Male prostitution in the twentieth century: pseudohomosexuals, hoodlum homosexuals, and exploited teens.
Male prostitution altered its form dramatically over the course of the twentieth century. While some of these changes relate to economics and general cultural shifts (the Depression of the 1930s, the rise of a counterculture during the 1960s and 70s), some of the most important changes have arisen in response to transformations in the idea of "homosexuality," and the growing influence this idea had within middle-class and then working-class culture. This essay identifies the diverse forms male prostitution has taken since the late-Victorian period, and also examines the way in which male prostitution has been written about by various commentators in different eras.
Kaye
Kerwin
K
American Studies Program, New York University, USA. kab316@nyu.edu
D000293:Adolescent; D005060:Europe; D049673:History, 20th Century; D018453:Homeless Youth; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011477:Sex Work / Q000266:history*; D012922:Social Change; D014481:United States