DOCSLIB.ORG

Lady-Husbands and Kamp Ladies

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Lady-Husbands and Kamp Ladies LADY-HUSBANDS AND KAMP LADIES PRE-1970 LESBIAN LIFE IN AOTEAROA/NEW ZEALAND by Alison J. Laurie A thesis submitted to the Victoria University of Wellington in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Women’s Studies Victoria University of Wellington 2003 Abstract This study explores pre-1970 lesbian life and lives in Aotearoa/New Zealand before the impact of women’s and gay liberation and lesbian-feminism, using written sources and oral histories. The thesis argues that before 1970 most women could make lesbianism the organising principle of their lives only through the strategies of discretion and silence. Despite apparent censorship, many classical, religious, legal, medical and fictional discourses on lesbianism informed New Zealand opinion, as regulation of this material was one thing, but enforcement another, and most English language material was available here. These discourses functioned as cautionary tales, warning women of the consequences of disclosure, while at the same time alerting them to lesbian possibilities. Though lesbian sexual acts were not criminalised in New Zealand, lesbianism was contained, regulated and controlled through a variety of mechanisms including the fear of forced medical treatment, social exclusion and disgrace, as well as the loss of employment, housing and family relationships. Class and race affected these outcomes, and this study concludes that learning how to read a wide variety of lesbian lives is essential to furthering research into lesbian histories in New Zealand. The study examined pre-1970 published and unpublished writing suggesting lesbian experiences by selected New Zealand women, within a context informed by writing from contemporaries who have been identified as lesbian, and oral histories from pre-1970 self- identified lesbians.. Many of these women led secretive, often double lives, and of necessity deceived others through silence and omission, actual denial, or sham heterosexual marriages and engagements. The lies, secrecy and silence of self-censorship has often meant the deliberate destruction of written records such as letters or diaries, by women themselves, or later by family members and friends. The study concludes that the private lesbianism of most pre-1970 lesbian lives cannot be understood in isolation, and that scholars must move beyond the women’s necessary masquerades to place their lives into a lesbian context in order to recognize and understand them. Each life informs an understanding of the others and by considering them together the study provides a picture i of lesbianism in pre-1970 New Zealand, with the stories of the narrators illuminating the written experiences. Silences should not be mistaken for absences, or heterosexuality assumed for all pre-1970 New Zealand women. The stories of resistance and rebellion told by the self-identified lesbian narrators indicate that the women whose lesbian experiences are suggested by their writings similarly resisted societal expectations and prescriptions. Learning how to interpret and understand these materials is essential for moving beyond superficial and heterosexualised accounts of their lives. Towards the end of the period, influenced by other social changes, some lesbians in this study began to resist the need for caution and discretion, providing the basis for the liberation movements of the 1970s. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract i Table of contents iii Acknowledgments ix Preface x PART ONE: THE FRAMEWORK CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Purpose 1 Scope and limitations 5 Organisation 7 Use of the term lesbian 11 CHAPTER 2: THE LITERATURE Introduction 14 Identity 14 Private and public worlds: the closet and the community 20 Lesbian history 24 Romantic friendships and lesbian sex 28 Cross-dressers 33 Criminal cases 35 Lesbian oral history and auto/biography projects 36 Summary 39 CHAPTER 3: THE METHODOLOGY Perspectives 41 Insider status 42 Who is this research for? 43 Auto/biography and written sources 45 Oral history 48 Ethics and method 50 Researching the context 52 Arranging the material 54 Summary 55 iii PART TWO: THE CONTEXT Page CHAPTER 4: REGULATING LESBIANISM: THE MAD, THE BAD AND THE DANGEROUS Introduction 57 Early background 58 New Zealand 61 An attempt to