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Sexual revolution (finish changes in the 60s (1970s (John Inman, Mr…
Sexual revolution (finish changes in the 60s
Reasons against the sexual revolution
In a survey out of 2000 people, 18% of girls and 10% of boys had slept with more than 3 people
Also 17% of girls and 33% of boys were still virgins by the age of 19
Surveys by Scofield (1965) and Gorer (1971), stated that there was little evidence that a revolution had taken place
Gorer found the age of marriage had fallen from 25 to 23
Many say it was not a revolution, it was catching up what had been acceptable for many years (Brian Harrison)
Less than 1% waited until marriage to have sex by 1990
We can argue that there was no sexual revolution because only 10% of boys had slept with more than 3 people which is a small minority which is a small minority compared to the other 90% of boys who had slept with less than 3 people suggesting there was no revolution
1970s
John Inman, Mr Humphries's in are you being served? was gay but denied it to the public
Larry Grayson who hosted The Generation Game had catchphrases such as 'what a gay day'
TV shows had
camp
characters where they hinted at their sexuality
Carry On films had camp characters like Kenneth Willaims since the 1960s
Attempted more people to come out
Elton John and David Bowie came out as bisexual in the 70s
Tom Robinson released a song 'Glad to be Gay' and it reached 18th in the charts
Was still illegal to solicit for homosexual acts and organisations such as the Gay Liberal Front
Changes after WW1
The book sold over 750,000 copies by 1931
Was banned in the USA because of the 'obscene' content
Book called Married Love by Mary Stopes in 1918 said that women should enjoy sex
Number of books published which challenged traditional British ideals about not talking about sex
Impact of WWII
Some women had affairs during the war and returned to their marriage when their husbands returned
Many conservative writers were disgusted that this was happening
Mass Observation poll in 1947 suggested that WWII led to a breakdown in traditional relationships
There was more development in the attitudes after WW2 because sex was deemed normal to men and women. Also women were cheating on their husbands meaning people did not really care about traditional values and wanted to do what they wanted
Kinsey Reports
Analysed homosexuality from a neutral perspective
It asked people about their sexual habits which was controversial
Alfred Kinsey published two reports in 1948 and 1953
Lady Chatterly's Lover
Had explicit decisions of sex and its use of unprinted words
Book was published in Britain but was heavily censored
Book was notorious for its story of the physical relationship between the working class and upper class women
In 1959, the Obsecne Publications Act 1959 made it okay to publish offensive texts if it was in the public interest
Book was written in 1928
In 1960, the uncut version was published
Penguin books was taken to trial but they won
Book became a bestseller but there was too much scandal
The joy of sex
Soft porn films such as Emmanuelle became very popular
It was the 4th most watched film in 1974
It was fully illustrated
But sexual contact was not allowed in the film until 1977
By the time Dr Alex Comfort published the Joy of Sex in 1972 Britain was more open to discussions about sex
Publications may have had impact on the Sexual Revolution because it was becoming more transparent to discuss about sex and uncensored books was starting to become published and would attract more attention to these books which people might read
Liberal Laws
An example is the 1961 Suicide Law which was decriminalized
There has been pressure to change laws banning being gay since the 1890s
Number of laws were passed between 1959-69 that they were liberal
There was also pressure to support the divorce and birth control after WWI
Changes in the 60s
Philosopher Bertrand Russell stated that contraception meant old style relationships were now out of date and pointless
Believed in Free Love which meant sex was not needed for reproduction between married couples
Would allow women to have sex without the fear of pregnancy
Roy Jenkins, the Labour Home Secretary saw these changes as part of making Britain a civilised society
In 1961, Britain were allowed the pill to be bought on the NHS
Many people wanted abortion laws to change for a while
2 years before the 1968 Abortion Act, 40 women died and 100,000 were injured from backstreet abortions