The Sexual Revolution

   The Sexual Revolution

The Sexual Revolution (Also known as a time of Sexual Liberation) was a social movement during the late 60's and throughout to the end of the 80's that challenged the traditional views and actions regarding sexuality and relationships.  One of the defining aspects of the Sexual Revolution was the decriminalisation of homosexuality. Only three states decriminalised homosexuality during the 80's, this could be put down to the spread on the HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus) and the link people made between HIV and Homosexuality. The virus was first called GRID (Gay-related immune deficiency) or Gay Cancer in 1982 however later that year it was changed to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). The link between homosexuals and HIV was simply that the first patients that had HIV were 5 young gay men. It is obvious now that HIV can affect people of all sexualities yet in the 80's there was mass hysteria because of the unknown virus. 

Many viewed the virus send from God to punish the gay man for not following his word. in 1985 Paul cameron said that the aids crisis showed that "the extermination of homosexuals" might become necessary. and then in 1986 Colorado's Summit Ministriesl published "Special Report: AIDS." which blamed gay men for the epidemic and calls for a national crackdown on homosexuals. Before this Cameron was a professor at the University of Nebraska and started to publish pseudo-scientific pamphlets that stated that that gay people commit more serial murders, molest more children, and intentionally spread diseases.

The Gay community and activists would fight back, as they have been doing since the start of the 60's . Boston's Gay Community news wrote a tongue in cheek article that stated ""Tremble, Hetero Swine! We shall sodomize your sons, emblems of your feeble masculinity, of your shallow dreams and vulgar lives. We will raise vast private armies ... to defeat ... the family unit." however, Anti-gay groups viewed and used this article as proof of a "secret homosexual agenda."