Lesson Two: The Homosexual as a Psychiatric Danger

Approximately one hour

Opener: ‘Boys Beware’ (12- 15 minutes)

Show ‘Boys Beware ,’ a 1961 anti-homosexuality film focusing on the “bad men” preying on young boys by Sid Productions. Ask students to note how homosexual men are portrayed

Ask for student input to the views of homosexuals presented in the video
Ask if homosexuality is viewed as normal according to the video
Engage your students in a discussion of “normal.” What/who is “normal”? What defines normal? Who defines normal? What is the opposite of normal? This discussion should be based in students’ experiences, but can be expanded to include historical, transnational, or theoretical issues
Ask students what happens if people are labelled as “abnormal”
Ask students who labels someone normal/abnormal and what the ramifications are. List the answers, which could include friends and family, the media, the medical profession, customs/laws, and government

As a class, discuss briefly how normality is enforced, giving an example for each category from the list compiled in discussion
Using a fictional (and safe) example of someone who is “abnormal”, such as someone wearing two different colour socks, ask your students to work in pairs or groups to fill in a chart similar to the one below

Who creates “normal”	How do they maintain “normal”
Friends/Family	Talking with individual about “strange” habits. Seeking and giving advice about an individual’s behaviour. Ignoring “problem” behaviour.
The media	Creating images of “perfect.” Providing products to consume.
The medical profession	Diagnosing and providing treatment for problems. Prescribing medication or therapy to “cure” problems.
Customs/laws/government	Outlawing activities deemed dangerous or incongruous with societal values.

Discuss that during the Post-war period there was an extraordinary focus of normality because of the threat of Communism. As a result, the behaviours of many people were policed.
In particular, homosexuality was pathologized and deemed a security threat, leading to people being “outed” and even fired or institutionalized.