The LGBTQUIA+ (Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay/Genderqueer, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Undecided, Intersex, Asexual/Aromantic) resource set highlights two overarching historical trends. First, it reveals wider societal anxieties as same-sex relationships are discussed as a medical condition as well as moral and religious vice. Second, studying the amorphous nature of how communities were defined illustrates how gender and sex are constructed identities. The geographical crux of the data shelf, much like the Revolutionary War, takes place in the United States and the United Kingdom with honorable mentions within texts from European countries and a few that focus on Asia and Africa. Unlike many other Medical Heritage Library Resource Sets, this one focuses on a chronological shelf rather than thematic. The dates range from 1835 to 2020. Chronology lends itself to this project so that researchers can clearly see how definitions evolved within the LGBTQUIA+ community.
That being said, there are several themed tabs:
-sexual inversion
-hermaphroditism
-gender dysphoria
-Sapphic women
Assembling a shelf that focuses on LGBTQUIA+ resources in history requires stepping out of the present moment. Contemporary definitions, terms, even mindsets are often nonexistent or anachronistic. A basic example would be the term “gay.” Prior to the early twentieth century, gay was synonymous with happy, i.e. gaiety. It had no connection to our conception of the meaning now or to homosexuality in any sense.
Front page of “Psychopathia Sexualis” from 1931
Sexual inversion is a term that was coined by imminent German psychologist Karl Westphal in the 1870s. The term had a twofold meaning. The first signified the theory that all men have female tendencies and vice versa. The second meaning was used to describe same sex relationships, male or female. In the late 1800s, ethos concerning same sex relationships shifts from strictly religious autonomy to enter the medical arena. Of course, religion and law are inextricably tied at the time (despite what they say to the contrary), as is much of medicine. Western religions do not shy away from dogged prosecution despite some medical arguments that sexual inversion should be treated as a medical condition.
The rise of the same sex relationships as a study of interest in the medical field can be seen partially through the invocation of medical testimonies during morality trials and the presence of articles concerning same sex anxieties (medical and legal) in published journals. For example, “The Bulletin of the Medico-Legal Congress, held in the city of New York, September 4th, 5th, and 6th, 1895” suggests that policing homosexuality arises from anxieties about decaying population then works its way into the culture and legal policy. Anxieties vary across borders. In France, homosexuality is legal as long as it is not performed in public (sex, not same-sex couples) and both parties consent. Italy and Switzerland have similar laws, only in Germany, Austria, Russia, and England is homosexuality a penal offense.
Page from “America’s sex and marriage problems,” 1928
While many sources attribute the cause of same-sex attraction and transvestitism to a mental or moral failing, others invoke a stadial theory of sorts. Stadial theory comes from the Scottish Enlightenment. It is a theory of sociocultural evolution that suggested that all civilizations develop through four stages (hunting and gathering, to sedentary pastoralism, then agriculture, and finally commercial civilization) in an attempt to reach the penultimate evolutionary standing, commercial civilization. In John Addington Symonds work, A Problem in Modern Day Ethics (1896), a mixture of religious, legal, and scientific reasons for inversion is laid out. Symonds suggests that Christianity persecutes same-sex relationships because of population degradation, and points out that Jesus never ventured a prophecy nor hymn concerning inversion. He goes on to condemn the harsh punishment England metes out for the “nameless crime,” suggesting that sexual inversion is natural.
Frontispiece from “History of circumcision,” 1891
Hermaphroditism and Gender Dysphoria are presented through separate tabs. The earliest resource within the LGBTQUIA+ data shelf represents a case study concerning gender transition. Intersexed peoples, unlike same sex attraction, existed under medical purview since at least Ancient Greece. Gender dysphoria is a much more recent term to describe individuals born to the wrong biological sex. The earliest resource in the gender dysphoria tab is from 1974. The Western Journal of Medicine published a case study presenting a transsexual man. The patient is interviewed by Dr. Parzen about his experience of being born in the wrong body. The article includes an outline of contemporary medical procedures to aid and identify individuals experiencing gender dysphoria and suggests causes for the condition such as growing up with an overprotective mother and absent father. The article ends with the exclamation “Help us, if you dare.”
Sapphic Women was included to highlight a group that escaped medical and legal attention for decades. Sexual inversion in women in the late 1800s was thought to occur so infrequently that it was not worth studying. This evolved, with help from the preeminent sexual inversion psychologist Havelock Ellis, to garner attention in medical circles. Early resources tend to focus on cultural and social gender roles, often discussing female sexual inversion in relation to the family unit. The vast majority of these texts are written by men, as there were few female physicians. In fact, the first female physician in the U.S., Elizabeth Blackwell, received her degree in 1849.
As the lexicon surrounding the LGBTQUIA+ community transformed and expanded over the course of the 20th century, the need for a distinction between sex, gender, and sexuality emerged. The contemporary definitions used to create this dataset stem from Joanne Meyerowitz’s How Sex Changed in which she defines biological sex, gender, and sexuality in the following passage:
“’biological sex’ referred to chromosomes, genes, genitals, hormones, and other physical markers, some of which could be modified and some of which could not; ‘gender’ represented masculinity, femininity, and the behaviors commonly associated with them; and ‘sexuality’ connoted the erotic, now sorted into a range of urges, fantasies and behaviors” (Meyerowitz, 3).
A note on medical historiography: Until the 1960s, medical texts were written by and for the medical field, and not for public consumption. This practice lends itself to a discourse between medical professionals that while revealing how this particular sect of society viewed these practices, does not necessarily represent general attitudes.
