John D’Emilio’s article from 1983
‘Capitalism and Gay Identity’ explores how the development of capitalism, in
particular the free market, has allowed homosexual behaviour to flourish. He states that over time capitalism has
gradually undermined the self-sufficient base of the nuclear family and allowed
family members to sell their labour and move away from an interdependent, nurturing
family life. This has allowed the gay
community to develop an identity separate from traditional family life. Although
D’Emilio raises some interesting points, I disagree with various parts of his
argument.
One of the arguments in the
article highlights the idea of how capital growth and wage labour has eroded self-efficient,
independent and patriarchal family units, leading the way for people to have
other opportunities and sexual choices in their life. Although this is true, and
gays and lesbians have been able to find autonomy and self- identity,
influencing the expansion and development of homosexual communities, wage labour
has given other people options also, especially hetero sexual women.
D’Emilio believes that gay men
and lesbians were not as prevalent in the past. This statement is easy to
disagree with as there are numerous forms of evidence to suggest that erotic
actions of gays and lesbians have existed for many centuries in all cultures,
it was just suppressed (Weeks, 1981). What hasn’t existed is a ‘label’ for
homosexuality or the ability to have gay or lesbian social identity.
Another argument raised by D’Emilio
is the strong correlation between years of schooling and lesbian activity. It
is possible that women spent more time in education to avoid pressures of
marriage, however, there are also various other possibilities that come into
play as to why women attended college, for example the strong desire to support
oneself economically rather than being dependent on others for your welfare.
While D’Emilio raised some
thought-provoking notions about the changing role of the family due to the
development of capitalism, his ideas about homosexuality, identity and prevalence
cannot not be proven and supported on economic changes alone.
Weeks, J. 1999 ‘Discourse,
Desire and Sexual Deviance: Some Problems in a History of Homosexuality’, in Aggleton,
P & Parker, R. ‘Culture, Society and
Sexuality: A Reader’, UCL Press, London - http://www.femeti.org.mx/femetimgt/img_circular/Cambridge%20University%20Press%20-%20Culture,%20Society%20and%20Sexuality.pdf#page=118
