Millions of Queers
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Fynnley Toppert
Millions of Queers
(Our Homo America)
Analysis
Fynnley Toppert
Hist:1040
Allen Bernstein, a gay Jewish American, with an overflowing number of ideas and
opinions on homosexuals set out to write a manuscript on the public’s perception of
homosexuals.
In 1940 he wrote what is known as “Millions of Queers (Our Homo America),” an
unpublished manuscript whose main point was to treat homosexuals with the same regard as
heterosexuals. These valuable takes from Bernstein were left unread until 2010, when a professor
named Randall Sell discovered the manuscript within a medical library (Out History, Defense of
Homosexuality: “MILLIONS OF QUEERS (Our Homo America),” 1940, by Allen Bernstein,
Pg. 1). Seeing as though this was one of the first texts with popularized slurs for homosexuals, it
was a revolutionary piece to stumble upon. Bernstein, although having relative fame for some
other literature, was able to live out his heterosexual marriage with his wife until her death
before his formal coming out (Out History, Defense of Homosexuality: “MILLIONS OF
QUEERS (Our Homo America),” 1940, by Allen Bernstein, Pg. 1). He identified with the label
as gay but so obviously cherished tradition and heteronormativity in his writings and exposing
him much more openly than he was already with others would have prevented him from living
the life he so much desired. Bernstein was not ashamed to be gay but as expressed in “Millions
of Queers; Our Homo America,” he really felt that being gay meant being lonely during the
aging process (Millions of Queers (Our Homo America), Pg. 97). Bernstein’s views on
homosexuals were in the right place but he was misunderstanding queer culture and what that
meant for his eternity on earth. This also shows the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s being a time where
secrecy and the threat of loneliness lead gay men like Allen, although very happy to have been
married to his wife, to have written how he wanted for queer people to be treated normally all
while valuing the same conflicting core beliefs of tradition.
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Understanding Allen Bernstein’s background is important in understanding “Millions of
Queers (Our Homo America).” Bernstein’s earliest reported queer writings were in his college
days, but his gay activity had begun back when he would cruise for men as a sixteen-year-old
(Out History, Defense of Homosexuality: “MILLIONS OF QUEERS (Our Homo America),”
1940, by Allen Bernstein, Pg. 3). This really began his love for other gay men and their
affections. It also inspired many of the writings he did prior to “Millions of Queers (Our Homo
America),” which were many times denied because of their graphic gay language (Out History,
Defense of Homosexuality: “MILLIONS OF QUEERS (Our Homo America),” 1940, by Allen
Bernstein, Pg. 3). In college, mainly studying history, he was suspected to help with research
studies on homosexuals. These research studies likely took place in the 1920’s and 1930’s, a time
where researching homosexuality was bias in itself. Allen then joined the Army where he got
dishonorably discharged when hitting on a fellow solider, something he would fight till it was
overturned (Out History, Defense of Homosexuality: “MILLIONS OF QUEERS (Our Homo
America),” 1940, by Allen Bernstein, Pg. 3). Keeping these experiences in mind, it is easier to
understand why Bernstein, a very gay man, decided he would be happier writing for the
freedoms of gay people while hiding away in the shadows of tradition.
“Millions of Queers (Our Homo America),” was a revolutionary piece simply by its title
and the time it was written in. If historians, researchers, or scientists were writing on
homosexuality during the 1920’s or 30’s it had a negative homophobic backing behind it. What
set this piece apart was its call for the acceptance and decriminalization of homosexuals despite
their “untraditional” nature.
Bernstein backs this up in his “WHAT” section by saying, “there
always have been man-loving men or woman-loving women. There always will be” (Millions of
Queers (Our Homo America), Pg. 7).
Whether or not it is a crime to be gay it is inevitably going
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to happen because it always has happened. He believed to his core that homosexuals were doing
nothing wrong to society therefore deserved to just be left alone to love each other. Love is
something he made so silent yet so loud in this piece. He does not want gay people to be seen as
sexual deviants to society because to him and many other gay individuals, it is much more than
just sex. Allen believes, “physical sex without love is an empty bauble,” as he says when
comparing homosexuality in humans and animals (Millions of Queers (Our Homo America), Pg.
27). Some may comprehend this as meaning useless with no real frill like loving relationships
between two partners have. He spoke so much of the need for love and sex in relationships but
did not hold his life to the same standard. Although he loved his wife, he was not sexually
attracted to her because he was gay. Leaving readers wondering why he was not listening to his
own factual evidence for his own homosexuality.
