The Homosexualization of America

Last updated
The Homosexualization of America, The Americanization of the Homosexual
The Homosexualization of America.jpg
Cover of the first edition
Author Dennis Altman
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject LGBT rights in the United States
Publisher St. Martin's Press
Publication date
1982
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages246
ISBN 0-8070-4143-2

The Homosexualization of America, The Americanization of the Homosexual is a 1982 book about LGBT rights in the United States by the gay rights activist Dennis Altman, in which the author discusses the emergence of gay people as a minority group. [1] [2] The book received positive reviews, crediting Altman with providing a useful discussion of gay people in the United States.

Contents

Summary

Altman discusses the increased visibility of gay people in the United States and conflicts over gay rights issues there, basing his account partly on his visits to the country. His two major themes are, "the emergence of homosexuals as a new minority with our own culture, life style, political movement, and claim to legitimacy, and the impact of this minority on the broader society." He argues that gay people have come to see themselves as being similar to an ethnic group and to "claim recognition on the basis of this analogy", and that the United States is being "homosexualized", a process that involves, "the adoption of styles and fashions associated with an increasingly visible and assertive gay minority" and is "changing American society in important ways", such as the gentrification of some urban areas. He identifies Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud as influences, arguing that while is not necessary to adopt all of their views, Marx's ideas are essential to discussing social change and that Freud's ideas are essential to discussing human sexuality. [3]

He writes that by the beginning of the 1980s, some gay men had abandoned the "effeminate style" that had previously characterized gay men and adopted a style involving "a theatrically masculine appearance: denim, leather, and the ubiquitous key rings dangling from the belt." He sees this style as typified by the "super-macho image" of the Village People. He addresses the way homosexuality has been dealt with by newspapers and the film industry. He writes that the American film industry has "had the most difficulty coming to terms with homosexuality" of all media in the United States, and that it usually depicts gay people as either villains or victims. He discusses films, such as Windows (1980), Cruising (1980), Fame (1980), Making Love (1982), Personal Best (1982), and Partners (1982), with gay themes. He discusses books dealing with homosexuality such as the psychologist Alan P. Bell and the sociologist Martin S. Weinberg's Homosexualities (1978) and Bell et al.′s Sexual Preference (1981), offering criticisms of both works. He also includes a chapter-length discussion of, "Sexual Freedom and the End of Romance". [4]

Publication history

The Homosexualization of America, The Americanization of the Homosexual was first published by St. Martin's Press in 1982. It was published in a paperback edition by Beacon Press in 1983 as The Homosexualization of America. [5]

Reception

Mainstream media

The Homosexualization of America received positive reviews from David L. Keyes in Library Journal and from Kirkus Reviews . [6] [7]

Keyes credited Altman with providing "an excellent synthesis of a wide variety of gay/lesbian issues in a satisfying blend of research and personal experience", and with showing that gay people in the United States have adapted the political process to their advantage by focusing on lobbying for civil rights, and that American society has undergone a change in its sexual behavior and values. [6]

Kirkus Reviews wrote that the book was a "discerning account of the coming of age of the gay community (with lesser attention to lesbian women)". It expressed doubt about Altman's view that gay people are "pioneers in human relationships", but considered his bibliography "invaluable for the writings of the last decade" and credited him with covering "difficult ground with intelligence and care." [7]

Gay media

The Homosexualization of America received a positive review from the gay rights activist Ken Popert in The Body Politic . [8] The book was also reviewed by the critic Felice Picano in the New York Native and by The Advocate . [9] [10]

Popert considered the book a sophisticated discussion of gay rights. He credited Altman with providing a clear and straightforward account of the meaning of homosexuality, and analyzing "the way in which the conditions which allow the gay movement to advance also impose limitations on it." Though he noted that Altman's views on this topic were not original, he believed that Altman had performed a useful task by "assembling them in a coherent and popular form" for a "large audience for whom they will be novel, challenging and even unsettling." He praised Altman's chapter on "Sexual Freedom and the End of Romance", calling it the most engaging part of the book, and described the book as a whole as, "very much the product of a mature community, sure of itself, capable of self-criticism, confident of its place in history, and infused with an appropriate sense of mystery and destiny." However, he expressed some minor reservations about Altman's work. He called its title "quirky" and suggested that it might have been chosen to appeal to the "ethnocentric" American market, and also found that Altman sometimes diverted attention from his arguments through excessive citations or digressions. [8]

