Blank-centric

As we discussed extensively in class, the period surrounding Stonewall heralded the movement from a heterocentric to a homocentric way of thinking, at least among the gay community. I would like to examine this time period using slightly different definitions of homocentric and heterocentric, those based in physics. Heterocentric is the having of different centers, said of rays that do not meet at a common focus. Homocentric is the having of the same center, denoting rays that meet at a common focus.

Not only was movement for gay reform disjointed and unfortunately based in a heterosexual society, but by its very nature it was heterocentric—individuals and groups did not meet at a common focus. The most glaring example of this being Mattachine and the revolutionary scism that Craig was involved in. If the mother of all gay organizations can’t agree on a message, what hope does that give for the rest of the community? This analogy carries over into the post-Stonewall era where we characterized the GAA as being more reformist than the GLF. The GAA worked within the heterocentric system with a few connected immediate goals. While these goals all fought for gay rights, there was no defining single focus of the group. The work encompassed many individual focused projects but lacked the vision of a complete picture.

The Stonewall riots showed solidarity among those involved, and even for those unaware on Pine Island, it was a catalyst for forming gays and lesbians as a minority group. For the first time there was a single focus; a greater vision for a future with less persecution and a system that accepted and respected them. The GLF was revolutionary, they refused to believe that homophobia could be removed from the current system, and therefore the system had to change. While this revolution may have never come, the creation of this ideal, and the actions made in its name gave gays and lesbians a common focus. A focus I believe is still alive today.