Military Bases, Teachers, and Gay Rights: A historical analysis of queer California 1940-1980

• In Event: Roundtable A
  In Roundtable Session: Roundtable A Table 9

Abstract

This paper examines factors that contributed to California’s notability as a bastion of queer culture with specific attention to educational policy between World War II and 1980. Considering these factors, California provided both the population and space for queer folk – including gay and lesbian teachers – to assimilate into straight culture while maintaining safe spaces in which to retreat and live as their authentic selves. Nurturing these spaces resulted in a social power that, through deliberate organization, morphed into undeniable political power. By examining education policy within the broader historical context of post-war California, along with vignettes that reveal the individual experiences of queer people living in San Francisco, a picture emerges of a struggle between evolving social sensibilities and the political establishment. Despite the hardships faced by the queer community in California and the nation at this time, this story is one of resilience, determination, and progress.

Authors

• Thomas Capretta, The Ohio State University

• Kyle J. Williams, The Ohio State University

• W. Walker Ballard, The Ohio State University