CBS Documentary - The Homosexuals (1967)

This was made two years after I was born. I find it to be chilling. I grew up listening to Mike Wallace. He is a legend in broadcast journalism. To hear him talk with utter confidence and conviction about people like me as if we are dangerous animals incapable of love, totally other, hardly even human, is profoundly disturbing. People like me had to live in fear of exposure. Many lost their jobs, their families, everything. Some were sent to prison and got longer sentences than violent criminals. Homosexuality was still considered a mental disorder. And this was the reality when I was born, and although I'm no spring chicken, I'm also not that old. This CBS News Report is less than a half century old. We may have a long way to go, but we sure have made a lot of progress.



I thank those pushy LGBT people and their straight allies who said no to the bigots back when hardly anyone was on their side. Thank you for standing up for yourselves. Thank you for not waiting until every last bat shit crazy person was convinced that you were part of humanity. Thank you for raising some hell and making homophobes know if they wanted to hold onto their hate and fear, they would have to defend it. Thank you for going out on a limb and risking your lives and the respect of your families and friends. I am so glad that the hate and fear exhibited in this report did not go unchallenged. Thank you for not giving the jerks spreading that fear and hate excuses. The homophobia on display in this report is mindless and without excuse. Thank you for making Mike Wallace ashamed of his role in this report. People like me can't love? How dare anyone make an assumption like that without bothering to find out if it's true or not.