ABSTRACT
The first-known use of the term “homosexual” was in 1869, when it appeared in a German pamphlet advocating the repeal of sodomy laws. A century and a half later, all branches of the government are wrestling with GLBTQ-related issues, churches are feeling growing pressure to make room in their pews for GLBTQ congregants, schools are revisiting policies in light of increasingly visible GLBTQ students, and media outlets are courting niche GLBTQ audiences. No single narrative can explain neatly how we have moved from point A to point B over the past 150 years, nor should it. After all, history is a messy business, and the writing of it always is partial and incomplete. Therefore, this chapter is not, nor could it ever be, a comprehensive history of sexuality and its representation in the media. It is just one version of events, and it is limited to developments mostly in America from the 1860s through the 1980s, focusing on three key areas: how sexual practices coalesced into sexual identities, how people with non-normative sexual identities have come together to promote social change, and how media representations of GLBTQ people have changed over time. Such historical context helps explain when and how our contemporary framework for understanding sexuality emerged and helps to situate key GLBTQ debates in which the United States currently is embroiled. Additionally, it explains the complex relationship between media and shifting cultural understandings of GLBTQ identities, which has culminated in our present era of GLBTQ visibility.
