Chauncey: Meaning of Closet Changed

George A. Chauncey, social historian of gay life and author of Gay New York, argued last night in a speech that the meaning of the term "closet" to the gay community evolved rapidly in the late sixties.

Chauncey, a professor of history at the University of Chicago, gave a talk titled "The History of the Closet" to about 60 people in the Kirkland House Junior Common Room.

He said a generational conflict within the gay community in the late 1960s resulted in a shift from a private "coming out" to a group of gay friends to a more public "coming out" to gay and straight society.

"[Prior to the late 1960s] gays embraced the cultural distinction between public and private spheres, and deliberately cultivated ambiguity," Chauncey said.

"To a post-Stonewall generation, this seems akin to the military 'Don't ask, don't tell' policy," Chauncey said. "But the older generation didn't see it this way. Repression strengthened the bonds, making gays like a secret fraternal order."

Chauncey's talk centered on the intergenerational conflict within the gay community that arose following the Stonewall Riots, which occurred in June 1969 after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a New York City gay nightclub.

Young gay activists of 1969 made an assumption that older gay men who had not publicly come out were ashamed, Chauncey said.

But the older generation had a different perspective, Chauncey said.

"The older generation did not see coming out as necessary," he said.

Chauncey said the main reason that gays did not publicly announce their sexuality prior to the late 1960s was because of fear of harassment or brutality.

Of the 140 gay men Chauncey interviewed for his new book, he said half had been arrested for "gay-related charges" during that era and all knew someone who had.

"The degree of policing and hostility was unimaginable," he said.

In response to that hostility, Chauncey said gay men formed their own social world, which he called a "gay alternative public sphere," where they were openly homosexual.

Chauncey said men made their homosexuality known only within this "alternative public sphere."

"Coming out meant to yourself and to the gay world," he said.

However, this tendency to keep knowledge of one's sexuality within the gay community changed during the Civil Rights era, Chauncey said.

"The gay liberation movement was part of a generational shift," Chauncey said. "Many [of younger activists]had little contact with the other gay world.

"These activists thought that the closet was isolated and saw coming out as a new cultural imperative," he added.

After the speech, Chauncey expanded upon his thesis in light of audience members' questions and criticism.

Carey V. Johnson, a masters student at the School of Public Health and gay activist, said he came to hear Chauncey speak because he enjoyed Chauncey's 1994 book and wanted to hear him in person.

"He really pulls in the audience, opening little doors to the past," Johnson said.

The event was organized by the Harvard Gay and Lesbian Caucus (HGLC).

Robert W. Mack '71, a HGLC board member, said he was pleased by last night's attendance and by Chauncey's remarks.