Sexual Inversion
Front cover of “Oscar Wilde and Myself,” 1914
The date range for this tab is 1886-1933. Sexual inversion is a term that was coined by imminent German psychologist Karl Westphal in 1870. The term had a twofold meaning. The first signified the theory that all men have female tendencies and vice versa. The second meaning was used to describe same sex relationships, male or female. Terms like homosexual and gay were not used to denote same sex couples until the 1900s. Sexual inversion became a subject of study for psychologists and others within the medical profession in Europe, particularly England as the practice was codified into the law, in the late 1800s. Attributed causes of sexual inversion range from genetic inheritability to isolation from the opposite sex to sexual excesses (a favorite scapegoat for many a malady during the 1800s and early 1900s). Legal ramifications ranged depending on date and place. One of the sources provides a detailed account of his relations with Oscar Wilde and the time that Wilde served in prison because of his sexual preference. Countries such as France had no laws against same sex couples other than those of public indecency while countries like England, Austria, and Germany had laws that could send someone to jail for even attempting a same-sex act. The term sexual inversion falls out of medical and cultural vocabulary towards the mid 1900s and is replaced by more gendered terminology.
“Urnings” is another historical term that appears alongside sexual inversion prior to the 1900s. Urnings is a noun used to describe “those who are only excited sexually by persons of their own sex.” and stems from a Hanoverian legal official, Carl Heinrich Ulrichs. Ulrichs originally published under the nom de plume, Numa Numantius, advocating for legal revision concerning homosexual love before finally relaying both his identity as Ulrichs and sexual preference for other men.
Sketch of Marie Rosine Göttlich (Gottlieb Göttlich) from “Account of a case of hermaphroditism,” 1835
The date range for this tab is 1835-1931. Hermaphroditism is a term that refers to intersex peoples or those with a combination of biologically male and female sex organs. As is seen from the resource set, by 1835 hermaphroditism was considered a medical condition. Many cases, including the earliest from 1835 discuss hermaphroditism in terms of the late development of sex organs. In this case, Gottlieb Göttlich, (male) was christened Marie Rosine Göttlich at birth and raised as such. According to the study, he himself believed he was female until his early thirties. In the Spring of 1831, a fracture that resulted in hospitalization caused his testes to appear. Gottlieb continued to live as a female until a visit with Professor Tiedemann at the University of Heidelberg. The anatomy professor declared that Gottlieb was a male and should begin acting the part post haste. The image shown is a portrait of Gottlieb.
Social and cultural Western constructs dictate a gender binary of either male or female. Hermaphroditism was believed throughout this period to be an unnatural phenomenon and often parents or hermaphrodites were forced to choose a gender and the binary selection was accomplished through surgical intervention.
Page from “United States Navy Transgender and Gender Transition Commanding Officer’s Toolkit,” 2016
The date range for this tab is 1974-2016. Gender dysphoria is the term used in the medical field to define those born as the incorrect biological sex. Sources on gender dysphoria and transsexualism arise in the 1950s, following the popularity and publicity elicited by Christine Jorgensen’s transition. Medical journals begin referencing and writing often about programs for transitioning in the 1970s and many cite Harry Benjamin’s treatment program that includes psychotherapy, group therapy, and hormone therapy, followed by surgical intervention if desired. As the sources in this tab illustrate, Benjamin’s transition treatment plan was implemented in the U.S. in states such as New Jersey, Texas, and Hawaii. One example is a treatment center that opened in Galveston, Texas since 1974. The article is quoted as saying, “More often individuals are coming forward to seek professionals and clinics to help them make the transition and to treat the condition. That most such individuals, upon completion of treatment, turn out to be suicidal, drug-addicted, or living on welfare is clearly a myth. As a rule individuals who complete treatment are going to lead satisfying and productive lives” (Collier et al., 378). An updated version of Benjamin’s plan is adapted in some military institutions today.
Cover of “Factors in the sex life of twenty-two hundred women,” Katherine B Davis
This tab lists sources that feature women as more than just a passing comparison or comment. Female same sex relationships tended to startle and confound the men trying to write about them. So much so, that many early texts on the subject question the existence of a Sapphic nature at all, and others suggest that if they do exist, it is not worth studying as they are so few compared to the prevalence of male same sex relationships. This supposition shifts to admittance that female inversion (see “Sexual inversion” on the main shelf page or tab for definition) exists to a similar extent as that of men, but is harder to discover since, according to social and cultural standards, female acquaintances can often remain in close quarters and be physical with one another without public comment.
Other sources to be found in this tab include several broad studies on the state of women’s health, family, and marriage as well as cases of male-to-female and female-to-male gender dysphoria and transvestism.
Chairman: Dr. Arnold Mandell, Case Presentation: Dr. Stephen Millman, Discussants: Dr. Robert Gerner, Dr. Lewis Judd, Dr. Zane Parzen, Dr. Robert Stoller
Boyd, Nan Alamilla. “Bodies in Motion: Lesbian and Transsexual Histories.” In Unequal Sisters: An Inclusive Reader in U.S. Women’s History, 4th Edition, edited by Vicki L. Ruiz and Ellen Carol DuBois, 4th edition., 15–28. New York: Routledge, 2007.
Bronski, Michael. A Queer History of the United States. Beacon Press, 2012.
Chauncey, George. Gay New York: Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940. 4/19/95 edition. New York: Basic Books, 1995.
Howard, John. Men Like That: A Southern Queer History. University of Chicago Press, 2001.
Meyerowitz, Joanne. How Sex Changed: A History of Transsexuality in the United States. New Ed edition. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2004.
Shopland, Norena. A Practical Guide to Searching LGBTQIA Historical Records. Routledge, 2021.
Snorton, C. Riley. Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity. 3rd ed. edition. Minneapolis: Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2017.
