Homintern was a term used from the 1930s onwards for a supposed conspiracy theory, which claimed that a large number of gay men in elite positions controlled the arts, scholarship and/or the theatre world, similar to the concept of a "gay mafia".
Etymology
The word is a play on the word "Comintern," the short name of the Communist International and was used because it was believed that such homosexuals, being enemies of "traditional" values, were card-carrying Communist Party USA members as well.
The earliest dated reference to the term seems to be from 1937, when the classical scholar Maurice Bowra referred to himself as a member of the Homintern. However, there are competing claims about who coined the term.
Usage
The term "Homintern" was used by anti-Communist American Senator Joe McCarthy during the McCarthyist lavender scare, who used it claim that the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, which was set on destroying America from within.
"Homintern" also appeared in a number of mass-circulation magazine articles during the 1960s. These magazine articles were often illustrated with the color lavender and the Homintern was sometimes called "the lavender conspiracy." It was claimed that there was a secret worldwide network of gay art gallery owners, ballet directors, movie producers, record label executives, and photographers who, behind the scenes, determined who would become successful artists, dancers, actors, and models.
The term "Homintern" was used in articles even in liberal magazines such as Ramparts, which in 1966 published an article by Gene Marine about the Homintern. It was frequently used in the conservative magazine National Review. William F. Buckley, Jr. sometimes warned of the machinations of the Homintern on his TV talk show Firing Line. It was believed by some conservatives that the Homintern deliberately manipulated the culture to encourage homosexuality by promoting camp programs such as the popular 1960s TV series Batman.
Notes
References
Further reading
- Sherry, Michael S. (2007). Gay Artists in Modern American Culture: An Imagined Conspiracy. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. ISBNÂ 0-8078-3121-2.Â
- Woods, Gregory (May 2003). "The 'Conspiracy' of the 'Homintern'". The Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 10 (3). Retrieved 2009-03-28.Â
- Engel, Randy, The Rite of Sodomy: Homosexuality and the Roman Catholic Church, New Engel Publishing, Export-PA, 2006 ISBN 0-9778601-3-2
External links
- THOMAS MALLON (November 11, 2007). "The Homintern". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-05. , by Thomas Mallon, book review of Gay Artists in Modern American Culture: An Imagined Conspiracy, New York Times Book Review, Sunday, 2007-11-11. Retrieved 2007-11-16.
- "They're here, queer, and art pioneers:, by Lisa Montanarelli, book review of Gay Artists in Modern American Culture: An Imagined Conspiracy, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review, Sunday, 2007-11-25. Retrieved 2007-11-26.