Being gay or lesbian is nothing new. However, that does not stop homophobic people from saying it is.
Same-sex relationships were viewed as a sin throughout history and were suppressed through legal and judicial measures. In frequent cases, the death penalty was even applied.
Nowadays, we live in a world where gay marriage is legal and there is much greater acceptance and awareness surrounding LGBTQ+ individuals. Therefore, it may seem like there are more gay people, but instead, it is only that it is more visible and less covert.
Former priest Nathan Monk was tired of people saying LGBTQ+ is something “millennials invented.” He, therefore, went to the trouble of collecting vintage photographs of same-sex couples to prove that they existed long before any gay rights movement.
Image credits: Father Nathan Monk
According to Powerful Mind, same-sex relationships have been documented all around the world for centuries. Though many of these relationships have been sanctioned and even punished by death, they persisted in a variety of forms – from informal to highly ritualized unions.
In 1624, Richard Cornish was executed in Virginia for alleged homosexual acts with a servant.
In 1691, Deborah Byar of Massachusetts was fined and publicly humiliated for wearing men’s clothing.
Even in 1989, fear of coming out persisted. For instance, famous jazz musician Billy Tipton died in Spokane, Washington, at which point it was revealed that he had been born a woman. He played in big bands in the ‘40s and ‘50s and lived for 56 years as a man.
By the year 1990, the Gay and Lesbian Independent School Teachers Network was formed. At this time, there were two known high school student clubs, known as Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), in the US.
In 2000, Vermont became the first state in the US to legally recognize civil unions between gay and lesbian couples. The law stated that these “couples would be entitled to the same benefits, privileges, and responsibilities as spouses.”
In 2004, Massachusetts followed, but in a bigger way, legalizing same-sex marriage. They were the first state to officially legalize, not just recognize, same-sex marriages.
In 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were constitutionally granted the right to marry. Thereafter, California became the second state in the US to legalize same-sex marriages.
Sadly, despite how far we have come, anti-LGBT hate crimes are on the rise since 2013, according to the FBI.
According to extensive research, it is estimated that there are approximately 8 million adults in the US who are lesbian, gay, or bisexual. In addition, there are 700,000 transgender people living in the US.
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