Academic journals

The Homosexualization of America was discussed by Rhonda R. Rivera in University of Pennsylvania Law Review . Rivera credited Altman with discussing the "creation of a homosexual minority" with reference to economic and social factors. [11]

Other evaluations

The social theorist Jonathan Dollimore argued that The Homosexualization of America suggested that "because the prevailing order in some sense requires the denigration of homosexuality" it is not possible for "gay culture to be integrated into the dominant culture" or be accepted by it. Though questioning the historical accuracy of some of Altman's claims, he also credited him with correctly implying that "the negation of desire and the negation of difference are in practice often inseparable". [12] The gay rights activist Will Roscoe argued that Altman was mistaken to maintain that the "minority model of Gay identity and community" is a "new form of social control." He dismissed Altman's advocacy of "universal androgyny and bisexuality" as a "political dead-end." [13]

Altman wrote that The Homosexualization of America represented "the high point of my obsession with the gay world of the United States". He recalled that it "barely reached shops in Australia." [14] Altman also recalled that it resulted from his "infatuation with New York and the new gay culture that seemed to be sweeping aside all other ways of being homosexual" and that an editor dismissed his proposal for the book because he "used the Village People as an emblem of how gay styles were changing." He summarized his argument in The Homosexualization of America as being that, "normality itself was being remade by the new gay affirmation, which in turn reflected the larger shifts being brought about by new social and economic forces that were shaking up old assumptions around sexuality and gender, most evident in the dramatic opening up of career possibilities for women." [15] The political commentator Andrew Sullivan described The Homosexualization of America as, "A pre-AIDS defense of the religious right's nightmare: a culture in which monogamy is not expected in relationships." However, he added that Altman, "describes gay male culture before same-sex marriage became an imaginable option." [16]

Daniel C. Mattson wrote that Altman took an "essentialist" view of homosexuality, something Mattson found a logical consequence of the gay rights movement's objective of "convincing society that homosexuality is as inherent and essential an aspect of man's nature as his skin color and ethnicity." [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT movements</span> Social movements

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBT people and their interests, numerous LGBT rights organizations are active worldwide. The first organization to promote LGBT rights was the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, founded in 1897 in Berlin.

Dennis Patkin Altman is an Australian academic and gay rights activist.

<i>Eros and Civilization</i> 1955 book by Herbert Marcuse

Eros and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud is a book by the German philosopher and social critic Herbert Marcuse, in which the author proposes a non-repressive society, attempts a synthesis of the theories of Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud, and explores the potential of collective memory to be a source of disobedience and revolt and point the way to an alternative future. Its title alludes to Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents (1930). The 1966 edition has an added "political preface".

<i>Gay Science</i> 1997 book by Timothy F. Murphy

Gay Science: The Ethics of Sexual Orientation Research is a 1997 book by the philosopher Timothy F. Murphy about scientific research on sexual orientation.

Stephen O. Murray was an American anthropologist, sociologist, and independent scholar based in San Francisco, California. He was known for extensive scholarly work on the sociology, anthropology, and comparative history of sexual and gender minorities, on sociolinguistics, history of the social sciences, and as an important editor and organizer of scholarly work in these areas.

<i>Virtually Normal</i> 1995 book by Andrew Sullivan

Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality is a book about the politics of homosexuality by the political commentator Andrew Sullivan, in which the author criticizes four different perspectives on gay rights in American society, which he calls the "Prohibitionist", "Liberationist", "Conservative", and "Liberal" views, seeking to expose internal inconsistencies within each of them. He also criticizes the philosopher Michel Foucault and gay rights activists he considers influenced by Foucault, and argues in favor of same-sex marriage and an end to the don't ask, don't tell policy, which banned service by openly gay people in the US military. However, he makes a case against legislation aimed at preventing private discrimination against gay people.

