11 Maybe Cause Things Were Harder You Had to be More Friendly - Elizabeth L. Kennedy & Madeline D. Davis; Race and Class in the Lesbian Community of the 1950s

MAYBE 'CAUSE THINGS WERE HARDER: RACE AND CLASS IN THE LESBIAN COMMUNITY OF THE 1950s

Race and Sexuality: Experiences shared by members of the lesbian community highlight the intersection of race and sexuality, particularly for Black and white lesbians who built connections despite societal prejudice.
Arlette's Experience: Despite facing racial slurs, Arlette reflects on the unity that being gay brings, emphasizing that love transcends racial boundaries.
Audre Lorde's Perspective: Highlights the importance of cross-racial communication, noting that cliques existed but were less significant than shared experiences of oppression.

Emergence of Tough Bar Lesbians: The 1950s saw Black lesbians expanding house parties and desegregating local bars, creating complexity within the lesbian community.
Class Tensions: The lesbian community experienced underlying tensions between the unity of collective identity as lesbians and the autonomy of subcommunities with distinct identities and strategies for resistance.

Cultural Invisibility: As noted by scholars like Gloria Joseph and bell hooks, Black lesbians have been historically marginalized in both gay and Black communities.
Community Bonds: Black lesbians traditionally held house parties reflective of earlier self-activity movements, using their cultural resiliency to foster community.
Struggle Against Segregation: The initiation of desegregating bars by Black lesbians in the 1950s paralleled broader struggles against racial injustice in America.

Memorial Day Weekend 1956: A significant event with racial violence during a ferry ride marked the strains of desegregation and interactions between Black and white youths.
Social Dynamics: Tough bar lesbians were able to navigate multiracial social scenes, often forging connections that others could not easily achieve, showing a more fluid lesbian consciousness despite ongoing racial tensions.

Desegregation Impact: Post-desegregation many Black lesbians maintained their own social spaces, introducing more venues while reinforcing community standards.
New York City Parallel: Audre Lorde's observations of the mixed experiences at bars and house parties reflect the national nature of these phenomena in urban settings.

Conflict of Cultures: The upwardly mobile white lesbian community at venues like the Carousel emphasized discretion, contrasting with the tougher, more openly defiant tough bar lesbians.
Changing Aspirations: While working-class lesbians confronted societal norms directly, upwardly mobile lesbians sought societal acceptance through invisibility, leading to growing class distinctions within the community.

House Parties: Black lesbians frequently organized lively house parties that served as central social hubs, allowing them to socialize freely and express their identities away from prying eyes.
Community Resilience: The parties fostered a sense of belonging, with full social engagement irrespective of racial or gender identities. Participants often welcomed straight friends, challenging stereotypes about gay social life.

Arlette's Leadership: Arlette, a notable figure in community organization, balanced hospitality with social duty, often facilitating gatherings that fostered both support and social responsibility.
Engagement with Allies: Black lesbians also managed relations with sympathetic straight allies and navigated interactions delicately to sustain their community spaces amid external pressures.

Complex Interactions: Despite some racial violence and discomfort, many described friendly, supportive interactions between races within the lesbian community, particularly among the tough bar culture.
Mixed Experiences: Many lesbians, regardless of race, often had racially mixed relationships, challenging dominant cultural narratives about solidarity and connection.

Emergence of Bar Culture: The live-and-let-live ethos developed amid necessity shaped a unique culture that would inform and evolve into more organized efforts for recognition and solidarity within the LGBTQ+ community.
Legacy of the 1950s: The interactions, strategies, and tensions of this period laid critical groundwork for the social and political movements that followed, especially as the fight for equality began to gain momentum visibly in the 1960s.