criminalise lesbianism in England 63 Regulating lesbianism in New Zealand 65 -Committee of inquiry into Mental Defectives and Sexual Offenders, 1925 67 -The Mazengarb report 1954 68 Medical theories and containment of lesbianism 71 Medical ideas and treatments in New Zealand 79 Summary 85 CHAPTER 5: THE OVERSEAS STORIES Introduction 88 Availability of overseas material in New Zealand 89 Gossip 93 Classical accounts 94 Biblical stories, influences and interpretations 97 Fiction 99 Theatre, film and television 102 Feminist writing on lesbianism 104 Post -WW2 popular magazine articles 107 Summary 107 CHAPTER 6: THE NEW ZEALAND STORIES Introduction 109 More overseas influences 109 Sexuality and sex education 111 Theatre, performance and fiction 115 The news media 117 Summary 123 CHAPTER 7: PRE-1970 CONDITIONS OF EXISTENCE AFFECTING LESBIANS Introduction 125 Maori women 125 Urbanisation 127 Nineteenth-century women 128 Education 129 Work 131 iv Social class 136 Marriage 137 Single women 140 Housing 142 Access to credit 146 Transport and communications 147 Summary 148 CHAPTER 8: LESBIAN EXISTENCE Introduction 150 Overseas communities 151 New Zealand lesbian culture 155 Recognising others: dress and language 163 Summary 168 PART THREE: RE-TELLING THE WRITTEN STORIES CHAPTER 9: LESBIAN GLIMPSES Introduction 170 Glimpsing Maori women 170 Cross-dressing women 171 Mary Taylor (1817 −−−1893) 174 The Richmond women 176 Anna Elizabeth (Bessie) Jerome Spencer (1872 −−−1955) 180 Marjory (Nicholls)Hannah (1890 −−−1930) 185 Mabel Howard (1894 −−−1972) 186 Edith Marion Collier (1885 −−−1964) 188 Ella Gladys Plimmer (1888 −−−1958) 189 An Eastbourne friendship circle 189 Seeking contacts 191 Tombstones 193 Summary 193 CHAPTER 10: ARTISTS AND LOVERS − FRANCES MARY HODGKINS (1869 −−−1947) AND DOROTHY KATE RICHMOND (1861 −−−1935) Introduction and background 196 Stories about Frances Hodgkins 197 Friends 198 Lovers 199 Letters to Dorothy Richmond 202 Letters from Frances Hodgkins 205 CHAPTER 11: CONSORT AND MOTHER −−− MARY URSULA BETHELL (1874 −−−1945) AND HENRIETTA DOROTHEA "EFFIE' POLLEN (1879 −−−1934) Introduction and background 212 v Stories about Bethell and Pollen 214 Bethell and Pollen’s relationship 216 The maternal constituent 222 Kathleen Taylor and the encouragement of heterosexual marriage 224 CHAPTER 12: AN EXPATRIATE, HER LOVERS AND HER WIFE KATHERINE MANSFIELD (1888 −−−1923) Introduction and background 229 Stories about KM 230 KM’s relationships with Maata Mahupuku (1890 −−−1952) And Edith Kathleen Bendall (1879 −−−1986) 231 KM − expatriate 236 KM and J ohn Middleton Murry (1889 −−−1957) 241 KM and her wife LM − Ida Constance Baker (1888 −−−1978) 242 CHAPTER 13: FEMINIST ACTIVISTS AND THEIR LOVERS ELSIE ANDREWS (1888 −−−1948) AND MURIEL KIRTON (1893 −−−1980) Introduction and background 246 Stories about Andrews and Kirton 247 Andrews’ relationships 248 CHAPTER 14: PETER, A LESBIAN ELIZABETH ‘PETER’ DAWSON (1894 −−−1986) Introduction and background 259 Stories about Peter 260 A lesbian life 260 Peter Dawson and Janet Frame 264 CHAPTER 15: OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY OF PART THREE Introduction 269 Information on lesbianism 269 Lesbian communities and connections 272 Lesbian identity and terms 275 Lesbian relationships 277 Work, family and independence 279 Medical treatment and punishments 281 A room of one’s own 281 Private life, discretion and deception 282 Summary 285 vi PART FOUR: TELLING THE SPOKEN STORIES CHAPTER 16: GLIMPSES IN SOUND, GOSSIP, RUMOUR AND REPORTS Introduction 287 Gossip and rumour 288 Sound bites 291 CHAPTER 17: FREDA’S STORY − “It suited me, that life” FREDA STARK (1910 −−−1999) Introduction and background 297 Freda’s story 299 CHAPTER 18: BEA’S STORY −−− “It didn’t have a name…we just were” BEATRICE (BEA) ARTHUR (1915 −−−2002) Introduction and background 309 Bea’s version of Betty’s life 310 Bea’s story 311 Their relationship 312 CHAPTER 19: EMILY’S STORY −−− “I knew there must have been others” EMILY (1921 −−− ) Introduction and background 316 Emily’s story 316 CHAPTER 20: KATIE’S STORY −−− “That’s what I am then, I’m a lesbian!” KATIE HOGG (1926 −−− ) Introduction and background 322 Katie’s story 322 CHAPTER 21: FRANKIE’S STORY −−− “It was an in-the-dark thing: the old hormones just drive you wherever you need to go” FRANCES KINNEY (1938 −−−) Introduction and background 330 Frankie’s story 330 CHAPTER 22: BUBS’ STORY −−− “We were the