The Constitution of Queer Identity in the 1972 APA Panel

142 Pages·2017·0.92 MB·English

UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff MMoonnttaannaa
SScchhoollaarrWWoorrkkss aatt UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff MMoonnttaannaa
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, &
Graduate School
Professional Papers
2013
TThhee CCoonnssttiittuuttiioonn ooff QQuueeeerr IIddeennttiittyy iinn tthhee 11997722 AAPPAA PPaanneell,,
""PPssyycchhiiaattrryy:: FFrriieenndd oorr FFooee ttoo HHoommoosseexxuuaallss?? AA DDiiaalloogguuee""
Dustin Vern Edward Schneider
The University of Montana
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd
Let us know how access to this document benefits you.
RReeccoommmmeennddeedd CCiittaattiioonn
Schneider, Dustin Vern Edward, "The Constitution of Queer Identity in the 1972 APA Panel, "Psychiatry:
Friend or Foe to Homosexuals? A Dialogue"" (2013). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, &
Professional Papers. 4179.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/4179
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of
Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an
authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact
[email protected].
THE CONSTITUTION OF QUEER IDENTITY IN THE 1972 APA PANEL, “PSYCHIATRY:
FRIEND OR FOE TO HOMOSEXUALS? A DIALOGUE”
By
DUSTIN VERN EDWARD SCHNEIDER
B.S., Rocky Mountain College, Billings, Montana, 2010

Thesis
presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of

Master of Arts
in Communication Studies

The University of Montana
Missoula, MT

December 2013

Approved by:

Sandy Ross, Dean of The Graduate School
Graduate School

Sara Hayden
Department of Communication Studies

Steve Schwarze
Department of Communication Studies

Casey Charles
Department of English
ii

© COPYRIGHT

by

Dustin Vern Edward Schneider

2013

All Rights Reserved
iii

Schneider, Dustin, M.A., Fall 2013 Communication Studies

The Constitution of Queer Identity

Chairperson: Dr. Sara Hayden

This thesis offers a rhetorical criticism of two speeches delivered from a 1972 panel at the
American Psychiatric Association (APA): Franklin Kameny’s “Gay, Proud and Healthy” and
John Fryer’s “I am a Homosexual.” Both speeches seek to challenge heteronormative
constructions of homosexuality through the construction of a positive homosexual identity.
Kameny’s speech uses an extensive set of metaphors to deconstruct the sickness theory of
homosexual, challenge the role psychiatrists should play in society, re-conceptualize sexuality,
and empower homosexual identity. Fryer’s speech enacts a constitutive rhetoric through the use
of consciousness raising strategies and a collective coming out narrative which creates a
motivated subject position. Both speeches worked as part of a larger movement to try and delist
homosexuality as a mental disorder.
iv

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Sara Hayden for serving as the chairperson for this thesis. As
chairperson, Sara spent many months reading, challenging, and encouraging the thoughts and
ideas behind this work. Her help and guidance taught me more about research and writing than I
ever thought possible. Thank you, Sara.

I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. Steve Schwarze and Dr. Casey Charles.
Their feedback made this thesis a better project and their discussions are sure to help it grow into
something even greater.

Lastly, I would like to thank my parents. Over the years, they have sacrificed a lot for me in
order to make sure that I achieved success. With every accomplishment I have achieved, my
parents have stood encouragingly behind me offering me their love and support. Thank you for
your support.
v

Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iv
Chapter 1 ....................................................................................................................................... 1
Historical Background .............................................................................................................. 3
Homosexuality and Psychiatry ................................................................................................. 6
Homophile Activism and Gay Rights .................................................................................... 13
The 1972 Panel, “Psychiatry: Friend or Foe to Homosexuals? A Dialogue” .................... 23
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 29
Chapter 2 ..................................................................................................................................... 31
Heteronormativity ................................................................................................................... 34
Critique .................................................................................................................................... 36
Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 38
Methods in Particular ............................................................................................................. 44
Constitutive Rhetoric .............................................................................................................. 48
Chapter 3 ..................................................................................................................................... 59
Deconstructing the Sickness Model ....................................................................................... 59
Challenging Psychiatry ........................................................................................................... 64
Re-Conceptualizing Sexuality ................................................................................................ 72
Empowering the Homosexual ................................................................................................ 76
Chapter 4 ..................................................................................................................................... 85
I am a Homosexual .................................................................................................................. 86
Coming Out and Consciousness Raising ............................................................................... 87
Validation and Empowerment ............................................................................................... 95
Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 100
Chapter 5 ................................................................................................................................... 103
Communication and Homosexual Protest........................................................................... 104
The 1972 Panel ....................................................................................................................... 109
Future Directions................................................................................................................... 117
Appendix A ................................................................................................................................ 119
vi

