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Description
This is the first of two television programmes based on the research projects being carried out by the University of Essex in 1979. The aim of this research is to discover ways in which cultural ex...pectations of homosexuality have been changing and how these have influenced same-sex experiences. This programme shows extracts from a longer interview with an elderly man, chosen because he had lived through nearly seventy years of change in attitudes towards sexuality. Trevor was in his early twenties when he first discovered he was 'queer', but did not 'come out' until over forty years later.
This is the first of two television programmes based on the research projects being carried out by the University of Essex in 1979. The aim of this research is to discover ways in which cultural ex...pectations of homosexuality have been changing and how these have influenced same-sex experiences. This programme shows extracts from a longer interview with an elderly man, chosen because he had lived through nearly seventy years of change in attitudes towards sexuality. Trevor was in his early twenties when he first discovered he was 'queer', but did not 'come out' until over forty years later.
| Module code and title: | D207, An introduction to sociology |
|---|---|
| Item code: | D207; 11 |
| First transmission date: | 05-04-1981 |
| Published: | 1981 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:24:26 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Nell Smith |
| Contributors: | Trevor Thomas; Bob Bocock; Ken Plummer; Stephen Power |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Homosexuality; Interviews; Sociology |
| Footage description: | The programme begins with Bob Bocock describing the work of a group of sociologists at Essex who have been studying the social construction of homosexuality. Ken Plummer argues that homosexuality can be seen as a sociological phenomena as well as a psychological one. Sociologists are interested in how societies come to have particular ideas of homosexuality and how these ideas change over time. He then introduces the life history method of research. Ken Plummer talks to Trevor Thomas, about various events in his life. He talks about his childhood, in Wales, before the First World War. He describes a traumatic experience during his childhood when he was beaten by his mother. He describes his friendships with boys at school and the doubts he had about his masculinity at that age. He talks about his later life and a further trauma when he was charged with gross indecency and spent a weekend in jail. This led to the loss of his job and regular visits to a psychiatrist. He talks about his marriage and his two sons. He describes his divorce, his loneliness over the following years, his breakdown and his discovery of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality. He describes how he attended a CHE conference in Sheffield and the emotional scenes that occurred when he spoke, and how this gave him a sense of mission in his life. Jeff Weeks talks to Stephen Power about how he came to terms with his homosexuality. To begin with Stephen talks about his home life and early school days. He describes his awareness of feeling different to other boys at school but also talks about his dislike of effeminate qualities in men. He talks about his isolation at college, and of how he met another homosexual there to whom he could talk. He then describes how reading publicity about the Tom Robinson Band, a rock group, helped him to have more confidence in his sexuality. He talks about how he heard about the Gay Switchboard, an organisation set up to help homosexuals, and about how this led him to make contact with a teenage support group. Finally, Stephen describes how he 'came out' to his parents and his father's lack of understanding. He also describes his lack of awareness of the legal position of homosexuals, particularly for those under the age of 21. |
| Production number: | FOUD057K |
| Videofinder number: | 41 |
| Available to public: | no |