town’s tomboys” RAUKURA (BUBS) HETET (1940 −−−1993) Introduction and background 338 Bubs’ story 338 vii CHAPTER 23: TIGHE’S STORY − “I knew when I was five that it wasn’t socially acceptable” URSULA (TIGHE) INSTONE (1940 −−−) Introduction and background 347 Tighe’s story 347 CHAPTER 24: MORRIGAN’S STORY −−− “It was really nice to recognise someone else from the secret society…sort of secret squirrelish” MORRIGAN SEVERS (1942 −−−) Introduction and background 355 Morrigan’s story 355 CHAPTER 25: OVERVIEW AND SUMMARY OF PART FOUR Introduction 362 Information on lesbianism 366 Lesbian relationships 370 Lesbian communities and connections 373 Lesbian identity and terms 376 Work, family and independence 380 Medical treatment and punishments 383 A room of one’s own 385 Private life 387 Summary 389 PART 5: THE ENDWORDS CHAPTER 26: THE CONCLUSIONS 391 BIBLIOGRAPHY 396 viii Acknowledgements
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Cultivating the Daughters of Bilitis Lesbian Identity, 1955-1975
    “WHAT A GORGEOUS DYKE!”: CULTIVATING THE DAUGHTERS OF BILITIS LESBIAN IDENTITY, 1955-1975 By Mary S. DePeder A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in History Middle Tennessee State University December 2018 Thesis Committee: Dr. Susan Myers-Shirk, Chair Dr. Kelly A. Kolar ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I began my master’s program rigidly opposed to writing a thesis. Who in their right mind would put themselves through such insanity, I often wondered when speaking with fellow graduate students pursuing such a goal. I realize now, that to commit to such a task, is to succumb to a wild obsession. After completing the paper assignment for my Historical Research and Writing class, I was in far too deep to ever turn back. In this section, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to the following individuals who followed me through this obsession and made sure I came out on the other side. First, I need to thank fellow history graduate student, Ricky Pugh, for his remarkable sleuthing skills in tracking down invaluable issues of The Ladder and Sisters. His assistance saved this project in more ways than I can list. Thank-you to my second reader, Dr. Kelly Kolar, whose sharp humor and unyielding encouragement assisted me not only through this thesis process, but throughout my entire graduate school experience. To Dr. Susan Myers- Shirk, who painstakingly wielded this project from its earliest stage as a paper for her Historical Research and Writing class to the final product it is now, I am eternally grateful.
    [Show full text]
  • Archdes 701 | Advanced Design 2 | Topic Outline | Sem 2 2019
    ARCHDES 701 | ADVANCED DESIGN 2 | TOPIC OUTLINE | SEM 2 2019 The Advanced Design 2 topics are structured around the theme of ‘urban patterns’. At their broadest, the topics foreground large-scale urban investigations concerning infrastructure, context, landscape, architecture, relationships between these factors and patterns of inhabitation thus supported. Crafted propositions are to be developed that demonstrate an exploration of the urban patterns theme across a range of scales. Andrew Douglas & Stacy Vallis Andrew has recently joined the School of Architecture & Planning. He has practiced architecture in Auckland & London, has a masters’ degree in Women’s Studies & a PhD in urBan theory from Goldsmiths, University of London. Stacy is a heritage specialist completing her PhD on the conservation and seismic upgrade of New Zealand’s unreinforced masonry Building precincts, at the School of Architecture & Planning. She has recently contributed to the international report “Future of our Pasts; Engaging Cultural Heritage in Climate Action” to address the implications of natural hazard and climate change for historic and cultural Building traditions. Tiny/Huge: City Adornment & Haptic Continuums A Douglas (2019). Upper Queen Street turns into Karangahape Road [photograph] GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION Course : Advanced Design 2 ARCHDES701 Points Value: 30 points Course Director: Andrew Douglas [email protected] Course Co-ordinator: Uwe Rieger [email protected] Studio Teachers: Andrew Douglas Stacy Vallis Contact: [email protected]/021 866 247 [email protected] Location: Level 3 Hours: Tuesday and Friday 1:00-5:00pm For all further general course information see the ARCHDES701 COURSE OUTLINE in the FILES folder on CANVAS.
