Certainly, there have been numerous changes in both directions, with individuals creating varying outcomes based on personal, religious, and socioeconomic beliefs/standards. The impact, of course, of individuals’ upbringings and how that shapes their understandings of the world is undeniable. Individuals raised in certain circumstances and standards can eventually come to interpret the world through the filter of how they were influenced. This, at its core, is the primary reason that the cultural norms and perceptions from hundreds of years ago (like prior to 1869) can persist by being transferred from one generation to the next. Even something as basic as the term “homosexual” was one that was created in 1869 as a reaction to those who opposed gay behavior and individuals. Prior to 1869, political correctness surrounding the homosexuals was something that was split between the country, ironically very similar to as it exists within the bounds of modern society (Social, 2002).

Impact of Age, Gender, and Class

Age, gender, and class, in connection with sexism and prejudice, are also crucial in understanding the current perceptions of homosexuality today. Prior to 1869, the growing rise of industrialization was changing the socioeconomic landscape of the United States of America. Children were working at younger ages, women were still bound by old social norms, and growing political power was centralizing perceptions of individual responsibility. Certainly, these cumulative effects had impacts on age, gender, and class. Thus, any social concepts, including prejudice and sexism towards homosexuality were inextricably woven with things like age, gender, and class. As anthropologists have already understood, there is an ingrained cultural standard that resides in humans as a result of culture. Individuals are bound