Monday, October 11, 2010
In honor of National Coming Out Day I decided to do two things. First, I went to NewspaperArchive.com and searched the scanned newspapers from my hometown, Traverse City, Michigan, to see the year when certain words were considered "fit" enough to print in the local newspaper. This may not be completely accurate, since not every issue has been scanned:
- sodomy: 1948
- homosexual: 1950
- homosexuality: 1953
- lesbian: 1967
- faggot: 1976
- buggery: 1977
I also looked at "queer," "gay," and "dyke" but those words had other uses and there were Gay and Van Dyke families in my hometown, so it was too time consuming to track down the first time they appeared in usage connected with us homos. I also learned that "faggoting" was a sewing term!
All of the early usages appeared in national stories, the McCarthy hearings were the first time "homosexual" was allowed in print and an advice column was the first time "lesbian" was printed.
Secondly, I present to you photographs of four men from a circa 1900 publication. Who is the handsomest? Please vote in the comment section.
Demas.
John.
Frank.
James.
Can you guess who I think is the best looking of these 19th century men?
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- sodomy: 1948
- homosexual: 1950
- homosexuality: 1953
- lesbian: 1967
- faggot: 1976
- buggery: 1977
I also looked at "queer," "gay," and "dyke" but those words had other uses and there were Gay and Van Dyke families in my hometown, so it was too time consuming to track down the first time they appeared in usage connected with us homos. I also learned that "faggoting" was a sewing term!
All of the early usages appeared in national stories, the McCarthy hearings were the first time "homosexual" was allowed in print and an advice column was the first time "lesbian" was printed.
Secondly, I present to you photographs of four men from a circa 1900 publication. Who is the handsomest? Please vote in the comment section.
Demas.
John.
Frank.
James.
Can you guess who I think is the best looking of these 19th century men?