    [Show full text]
  • Professor Bonnie Zimmerman Vice-President for Faculty Affairs September 7, 2010 Interviewed by Susan Resnik for San Diego State
    Professor Bonnie Zimmerman Vice-President for Faculty Affairs September 7, 2010 interviewed by Susan Resnik for San Diego State University 125:51 minutes of recording SUSAN RESNIK: Today is Tuesday, September 7, 2010. This Susan Resnik. I’m with Professor Bonnie Zimmerman in the offices of Special Collections and University Archives at San Diego State University. We’re going to conduct an oral history interview. This project is funded by the John and Jane Adams Grant for the Humanities. Professor Zimmerman retired this year from San Diego State University after a notable career in a variety of roles, beginning in 1978. From 2003 until this year, she was associate vice-president and led Faculty Affairs, having previously served as the chair of the university senate. She began as a lecturer in women’s studies in 1978, and became an associate professor of women’s studies from 1980 through ’83. In 1983 she became a professor. She taught courses, chaired theses, contributed to the syllabus, served as the chair of women’s studies from 1986 to 1992, and again from 1995 to 1997. For more than thirty years, through her research, teaching, and program development, she has fostered the growth of women and lesbian studies. She’s been an active member of the Modern Language Association and the National Women’s Studies Association, of which she served as president in 1998 and 1999. She has published extensively, including her books, Lesbian Histories and Cultures: An Encyclopedia; The New Lesbian Studies: Into the 21st Century; Professions of Desire; Lesbian and Gay Studies in Literature; and the Safe Sea of Women: Lesbian Fiction, 1969 to 1989.
    [Show full text]
  • And for Gay Women
    and for Gay Women SAN FRATíCISCO DALTHTCRS BILJTIS Statemant oí Pur.rac'Je SISTERS ...a women's oxgranizatian to ai.-i the ’.esSian ?r Xysaww W A r AyMIww discrorerinq tier place in socüetj sn'? to edvrat^ «»T MITCV I liifSuCt *AT.tUV,-«Wf iC^OO society to understóJ^d and accept: her, i^ithcr.^ prejudice, and... 1. Te encourage and support cha iras;..van in Kc-r search for her social, econor.ic, personal, interpersonal and vocntional identity within society by maintaining and building a liJararp ______ DGB BOARD MEMBERS ________ on the themes of homosexualj.ty and womenj by providing social functions where she can ccmmunl- President................ .. Liane cate with others and expand her social world out­ Vice-President .......... , Millie side the baur .scene j and by providing au" organized Correspondence Pat & Lois structure through which she can work to change Treasurer...................Melinda society's limitations opon her lifestyles; by Speakers' Bureau .......... Linda B. providing a forum for the interchange of ideas Secretary. ................. Paula and constructive solutions to women’s problems. Art Coordinator. ...... Laura 2. To educate the public to accept and understand the Lesbiari as an individual, thereby leading to the breaikdown of taboos, prejudices, and limitations on her lifestyle by spo-nsoring Volume V Number 4 public discussions; by providing individuals as speakers and pairticipants in various forums de­ signed to educate the public; by disseminating educational and rational literature on the besbian 3. To encourage, support and participate in responsible research dealing with homosexuality, 4. To investigate the penal code and to pro­ mote changes, in order to provide equitable h.s»d- ling of cases involving homosexuals, with, due process of law and without prejudice.
