The Way We Were

Ah - History Class. Those were the days. Chapter after chapter of powder wigs, Manifest Destiny and the Cuban missile crisis. It always struck me as somewhat odd that the only mention of the Queer community came in the eleventh grade. Two or three lines under the 1960's section that read something like: "Stonewall: It happened. Thus began the gay rights movement."

So the Gay rights movement didn't get started until the late 60's? And we're defined as a community that didn't exist until we wanted our rights? Weren't many great artists, writers, poets, musicians, and world leaders gay or bi? Oscar Wilde, Frida Kahlo, Michelangelo, Walt Whitman, Richard the Lionhearted, Julius Ceasar? Yet their lovers, their attractions and relationships, are conveniently left out of our history books.

I'm dismayed that so much of Queer history is omitted, deleted or missing. I mean, weren't there formal and informal Queer groups in the U.S. as early as the 1920's? According to SFgate, San Francisco, a.k.a. "Sodom by the Sea," was known for its alternative sexuality even before the turn of the century, and saw a huge influx of gay servicemen after WWII.

I think it's significant that several minority communities have worked to reclaim their history from American and World history textbooks. A few questions we can ask ourselves and others as we reclaim our queer history: Why is it a subject worth delving into? What does the future have in store for us and what part do we see ourselves playing in creating queer history? Check out this great site learn more about queer history.

Josh Newbury leads Coffee Talk on Wednesdays @ 7pm @ the Salt Lake Roasting Company. This week's discussion: "The Expectations of Others..." How are we "supposed" to behave, talk, dance, dress, live? How do we manage these expectations and where do they come from? Join us for another lively conversation with great guys and good coffee.