Difference between revisions of "Otto Spengler: "People just faint," 1906"

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=="People just faint when the subject is broached"==
 
=="People just faint when the subject is broached"==
  
by Jonathan Ned Katz. Copyright (c) by Jonathan Ned Katz. All rights reserved. Reedited by Katz from ''Gay American History'' (1976).
 
  
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In May 1906, Otto Spengler, one of the Scientific-Humanitaran Committees directors, "gave a warmly applauded lecture on sexual intermediates before the German Scientific Society in New York."
  
  
In May 1906, Otto Spengler, one of the Scientific-Humanitaran Committees directors, "gave a warmly applauded lecture on sexual intermediates before the German Scientific Society in New York," In the monthly newsletter of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, Spengler describes the discussion following his presentation:
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In the monthly newsletter of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, Spengler describes the discussion following his presentation:
  
  
:The debate was very lively. Representatives of all the professions were in the audience-ministers, lawyers, doctors. This was probably the first such speech given in New York, and I managed to make some headway with my limited sources. You can deduce the inflexibility of the people from this incident: after the topic had been illuminated from all sides, a lawyer stood up and maintained… that homosexuals belong in prison. This shows plainly what educational efforts are still required here, where such educated people are so stupid. I have entered into correspondence with Dr. William Lee Howard, who told me that he will soon be publishing an English-language work on the subject in question. Then, I hope, there will be more understanding here. Now, people just faint when the subject is broached.<ref>[Otto Spengler,] ''Monatsberichte des Wissenschjtlich-humanitaren Komitees,'' VOL 5 (1906), p. 151. I wish to thank James Steakley for informing me of this and the following two documents, and for translating them.</ref>
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:The debate was very lively. Representatives of all the professions were in the audience--ministers, lawyers, doctors. This was probably the first such speech given in New York, and I managed to make some headway with my limited sources. You can deduce the inflexibility of the people from this incident: after the topic had been illuminated from all sides, a lawyer stood up and maintained … that homosexuals belong in prison. This shows plainly what educational efforts are still required here, where such educated people are so stupid. I have entered into correspondence with Dr. William Lee Howard, who told me that he will soon be publishing an English-language work on the subject in question. Then, I hope, there will be more understanding here. Now, people just faint when the subject is broached.<ref>[Otto Spengler,] ''Monatsberichte des Wissenschjtlich-humanitaren Komitees,'' Volume 5 (1906), p. 151. Jonathan Ned Katz thanks James Steakley for informing him of this and the following two documents, and for translating them. Reprinted from {{GAH}}.</ref>
  
 
 
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==References==
 
==References==
 
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[[Category:Cross-dressing]]
 
[[Category:Cross-dressing]]
 
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[[Category:Androgyne]]
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<div style="text-align: right; direction: ltr; margin-left: 1em;">• Go to [[George Merzbach:_"We_have_won_a_great_battle,"_March 1907 | Next Article]]</div>
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<div style="text-align: right; direction: ltr; margin-left: 1em;">• Go to [[George Merzbach:_"We_have_won_a_great_battle,"_March 1907 | George Merzbach: "We have won a great battle," March 1907]]</div>
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Latest revision as of 12:04, 15 May 2012

"People just faint when the subject is broached"

In May 1906, Otto Spengler, one of the Scientific-Humanitaran Committees directors, "gave a warmly applauded lecture on sexual intermediates before the German Scientific Society in New York."


In the monthly newsletter of the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, Spengler describes the discussion following his presentation:


The debate was very lively. Representatives of all the professions were in the audience--ministers, lawyers, doctors. This was probably the first such speech given in New York, and I managed to make some headway with my limited sources. You can deduce the inflexibility of the people from this incident: after the topic had been illuminated from all sides, a lawyer stood up and maintained … that homosexuals belong in prison. This shows plainly what educational efforts are still required here, where such educated people are so stupid. I have entered into correspondence with Dr. William Lee Howard, who told me that he will soon be publishing an English-language work on the subject in question. Then, I hope, there will be more understanding here. Now, people just faint when the subject is broached.[1]

References

  1. [Otto Spengler,] Monatsberichte des Wissenschjtlich-humanitaren Komitees, Volume 5 (1906), p. 151. Jonathan Ned Katz thanks James Steakley for informing him of this and the following two documents, and for translating them. Reprinted from Jonathan Ned Katz, Gay American History: Lesbians and Gay Men in the U.S.A. (NY: Crowell, 1976).