Queer Youth History

Human sexuality is a topic that has only recently become acceptable to be outspoken in the social context as well as the public domain. Sometimes back in history, their issues, as well as content that was identified to contain sexually explicit material, did not receive much publicity and were often discussed in secrecy far from the public outreach. This could be attributed to the fact that the society back in the day was yet to attain the kind of integration that today’s societies enjoy.  As a result, this may be viewed as the main reason as to why there is a shortage of articles as well as publication researching the concept of queer youth history. However, some authors in history went the extra mile in the attempt to understand the different sexual orientations that members of the community exhibit, and in the process, the ideology of queer Youth came into being. It is, however, essential to note that every individual is entitled to their sexual orientations, provided they do not affect the social wellbeing of those around them.

The origin of queer Youth

[1]Queer Youth is a term that gained prevalence in the early 20^th century, where it was identified that specific same-sex oriented individuals wanted to make a distinction between themselves and other members of the same sexual orientations.  This was attributed to the fact that some of the gay members of this sexual deposition wanted to identify themselves as masculine character i.e., the alpha males thus needed to distinguish themselves from their counterparts who they did not consider to have the necessary masculine attributes. However, at the beginning of the late 1980s, the term queer was adopted to describe the same-sex orientation community that in later years would come to be referred to as the LGBT community

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Queer Youth in history

While most people may think that the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender members of the community are a group that has come into existence with the onset of modernization, it is necessary to identify that the group has been a member of the society for the past approximately 400 years. This has been detected with the support of factual evidence that indicates that the community in history also had individuals with such sexual orientations. This can be evidenced through observable historical depictions such as paintings, as well as other forms of expressive art that have been passed down from previous civilizations.

[2]Fig.1 A gay couple portrait

Referred to as the two-spirit Navajo Couple, the above painting is a depiction of a gay couple in the Native American setting where the red Indians were the initial inhabitants of the land. Although at such a time such sexual orientations were heavily shunned by the community, the above portrait is an indication as well as evidence of the presence of “queer” members of the society even back in the day. [3]Fluidity in the society at the time was yet to be developed as it is today and was more rigid in aspects relating to gender and sexual orientations. This could be attributed to the fact that the society was yet to advance in various issues such as understanding of the human body in its anatomical perspective.

Queer Youth in the early 1900s

The beginning of the 19^th century was characterized by various changes in the social way of life, and the advancement as well as the integration of the queer Youth into the social sphere was one of these changes. Sexual ideologies that influenced how these people addressed issues of membership, union, relationships, among other aspects of social living, played a crucial role in gay liberation as well as the queer youth movements. In the years around 1966, there was already the formation of radical groups that we’re advocating for revolutionary change as well as the addressing of issues concerning homophobia in the society. Victimization and harassment that the queer Youth experienced due to their “unnatural” deemed sexual orientations were among the key issues that the queer activism movements were against.

[4]Fig.2 Queers in the 18^th and 19^th century

Among the key achievements that these queer youths groups made included the changing of the society’s view of the same sex as well as other sexual orientations and helped in the introduction of a more diverse sexually-oriented community. “[5]The remarkable history of queer youth groups reveals evolving and divergent understandings of sexuality shaping how youth-as gay liberationists, clients, and activists-have worked to counter isolation, achieve personal or political change, and define sexual identities”. This could, therefore, be viewed as a significant achievement for the queer youth movements that it the time had to work against a dismissive society that was quick to dismiss their sexual preferences on various social structure grounds such as religion, ethics, and morality.

Historic need for expression by queer Youth

As identified, traditional societies were often dismissive of queer members of the community as such sexual orientations were viewed as moral pervasiveness that social institutions such as the church being the supreme law at the time strongly condemned. However, as members of the group continued to grow encompassed with the early onset of modernization, the members of the queer group were able to learn of the existence of other individuals who were experiencing similar feelings as well as sexual orientations.  In an attempt to connect with other related members of the society, members of the group identified the need for expression. At the time, the print media was existent, and the coverage of articles relating to the queer group gave these people a chance to express themselves to society.

In the early 20^th century i.e., the year 1999, there was the observation of a more acceptable approach by the society concerning the queer group. In 1999, David Joseph Henry founded the Queer Youth Network (QYN), which served various purposes among the members of the society, including the sensitization on the need for a more integrated approach by the community concerning the queer Youth. The foundation also played the role of protesting against homophobic attacks and discrimination against the queers.

Conclusion

While society today may be more accepting and receptive to the LGBT community, it is essential to note that this was not always the case. Based on the evidence provided in the research above, it is possible to identify that the queer Youth’s community made significant contributions in history that resulted in the observation of the changes that can be identified in the society today concerning the various forms of sexual orientations. Most of the challenges that the queer Youth in history may be viewed to have experienced could be attributed to the fact that society was less exposed or informed concerning human sexuality. Although to date we are yet to fully adjust as well as accept the various sexual orientations in the community, significant steps have been made forward for the queer community and thins are expected to get better was the society advances and becomes more receptive of the various indifferences that exist among its members.

Bibliography

Cohen, Stephan. “Liberationists, clients, activists: Queer youth organizing, 1966–2003.” Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education 2, no. 3 (2005): 67-86.

Bronski, Michael. A queer history of the United States. Vol. 1. beacon Press, 2011.

Warner, Thomas E. Never going back: A history of queer activism. University of Toronto Press, 2002.

Taylor, Yvette, and Ria Snowdon. “Mapping Queer, Mapping Me: Visualizing Queer Religious Identity.” In Globalized Religion and Sexual Identity, pp. 295-312. Brill, 2014.

[1] Cohen, Stephan. “Liberationists, clients, activists: Queer youth organizing, 1966–2003.” Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education 2, no. 3 (2005): 67-86.

[2] Taylor, Yvette, and Ria Snowdon. “Mapping Queer, Mapping Me: Visualizing Queer Religious Identity.” In Globalized Religion and Sexual Identity, pp. 295-312. Brill, 2014.

[3] Taylor, Yvette, and Ria Snowdon. “Mapping Queer, Mapping Me: Visualizing Queer Religious Identity.” In Globalized Religion and Sexual Identity, pp. 295-312. Brill, 2014.

[4] Warner, Thomas E. Never going back: A history of queer activism. University of Toronto Press, 2002.

[5] Bronski, Michael. A queer history of the United States. Vol. 1. beacon Press, 2011.