The simple answer is that he felt that his life was doomed to be lonely if he was to
indulge in the full lifestyle of a gay man. Allen desired a house, kids, and a job like the
traditional men he likely researched alongside. If he was to live a gay lifestyle, during this time,
it was likely that to him he was never going to be married in his lifetime. There would be no
chance of having biological children because the science was nowhere near advanced enough.
He saw in the military and in college that homosexuals were often treated very poorly or even
eventually committing suicide. That is a lot for anyone to swallow, let alone a small Jewish gay
boy from Massachusetts. Bernstein can even be seen arguing his own point when he says,
“alternately, there is our own future of lonely old age or possibly bickering matrimony” (Millions
of Queers (Our Homo America), Pg. 97). This is saying that many heterosexual couples are also
very much so doomed for loneliness just the same as gay people. This is where the text begins to
start rambling about things that seem important in his head rather than a super concise writing.
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This semi-inaccurate portrayal of what being gay could have looked like for Allen is in the end
what stood out in this tex. However, it also is likely what made him go deeper and deeper into
desiring tradition for himself and liberation for others.
In the time period after World War 1 many citizens in America were feeling sexually
liberated, allowing them to explore new behaviors that they would not have done otherwise
(Caroline Radesky, 9.2 Queer WW1). This is likely why even though Allen was conflicted with
what he wanted to do with his queer life, he was writing for the liberation of others. Much of this
piece has to do with his observations of the gay community, something he was watching grow in
some ways after the war. Men began having close bonds and traveling together after the war if
they were able to (Caroline Radesky, 9.2 Queer WW1). This many times would come with
suspicion, however. Seeing these people trying to live out the lives they desired then getting
treated so savagely if they were to open about their queerness seemed disheartening to Bernstein.
Even with the many positive strides sexual liberation had brought to America after the war.
Bernstein says, “one case of homosexuality in eight treated by doctors and psychiatrists has been
cured.
Half have been discontinued and dropped, incomplete” (Millions of Queers (Our Homo
America), Pg. 150). No matter what psychiatrists or the government did to queer people who
became to open about their own sexual wants, was not working. He believed if nothing was
working to fix them, and it was seen in nature then it must be legal for people to act on their
homosexual desires. Otherwise, this means a natural human’s sexuality is a similar vise to mass
addiction (Millions of Queers (Our Homo America), Pg. 150). Something in today’s America
would never reasonably be comparable.
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Allen Bernstein had all the right kinds of standards for everyone else just not himself
when writing, “Millions of Queers (Our Homo America).” Because he saw others perceiving
homosexuals as lonely souls destine to do nothing special with their lives, he felt the need to
protect them in a way he was best at, writing. The discrimination against all ends of the
community were becoming too much for Allen to just sit and take anymore. This manuscript was
able to show his common decency and empathy for those around him. Every section seemed to
have perspectives from all sorts of observations of people which brought forth endless amounts
of questions for readers. “Millions of Queers (Our Homo America)” was in many parts in
complete defense of bringing normalcy to being queer and decriminalizing it overall. However, it
was obvious that because Allen had a rather tainted view on what being gay would look like, the
parts that stood out the most were those that were rather degrading. The most degrading and
important part being that he feels being gay means being doomed for loneliness for all eternal
life. Even though he feels this way about his own life, he also thinks others should have a right to
a homosexual life because heterosexual people are not held to the same standards. Heterosexuals
can also have loveless relationships, lonely relationships, unhealthy sexual desires, and all kinds
of other negative qualities in a relationship. Allen brings these points up but did not hold himself
to these same ideas. Allen was married to a woman and not able to go too far beyond a sexual
relationship with other men. He was not able to really express his homosexuality very openly
until after her death. That is why this writing is very valuable, it is from a perspective of
someone who was restricting themselves to societies views on sex and relationships while having
the heart to want to speak for others.
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Work Cited:
“Introduction · Defense of Homosexuality: ‘Millions of Queers (Our Homo America)," 1940, by
Allen Bernstein · OutHistory: It's about Time.”
Outhistory.org
,
https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/1940-defense/intro-bernstein.
“Millions of Queers (Our Homo America) [Original Manuscript] · Defense of Homosexuality:
‘Millions of Queers (Our Homo America)," 1940, by Allen Bernstein · OutHistory: It's
about Time.”
Outhistory.org
, https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/1940-defense/millions-
of-queers.
Radesky, Caroline. “Queer WW1.”
“Randall L. Sell with Jonathan Ned Katz: Allen Bernstein Biography (1913-2008) · Defense of
Homosexuality: ‘Millions of Queers (Our Homo America)," 1940, by Allen Bernstein ·
OutHistory: It's about Time.”
Outhistory.org
, https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/1940-
defense/bio-bernstein.
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