    [Show full text]
  • H.M.N.Z.T. TAHITI, No. 6 9
    H.M.N.Z.T. TAHITI, No. 6 9. No. 2. J a n u a r y 20 t h , 1917 . MHere we are Again.” editorial power, that the frequently mentioned literary staff is not going to T H E success-•-editorial modesty hints be allowed that freedom which it enjoyed that we should not say marked success-•• before, for in our second edition we which attended the publication of the seek to supply news features which w ere first number of "The Oilsheet," and absent from our first edition. W e aim the generous welcome accorded its valu- in the pages which follow at creating the able and influential pages of rich literary "atm osphere" of the transport, in giving gems. calculated to infuse vivid illumin­ more space to the daily happenings and , ation into the Inky W ay , have stirred incidents associated with our journey the slumbering genius of our grossly both afloat and ashore, and in frequently underpaid literary staff to such an extent re-sounding that personal note of the that they clamour for further scope in doings of the men, which, we hope, which to liberate their talents. Aided will fill every page w ith pleasant thought and abetted by some unknown factor and happy reminiscence. It is thus that which appears to take particular care to we come before you again seeking no keep us wandering about strange seas reward, but trusting that our appearance much longer than w e originally supposed may assist towards brightening our pro­ would be the case, our highly ingenious longed voyage across the seas.
    [Show full text]
  • TOWARD a FEMINIST THEORY of the STATE Catharine A. Mackinnon
    TOWARD A FEMINIST THEORY OF THE STATE Catharine A. MacKinnon Harvard University Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England K 644 M33 1989 ---- -- scoTT--- -- Copyright© 1989 Catharine A. MacKinnon All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America IO 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 First Harvard University Press paperback edition, 1991 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data MacKinnon, Catharine A. Toward a fe minist theory of the state I Catharine. A. MacKinnon. p. em. Bibliography: p. Includes index. ISBN o-674-89645-9 (alk. paper) (cloth) ISBN o-674-89646-7 (paper) I. Women-Legal status, laws, etc. 2. Women and socialism. I. Title. K644.M33 1989 346.0I I 34--dC20 [342.6134} 89-7540 CIP For Kent Harvey l I Contents Preface 1x I. Feminism and Marxism I I . The Problem of Marxism and Feminism 3 2. A Feminist Critique of Marx and Engels I 3 3· A Marxist Critique of Feminism 37 4· Attempts at Synthesis 6o II. Method 8 I - --t:i\Consciousness Raising �83 .r � Method and Politics - 106 -7. Sexuality 126 • III. The State I 55 -8. The Liberal State r 57 Rape: On Coercion and Consent I7 I Abortion: On Public and Private I 84 Pornography: On Morality and Politics I95 _I2. Sex Equality: Q .J:.diff�_re11c::e and Dominance 2I 5 !l ·- ····-' -� &3· · Toward Feminist Jurisprudence 237 ' Notes 25I Credits 32I Index 323 I I 'li Preface. Writing a book over an eighteen-year period becomes, eventually, much like coauthoring it with one's previous selves. The results in this case are at once a collaborative intellectual odyssey and a sustained theoretical argument.
    [Show full text]
  • A Journey Into the Depths: the New Mestiza Consciousness in the Life Writings of Cherrie Moraga and Gloria Anzaldua
    Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department of American Culture and Literature A JOURNEY INTO THE DEPTHS: THE NEW MESTIZA CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE LIFE WRITINGS OF CHERRIE MORAGA AND GLORIA ANZALDUA Gizem Akçil Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2013 A JOURNEY INTO THE DEPTHS: THE NEW MESTIZA CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE LIFE WRITINGS OF CHERRIE MORAGA AND GLORIA ANZALDUA Gizem Akçil Hacettepe University Graduate School of Social Sciences Department of American Culture and Literature Master’s Thesis Ankara, 2013 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude for the aid and advice of a number of people who were near me during the process of writing this thesis: First, I am thankful to my family for their profound, unconditional love, lasting patience and encouragement. It would have been impossible for me to complete my thesis without their support. To my thesis advisor Associate Professor Dr. Bilge Mutluay Çetintaş who willingly introduced me to life writing and has been a great source of guidance and expertise since the beginning of this study in 2011. I also want to express my indebtedness to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nur Gökalp Akkerman and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tanfer Emin Tunç for the benevolence and direction they have provided. Finally, I wish to convey my great respect for and earnest thanks to Prof. Dr. Meldan Tanrısal, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ufuk Özdağ and each faculty member of the Department of American Culture and Literature of Hacettepe University for their counsel, support and sharing of invaluable knowledge during my undergraduate and graduate years. iv ÖZET AKÇİL, Gizem. Derinliğe Yolculuk: Cherríe Moraga ve Gloria Anzaldúa’nın Yaşam Yazınlarında Yeni Mestiza Bilinci, Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Ankara, 2013.
