National March! On Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights: Official Souvenir Program Page: 16
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straight people had: These included private social clubs, bars, salons,
etc. But because we had always been integrated (willingly or not) into
the mainstream heterosexist culture, the culture we developed was bor-
rowed, transformed at best into same-sex patterns that imitated
heterosexuality. We played their roles: There was a "man and a
woman," except that this time both were of the same gender. We
danced, but it was their dances. We created some words but used their
language. In short, we developed a "subculture."
As long as we hid in the darkness of bars, private clubs, or discreet
salons (also bushes, baths, and tea rooms for men), heterosexuals per-
mitted our "subculture" to exist, as long as we didn't get so bold as to
show our faces in the light of day. They kept us in the darkness of the
bars (usually owned by straights and later by organized crime, which
manages to profit from anything "illegal") as they had kept us in the
darkness of our ignorance about our past, about other lesbians and
male homosexuals who had gone before us, as they had kept us in the
dark and in silence and in isolation, never knowing who else was "one
of us." With the threat of ostracism or worse, they forced us to hide
our identities, to wear masks; in short, we were expected to marry to
cover "it" up or at best never to reveal to them the deepest truths
about our sexuality. The irony was, of course, that the masks were
always on the heterosexuals, for the lesbian or male homosexual who
hid never knew for certain who really was aware of her/his true iden-
tity. Thus, they permitted us to exist so long as we allowed them not
to perceive our true feelings, and the greatest fear they left us with was
one of being discovered to be what indeed we really were-different.
The Stonewall uprising in 1969 and the gay liberation groups that
came afterwards flaunted that difference. But even more importantly,
we broke down the isolation and silence that had entombed us for
countless centuries. We found each other-outside the dark confines of
the bars and other "social clubs." But once we gathered together in
groups, rather than as couples or in fleeting sexual encounters, what
was it that we had in common? Was there anything that made us a
"people?"
The emerging answer is yes, and the culture that has grown since
the Stonewall rebellion has been an important contribution (perhaps
the most important) of the current gay and lesbian movements.
Legislative gains have been minimal. We have merely chipped away at
silences and at social prejudice; we have but gained a few token open
representatives in prestigious positions (although thousands more lurk
in the closet!). But in the ten years since the Stonewall uprising, we
have created a culture and put fruitful energy into unearthing our
heritage. That's a major achievement. Even if all the laws turn against
us, if the so-called backlash of heterosexuals against "permissiveness"
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D.C. Media Committee. National March! On Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights: Official Souvenir Program, pamphlet, 1979; Washington D.C.. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc276226/m1/18/: accessed June 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.