The 50th Anniversary of the Sexual Revolution by D. Renee

It was a time of modernization; a time when what was done behind closed doors was placed on television screens and dirty magazines. It was a movement that brought about social and moral changes to society, and had everyone loving long time. Yes, the Sexual Revolution has reached its 50 year mark, and what a bumpy road it has been for a lot of us! The shift away from strict Christian morality has introduced our world to some kinky concepts as well as allowed us to be happy with who we are. While the history of this revolution is lengthy and is filled with many incidents and matters, there are three important happenings that made a difference in the lives of those who chose to step out of the box and pursue an alternative life style.

THE KINSEY REPORTS

 
One distinctive mark of the sexual revolution was the research and publications of Alfred C. Kinsey who founded the Institute for Sex Research at Indiana University in 1947. It was because of his work that many people were able to feel comfortable knowing that there are others out there who feel the same way as they, and who want the same pleasure as them. Though provoking much controversary in his work, he made it easier for men and women to come forth with their desires and express them freely.

The Kinsey Reports consist of two parts: Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953). Each part consist of statistics and data collected over an expanded amount of time that include thousands upon thousands of interviews with both men and women on what they want or what they need in a sexual experience to gain satisfaction. During his work, he developed a scale known as the Kinsey Scale that would determine a person’s homosexuality from level 0-6, zero being completely heterosexual and six being totally gay. His reports were published as books for the public, both reaching #1 on the bestsellers list. He is credited by many as the trigger for the sexual revolution.

He often attacked the concept of repressed sexual knowledge as well as repressed sexual feelings in his lectures, and was also known to participate in sexual encounters with his interviewed subjects in order to obtain as much data as possible. Talk about passion, right?

FEMININE FREEDOM

One major outcomes, and argued possibly a cause, of the sexual revolution was that women had grown tired of having their desires repressed by society. During WWII when many men were sent over seas to fight, it was up to the women to run the factories and provide for the families left at home. When the war ended and the men came home demanding their jobs back, women everywhere realized that they are capable of living without a male figure, and would much rather prefer to work along side them than sit at home like good little wives.

Demanding the same respect as men, women began to embrace their femininity and explore their options without fear. The 1960s brought oral birth control to mainstream society as well as rubber condoms which officially solidified the concept that sexual encounters can be something adventurous and fun and doesn’t have to be experienced for the sake of conceiving children. In fact, though contrversary surrounded its legalization (and still brings tension when it comes to morality), abortion also became on open topic that gave women the freedom to chose what they want, and when they want to have it.

Women began to take pride in their bodies, and no longer saw themselves as a means of life. This gave many women the courage to love how they want and who they want, including each other. Society at the time would curse lesbianism, often forcing women to marry in attempts to rid themselves of homosexual desires which would cause feelings of alienation. With this new surge of feminine power, the concept began to blossom, and many discovered that they were not alone. In Kinsey’s studies, it was reported that 28% of his 8,000 female subjects had been aroused by another woman while 19% had actual contact. The most prevalent to sub come to these feminine desires were single women, then those who pursued higher education. These statistics alone helped ladies all over embrace their taboos and move forward with finding happiness instead of settling for what was considered normal at the time.

THE STONEWALL RIOT 

While women were beginning to embrace themselves into a new world, chaos made its mark in Greenwich village of New York. Homosexuality was out in the open for all to see, but apparently the rest of society wasn’t really accepting of this new concept. There were few places for gays to go and actually be themselves, and any place that hosted their need for individuality was often raided by New York police. Homosexuals in the 1950s and 1960s faced anti-gay legal system, and in the early morning of June 28, 1969, they decided that enough was enough.

The Stonewall riots began as a simple police raid where officers would end the late-night partying and arrest all the men and women dressed the opposite of their gender. The only thing with this specific raid is that the gay community fought back. It is said that one “butch” woman was clubbed upside her head in front of over 100 by standers for complaining that her cuffs were tight. She then turned to the crowd and asked, “Why don’t you all do something?” causing a brawl to fire up. Violent protest continued through the night as more and ore people joined to fight against the police, and continued throughout the week.

What resulted from such an event was the development of two major gay activist groups, three gay newspapers, and on June 28, 1970, the first gay pride parade took place in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York to commemorate the riots. The riots symbolized an intolerance to intolerance, the need be free to love how you want which is the essence of the sexual revolution.

50TH ANNIVERSARY

The 1980s brought with it not only big hair and shoulder pads, but AIDS. This epidemic, that was at first believed to only be contracted between gay men, brought a fear to society that allowed the passionate heat of the revolution to simmer down some. With new knowledge comes education, and the process of informing the public about the dangers of sexual free-for-alls gave people a chance to bring morality back to the home. Films were being produced depicting a darker side of sexual freedom that the public couldn’t fathom before including pedophiles, stalkers and rapist. To top everything off, teen pregnancy rates began to sky rocket, despite contraceptive options.

Despite these negative attributes, the revolution continues as we see advancements in technology every few months. Sex is embraced at the click of a mouse, and has become the hot topic at any dinner setting without any awkward feelings. Homosexuals, now openly accepted in mainstream, are fighting for rights amongst society as well as influencing such industries as the fashion world. Today, we take that fearlessness and inhibition to another level. Sex and raunchiness is a part of our everyday, and with mass media developing every second, we are able to get a good look at what we desire at the click of a button. Sex sells like hot cakes, and thousands are making a living off of it while others are getting high on the freedom to please and be pleased as they please. It has been a rough 50 years in making modern times more sexy, but looking at where we are, there’s still room left to grow.

While this year technically tallies 50 years since the development of birth control, it’s also a year to commemorate the fearless ones before us; the few who were not afraid to step out of everyone else’s comfort zone and into their own skin. It takes a lot of courage to admit to others who you are and what you want, but it takes even more to admit it to yourself.

Happy humping, everyone!