Occasionally
I will get a message asking why there aren't more photos of men of color
on Homo History. That is because they are much rarer and very
difficult to find. Gay minorities had to deal with the double whammy of
discrimination from straight people and discrimination from their own
communities, so I'm guessing they were less willing to be photographed together.
Photos
weren't always cheap and the cost of an incriminating photo was much
higher: being exposed as gay could land you in jail, get you fired from your job
and usually meant being shunned by your family and friends. Worst of all, it could get you killed (just as it can even today.)
I've
posted all of these photos in my difference photo collections over the
years, but I thought now, more than ever, is was time that I bring together my favorites.
These vintage photos represent just a small fragment of our LGBT history; unfortunately so much of
it has purposely been destroyed. Since the men in these photos
are unknown, it's pretty much impossible to tell if they were a gay
couple or just "good friends." Most photographs of gay couples were eventually
destroyed by horrified family members. For every photo that I may
have mistakenly identified as gay, thousands more were burned or torn into pieces to keep a family secret.
Please
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post! There is also a "donate" button, just in case you would like to help support this website.
Thanks for your support!
Jeffrey Gent