    [Show full text]
  • Revue Française De Civilisation Britannique, XXII- Hors Série | 2017 the British Women’S Liberation Movement in the 1970S: Redefining the Personal
    Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique French Journal of British Studies XXII- Hors série | 2017 The United Kingdom and the Crisis in the 1970s The British Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s: Redefining the Personal and the Political Le mouvement britannique pour la libération des femmes dans les années 1970: Redéfinir le personnel et le politique Florence Binard Electronic version URL: http://journals.openedition.org/rfcb/1688 DOI: 10.4000/rfcb.1688 ISSN: 2429-4373 Publisher CRECIB - Centre de recherche et d'études en civilisation britannique Electronic reference Florence Binard, « The British Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s: Redefining the Personal and the Political », Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique [Online], XXII- Hors série | 2017, Online since 30 December 2017, connection on 30 April 2019. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/ rfcb/1688 ; DOI : 10.4000/rfcb.1688 This text was automatically generated on 30 April 2019. Revue française de civilisation britannique est mis à disposition selon les termes de la licence Creative Commons Attribution - Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale - Pas de Modification 4.0 International. The British Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s: Redefining the Personal... 1 The British Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1970s: Redefining the Personal and the Political Le mouvement britannique pour la libération des femmes dans les années 1970: Redéfinir le personnel et le politique Florence Binard 1 Historians and founders of the British Women’s Liberation Movement (BWLM) consider that the year 1970 marked the start of the movement (Sally Alexander, Françoise Barret- Ducroq, Barbara Caine, Martin Pugh, Lynne Segal, Sheila Rowbotham). They mention two major events that took place that year: the first BWLM Conference in Oxford from 27 February to 1 March which gathered between 500 and 600 participants, many more than expected, and the protest against a Miss World beauty competition held in London on 20 November which brought the attention of the movement into the public and media arena.
    [Show full text]
  • Life Stories of Robert Semple
    Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. From Coal Pit to Leather Pit: Life Stories of Robert Semple A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of a PhD in History at Massey University Carina Hickey 2010 ii Abstract In the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography Len Richardson described Robert Semple as one of the most colourful leaders of the New Zealand labour movement in the first half of the twentieth century. Semple was a national figure in his time and, although historians had outlined some aspects of his public career, there has been no full-length biography written on him. In New Zealand history his characterisation is dominated by two public personas. Firstly, he is remembered as the radical organiser for the New Zealand Federation of Labour (colloquially known as the Red Feds), during 1910-1913. Semple’s second image is as the flamboyant Minister of Public Works in the first New Zealand Labour government from 1935-49. This thesis is not organised in a chronological structure as may be expected of a biography but is centred on a series of themes which have appeared most prominently and which reflect the patterns most prevalent in Semple’s life. The themes were based on activities which were of perceived value to Semple. Thus, the thematic selection was a complex interaction between an author’s role shaping and forming Semple’s life and perceived real patterns visible in the sources.
