I stumbled across this 1950s “educational” film entitled “Boys Beware”, about “the homosexual”, and while it simultaneously amused and horrified me, I wondered one thing.
After telling the story of “Jimmy”, who was groomed for molestation by “the homosexual”, they say that Jimmy was released to his parents on probation. Why? Was the victim of child molestation charged with sodomy in those days, as well? Were they afraid that he had been “contaminated” by his abuser and would become “a homosexual” himself because of it?
If nothing else, this film makes me glad I wasn’t alive in those days.
You must have missed the comment that homosexuality is “contagious.”
Yes, it was that bad. It wouldn’t have been unusual for the man to be beaten up by the cops, then his name and address to be printed in the paper, costing him his job and marriage, and often leading to suicide.
OMFG, that is the worst bit of hatred propaganda that I have ever seen. I can’t believe that even in the Leave it to Beaver generation that homosexual equaled homicidal pedophile. Fuck, wrong thread to do RO on this.
I wonder though, if it was, given the day. Granted, if you’re a homo, you’re a homo, but social pressure probably would have prevented you from living as one. If you had an experience, and liked it, well, then, you avoid the social pressure not to be gay, and then now you’re a full-fledged homo. Don’t forget it’s only been a relatively few years since gayness has been “socially acceptable,” and in many respects, it’s still not “accepted” but only “tolerated.”
How come nothing bad ever happened to Truman Capote? I mean, it’s been a while since I read his biography, but he was about as open as you could get back then, and I don’t recall reading anything about him being beaten, harrassed, or otherwise discriminated against. His career certainly never suffered because of it. Quite the opposite; his flamboyant personality made him a pop culture icon.
Back then, most gay men and lesbians succumbed to the pressure to live a straight lifestyle, but that didn’t stop them from having sex on the side. And even today, there are still plenty of ostensibly-straight people who have gay sex.
And if you “had an experience and liked it,” then you’ve been gay all along.
Although the film may seem ridiculous to a modern audience, there are gay men who go cruising for teenage boys. I’ve run into more than a few, including at public restrooms. You also don’t know what sort of people you’ll run into while hitch-hiking. Most are normal people, but there are a lot of perverts and sickos out there.
I’m not Balthisar (duh), but I think what he meant is that maybe there were a number of gays in that era who never admitted to themselves (or anyone else) that they were gay. But then they had a gay experience, and an epiphany as a result of that experience, therefore enhancing the stereotype that you catch “teh ghay”.
As far as the ostensibly-straight people who are having gay sex now, I think it’s more a throw-back from that time period, or maybe more self-denial than fear of persecution. I know a man that I am 110% sure is gay. But he’s married and has five kids. He’s also devoutly Christian and I think that his religious beliefs are telling him that to live as a homosexual is a sin, so he feels he must live as a heterosexual.
Even in tiny little, conservative Cumberland, we now have our fair share of very out-of-the-closet gays (holding hands and other PDAs in public) who are not being harassed or anything as a result of their orientation (and about damn time says I).
It was probably Cumberland; we have a very high unemployment rate, etc. but beautiful scenery! And open homosexuality is becoming very open and acceptable around here.
Bear in mind (no pun intended) that it wasn’t like that everywhere in the bad old days. My dad sold newsppaers on streetcorners in Hollywood in the 1940’s, and when he didn’t feel like spending money on the bus or red car, he’d let some gay guy pick him up and drive him home. He was a good-looking little blond-haired kid and they’d fuss over him and… that was all they ever did. He was never afraid, and neither was my grandmother, who worked in the movies and knew plenty of gay guys (or “queers” as they were called) herself. I don’t know what the hell was going on over in Inglewood.
I guess it depends on where you live Balthisar. My son just graduated from high school. A couple of the kids in his class were raised by same-sex parents, and have been in his classes since kindergarten. Some of his classmates are gay. Parents and kids alike have been part of the community for many years now. I would have to rate them as accepted.
That’s true. Even gays who were attracted to young boys did not necessarily do anything sexual with them. Benjamin Britten, for instance, was often infatuated by 13-14 year old boys (including my father), but only one ever claimed he tried anything sexual, and that Britten backed off when he refused him*.
Back in the 40s, you were in enough trouble just being gay (it was a felony in the UK, for instance) that messing with boys was only going to make things worse.
*Judging by the Wikipedis summary of Britten’s Children, a recent book on the subject, it was possibly an overreaction. Other of Britten’s boys testified that he would get into bed with them, but never touched them sexually. It’s possible that Britten had the same thing in mind, but the boy – not unreasonably – thought Britten was intending to have sex with him.
And Lewis Carroll had “special friendships” with little girls, but there is absolutely no evidence he ever acted sexually towards them. I guess that makes him hetrosexual, right?
Is it ever possible to have a discussion about gays without child molesters being brought in?
Back to the subject at hand, my mother recalled that in her youth (the 1930’s) two unmarried men living together were considered “odd,” but two unmarried women were considered to be “spinsters” who lived together for economic, safety, or friendship reasons, with no sexual connotations.
Well the OP was specifically about homosexual child molestation. So it may be difficult to avoid it in this thread.
One of the related films was, “Girls Beware.” But it was about being attacked about men as well. I only saw the first minute or two, though. Was there ever any perception of a “Lesbian Threat” for girls? Or was there simply no concept of such a thing?