<i>Sexual Preference</i> (book) 1981 book

Sexual Preference: Its Development in Men and Women (1981) is a book about the development of sexual orientation by the psychologist Alan P. Bell and the sociologists Martin S. Weinberg and Sue Kiefer Hammersmith, in which the authors reevaluate what were at the time of its publication widely held ideas about the origins of heterosexuality and homosexuality, sometimes rejecting entirely the factors proposed as causes, and in other cases concluding that their importance had been exaggerated. Produced with the help of the American National Institute of Mental Health, the study was a publication of the Institute for Sex Research. Together with its Statistical Appendix, Sexual Preference was the conclusion of a series of books including Homosexuality: An Annotated Bibliography (1972) and Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women (1978), both co-authored by Bell and Weinberg.

<i>Virtual Equality</i> 1995 book by Urvashi Vaid

Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation is a 1995 book about gay rights by lawyer and civil rights activist Urvashi Vaid, in which the author argues that LGBT movements in the United States have been only partially successful in achieving their goals, and that gay and lesbian Americans continue to suffer from discrimination and other problems. Vaid maintains that the American gay rights movement must reconsider its tactics and move from advocacy of civil equality to aiming at social change.

<i>Homosexualities</i> 1978 book by Alan P. Bell and Martin S. Weinberg

Homosexualities: A Study of Diversity Among Men and Women (1978) is a book by the psychologist Alan P. Bell and the sociologist Martin S. Weinberg in which the authors argue that homosexuality is not necessarily related to pathology and divide homosexuals into five types. Together with Homosexuality: An Annotated Bibliography (1972), it is part of a series of books that culminated in the publication of Sexual Preference in 1981. The work was a publication of the Institute for Sex Research.

<i>A Separate Creation</i> 1996 book by Chandler Burr

A Separate Creation: The Search for the Biological Origins of Sexual Orientation, also published with the subtitle How Biology Makes Us Gay, is a 1996 book about the development of sexual orientation by the journalist Chandler Burr. It received mainly positive reviews, commending it as a useful discussion of scientific research on sexual orientation and the politics surrounding the issue.

<i>Homosexuality: A Philosophical Inquiry</i> 1988 book by Michael Ruse

Homosexuality: A Philosophical Inquiry is a 1988 book by the philosopher Michael Ruse, in which the author discusses different theories of homosexuality, evaluates the moral status of homosexual behavior, and argues in favor of gay rights.

<i>Lesbian/Woman</i> 1972 book by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon

Lesbian/Woman is a work by the feminist and gay rights activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, in which the authors discuss what it means to be a lesbian. The book was influential and is considered a foundational text of lesbian feminism. Reviewers believed that it benefited from its authors' personal experience as lesbians, and endorsed its criticisms of the treatment of lesbians by religious and professional organizations.

<i>Growing Up Straight</i> (Wyden and Wyden book) 1968 book by Peter and Barbara Wyden

Growing Up Straight: What Every Thoughtful Parent Should Know About Homosexuality is a 1968 guide for parents, by Peter and Barbara Wyden, which he claims can prevent their children from becoming homosexual. Stanley Yolles, head of the National Institute of Mental Health, wrote an introduction.

<i>The Homosexual Matrix</i> 1975 book by Clarence Arthur Tripp

The Homosexual Matrix is a book by American psychologist Clarence Arthur Tripp, in which the author discusses the biological and sociological implications of homosexuality, and also attempts to explain heterosexuality and bisexuality. The book was first published in 1975 by McGraw-Hill Book Company; it was republished in a revised edition in 1987. Based on his review of the evidence, Tripp argues that people do not become homosexual due to factors such as hormone levels, fear of the opposite sex, or the influence of dominant and close-binding mothers, and that the amount of attention fathers give to their sons has no effect on the development of homosexuality. He criticizes Sigmund Freud and argues that psychoanalytic theories of the development of homosexuality are untenable and based on false assumptions. He maintains that sexual orientation is not innate and depends on learning, that early puberty and early masturbation are important factors in the development of male homosexuality, and that a majority of adults are heterosexual because their socialization has made them want to be heterosexual. He criticizes psychotherapeutic attempts to convert homosexuals to heterosexuality and argues in favor of social tolerance of homosexuality and non-conformist behavior in general.