    [Show full text]
  • Queer Censorship in US LGBTQ+ Movements Since World War II
    History in the Making Volume 13 Article 6 January 2020 A Different Kind of Closet: Queer Censorship in U.S. LGBTQ+ Movements since World War II James Martin CSUSB Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/history-in-the-making Part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons Recommended Citation Martin, James (2020) "A Different Kind of Closet: Queer Censorship in U.S. LGBTQ+ Movements since World War II," History in the Making: Vol. 13 , Article 6. Available at: https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/history-in-the-making/vol13/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the History at CSUSB ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in History in the Making by an authorized editor of CSUSB ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Different Kind of Closet: Queer Censorship in U.S. LGBTQ+ Movements since World War II By James Martin Abstract: Since World War II, there has been an increased visibility of LGBTQ+ communities in the United States; however, this visibility has noticeably focused on “types” of queer people – mainly white, middle class, cisgender gays and lesbians. History remembers the 1969 Stonewall Inn riots as the catalyst that launched the movement for gay rights and brought forth a new fight for civil and social justice. This paper analyzes the restrictions, within LGBTQ+ communities, that have been placed on transpersons and gender nonconforming people before and after Stonewall. While the riots at the Stonewall Inn were demonstrative of a fight ready to be fought, there were many factors that contributed to the push for gay rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Milestones in NZ Sexual Health Compiled by Margaret Sparrow
    MILESTONES IN NEW ZEALAND SEXUAL HEALTH by Dr Margaret Sparrow For The Australasian Sexual Health Conference Christchurch, New Zealand, June 2003 To celebrate The 25th Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Venereological Society And The 25 years since the inaugural meeting of the Society in Wellington on 4 December 1978 And The 15th anniversary of the incorporation of the Australasian College of Sexual Health Physicians on 23 February 1988 TABLE OF CONTENTS Pg Acknowledgments 3 Foreword 4 Glossary of abbreviations 5 Chapter 1 Chronological Synopsis of World Events 7 Chapter 2 New Zealand: Milestones from 1914 to the Present 11 Chapter 3 Dr Bill Platts MBE (1909-2001) 25 Chapter 4 The New Zealand Venereological Society 28 Chapter 5 The Australasian College 45 Chapter 6 International Links 53 Chapter 7 Health Education and Health Promotion 57 Chapter 8 AIDS: Milestones Reflected in the Media 63 Postscript 69 References 70 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Dr Ross Philpot has always been a role model in demonstrating through his own publications the importance of historical records. Dr Janet Say was as knowledgeable, helpful and encouraging as ever. I drew especially on her international experience to help with the chapter on our international links. Dr Heather Lyttle, now in Perth, greatly enhanced the chapter on Dr Bill Platts with her personal reminiscences. Dr Gordon Scrimgeour read the chapter on the NZVS and remembered some things I had forgotten. I am grateful to John Boyd who some years ago found a copy of “The Shadow over New Zealand” in a second hand bookstore in Wellington. Dr Craig Young kindly read the first three chapters and made useful suggestions.
    [Show full text]
  • “A Fully Formed Blast from Abroad?”: Australasian Lesbian Circuits of Mobility and the Transnational Exchange of Ideas in the 1960S and 1970S
    “A fully formed blast from abroad?”: Australasian lesbian circuits of mobility and the transnational exchange of ideas in the 1960s and 1970s In 1973, three Australian women – Kerryn Higgs, Robina Courtin and Jenny Pausacker – returned to Melbourne having spent two years in London. Later the same year, New Zealander Alison Laurie arrived home after a nine-year stint overseas, which included periods of time living in England, Scandinavia and the USA. The return of all four had a catalytic effect on lesbian politics in their home communities. Pausacker, Higgs and Courtin were credited with precipitating a physical and ideological shift away from mixed gay politics toward a feminist perspective on lesbianism. With Laurie’s arrival it appeared that “lesbian feminism hit Aotearoa New Zealand as a fully formed blast from abroad, but fell on fertile ground, among many of the lesbians from gay liberation for starters.”1 Contemporary accounts certainly present the return of all four women as agents of change. To a certain extent their impact can be explained by the personalities of the women themselves. All were intelligent, creative women who continued to shape ideas throughout their lives. As Jenny Pausacker noted: “Kerryn published the first lesbian novel for adults in Australia. I published the first lesbian novel for young adults in Australia, and Robina’s the venerable Robina [a Buddhist nun]. So we were all quite strong personalities, with quite a public focus.”2 Laurie co-founded Sisters for Homophile Equality (SHE) which was the first lesbian organization in Aotearoa New Zealand, pioneered the Lesbian Community Radio Programme on Wellington Access Radio, and brought lesbian studies into the Women’s Studies program at Victoria University in Wellington.3 However, the impact the four women had can also be traced to their respective experiences of travel.
    [Show full text]