Consider how your parents and peers discuss and treat queer people. Think about how they react to difficult news. National Institutes of Health Go to source X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S. X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U.S.During the 19th century the silence in England was broken, and police began actively fighting the 'problem' of homosexuality. The witch hunts and mass hangings began, and the number of convictions rose. However, the laws were selectively applied and thus were not a great threat to gay men, as long as they were discreet and avoided scandal. Doctors and psychologists, believing that homosexuality could be cured, tried methods such as hypnosis and aversion therapy.Ī middle-aged gay couple in the late 1800sĪn affectionate pair from the late 19th century Gay men were commonly seen by society as perverts who had chosen their sexuality, or as diseased individuals whose sexuality was caused by their upbringing and biology, and not something they were born with.
Two unidentified Union Army soldiers, 1864 Oscar Wilde and Lord Alfred Douglas, 1893Ī male couple with hats and open waistcoats, ca.
Unidentified soldiers in Union uniforms holding cigars in each other's mouths, ca.
