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Abstract:

This article reports that when lesbian and gay people in the U.S. began to organize in the 1950s and press for social change, they did so in an atmosphere that defined them as sinful, sick, and criminal. The first post-World War II homophile organization, the Mattachine Society, was named for medieval court jesters, who could speak unpopular truths from behind masks. The Mattachine Society backed away from any open or confrontational strategy, preferring to work behind the scenes by encouraging mainstream professionals to educate the public. This was an approach founded on an implicit contract with the larger society wherein gay identity, culture, and values would be disavowed in return for the promise of equal treatment. The new generation of gay leaders was faced with the problem of creating a movement out of a group that had long learned to hide its identity from public view. One of the first institutions to feel the impact of the newly visible gay liberation was the academy. The presence of lesbian and gay scholars and students in colleges and universities was not new, but the emergence of openly gay academics was revolutionary.

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Vol. 55 Issue 3, p508-528 21p