Appendix B ................................................................................................................................ 126
References .................................................................................................................................. 130
1

Chapter 1

The construction of homosexuality in the United States is unique in that it has been
primarily constituted within a medical context. Foucault (1990) distinguished between two broad
traditions of sexuality: “ars erotica” and “scientia sexualis” (p.67). Ars erotica refers to truths
about sexuality derived from pleasure whereas scientia sexualis refers to truth regarding
sexuality derived through the ritualization of scientific inquiry (p.58). Knowledge regarding
sexuality in the United States has been primarily produced within scientific discourses. Although
these productions carry the label of being “science,” a casual reading of early inquiries into
sexuality reveals a clear relationship between understandings of sexuality and the larger values
of western cultures.
Far from benign inquires, research into sexuality became institutionalized within
psychiatric circles and ritualized through medical practice. These institutions and rituals formed
the basis for repressive political actions targeted at homosexuals in the United States; albeit, the
pathologization of homosexuality created many problems for homosexuals, the pathologization
of homosexuality also provided the structures necessary for resistance to occur. These resistive
acts deployed a counter-discourse regarding sexuality that would come to define contemporary
homosexual identity. This thesis is an inquiry into two of these resistive acts in an effort to
understand both the historical origins and the contemporary constructions of homosexual
identity.
In particular, this thesis explores a set of speeches that were delivered in front of the
American Psychiatric Association (APA) during a 1972 protest action. Dr. Franklin Kameny’s
“Gay, Proud, and Healthy” and Dr. John Fryer’s “I am a Homosexual” were delivered on the
precipice of the historical de-listing of homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
2

for Mental Disorders 3rd Edition (DSM-III). Both artifacts are prime texts for analysis because of
the prominent roles the rhetors played in the homophile and gay rights movements and because
of their resistant efforts to de-list homosexuality from the DSM. The participation of activist
voices in a panel discussion facilitated by psychiatric experts is significant because the efforts of
the activists directly address the power/knowledge couplet articulated by Foucault. These
speeches do more than just constitute a particular homosexual identity; these speeches seek to
change the very fabric of power relations in the United States at the time. Due to the unusual
nature of activists participating in matters of science, these speeches warrant closer examination
because they provide a stark contrast between the accepted power relations at the time, and the
power relations the activists sought to introduce. The historical significance of the speeches and
the rich substance of their content make them prime candidates for rhetorical analysis. These two
artifacts raise several interesting questions about the construction of homosexuality in the United
States during the historical de-listing of homosexuality from the DSM-III. This thesis
investigates the following:
 How did Kameny and Fryer constitute contemporary homosexual identity?
 How did contemporary homosexual identity form in reaction to its pathologization?
 What issues did Kameny and Fryer seek to resolve?
 What rhetorical strategies did Kameny and Fryer use to liberate homosexuality from the
sickness model?
 What tensions did Kameny and Fryer negotiate during the 1972 APA convention?
 What role did the protests play in the APA’s 1973 decision to delist homosexuality from
the DSM-III?
3

 How did the collective symbolic acts of the panelists come together to reconstitute
homosexual identity?
Through my analysis, I argue the following: Kameny’s speech uses a variety of metaphors to
deconstruct the medicalization of homosexual identity as well provide a positive, affirming
interpretation of sexuality that makes room for marginalized sexualities. Fryer’s speech also
advocates for a re-examination of the “sickness theory;” however, Fryer brings attention to the
important issues facing homosexuals as well as the stigmatization of homosexual identity. Fryer
uses a coming out narrative to embark on a consciousness raising effort that constitutes a
homosexual subject that refutes the sickness theory as well as encourages activism among
homosexual psychiatrists. Although each of these constructions is unique, both are firm
responses to the medicalization of homosexual identity.
In order to develop this thesis, I present five chapters. The first chapter provides a
historical backdrop covering the development of a medicalized homosexual identity as well the
efforts to resist a medicalized homosexual identity. Chapter two covers the theoretical
approaches utilized in this thesis beginning with a critical interpretation of the speeches followed
by the specific concepts used to unpack the two artifacts. Chapter three offers a metaphoric
analysis of Kameny’s “Gay, Proud, and Healthy;” similarly, Chapter four offers a rhetorical
analysis of Fryer’s “I am a Homosexual.” Chapter five concludes the thesis and explores the
implications of this research.
Historical Background