<i>The Sexual Brain</i> 1993 book by Simon LeVay

The Sexual Brain is a 1993 book about brain mechanisms involved in sexual behavior and feelings, and related topics such as sexual orientation, by the neuroscientist Simon LeVay. The book was praised as a well-written work on science. However, some reviewers pointed out factual errors, and noted that LeVay failed to prove that homosexuality has a biological basis.

<i>Sexuality and Its Discontents</i> 1985 book by Jeffrey Weeks

Sexuality and Its Discontents: Meanings, Myths, and Modern Sexualities is a 1985 book about the politics and philosophy of sex by the sociologist Jeffrey Weeks. The book received positive reviews, crediting Weeks with explaining the theories of sexologists and usefully discussing controversial sexual issues. However, Weeks was criticised for his treatment of feminism and sado-masochism.

<i>Sex and Reason</i> 1992 book by Richard Posner

Sex and Reason is a 1992 book about human sexuality by the economist and federal judge Richard Posner, in which the author attempts to explain sexual behavior in economic terms and discusses a range of controversial subjects related to sex, proposing reforms in American laws.

<i>What Wild Ecstasy</i> 1997 book by John Heidenry

What Wild Ecstasy: The Rise and Fall of the Sexual Revolution is a 1997 book about the sexual revolution by John Heidenry. The book received mixed reviews. It was described as interesting and Heidenry was complimented for his discussions of figures such as Bob Guccione, Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, and Reuben Sturman. However, he was criticized for his research methods. He was accused of plagiarism because of the use he made of material by other writers, receiving criticism in particular from the journalist Philip Nobile. Critics also wrote that he focused disproportionately on pornography and gave insufficient attention to feminism and women's issues.

<i>The Science of Desire</i> 1994 book by Dean Hamer

The Science of Desire: The Search for the Gay Gene and the Biology of Behavior is a 1994 book by the geneticist Dean Hamer and the journalist Peter Copeland, in which the authors discuss Hamer's research into the genetics of homosexuality.

<i>Sambia Sexual Culture</i> 1999 book by Gilbert Herdt

Sambia Sexual Culture: Essays from the Field is a 1999 book about the Simbari people and their sexual practices by the anthropologist Gilbert Herdt. The book received negative reviews, accusing Herdt of being biased in his approach and his conclusions. In the book the Simbari people are called Sambia people

References

  1. ↑ Nardi, Peter M.; Schneider, Beth E. (13 September 2013). Social Perspectives in Lesbian and Gay Studies: A Reader. Routledge. p. 156. ISBN   978-1-136-21931-3 . Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  2. ↑ Dynes, Wayne R.; Donaldson, Stephen (1992). Homosexuality and Government, Politics and Prisons. Taylor & Francis. p. 159. ISBN   978-0-8153-0555-2.
  3. ↑ Altman 1983, pp. vi–xiii.
  4. ↑ Altman 1983, pp. 1, 28–29, 57, 62, 172–207.
  5. ↑ Altman 1983, p. iv.
  6. 1 2 Keyes 1982, p. 1671.
  7. 1 2 Kirkus Reviews 1982.
  8. 1 2 Poppert 1982, p. 36.
  9. ↑ Picano 1982, p. 47.
  10. ↑ The Advocate 1982, p. 37.
  11. ↑ Rivera 1984, pp. 398–399.
  12. ↑ Dollimore 1991, pp. 51–52, 244.
  13. ↑ Roscoe 1996, p. 342.
  14. ↑ Altman 1997, pp. 78, 244.
  15. ↑ Altman 2013, pp. 88–90.
  16. ↑ Sullivan 2004, p. 289.
  17. ↑ Mattson 2017, p. 131.

Bibliography

Books
Journals
Online articles
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.