CAPITALISM AND GAY IDENTITY

I have to say “Capitalism and Gay Identity” has been my favorite reading. D’Emilio discusses a variety of points and argues a perspective I have never considered in regards to gay and lesbian identity. He explores the relationship between homosexuality and growing capitalism. According to D’Emilio the rise of capitalism caused the reliance on family to dwindle. With the ability to “sell our labor power for wages” work could be found outside the home. Men were no longer forced to tend their own land and therefore the need to marry and produce more children to work, did not exist. D’Emilio says that this demolishing of the family unit was an opening for gay identity. Once the idea of creating a family became a personal decision rather than a required one, sexuality could be something of pleasure and not just procreation. Thus different sexual identities appeared.



It is no secret that the typical American family has changed dramatically throughout the years. Some argue that this change can be attributed to the “revolutionary shift in our economic and social lives”. Let’s face it, computer technology, science, capitalism it all plays a factor in today’s standard family. As D’Emilio’s essay describes, the average family, back in the day, consisted of a mom, dad and seven to ten children. Every day was work and each member of the family had a vital role. They depended on each other for food, water, shelter and clothing. However as technology enhanced it pushed the family apart by giving us the means to be independent.



As we look at today’s family we see that there are a lot less children and often there is a broken home where the family has been split up. Men and women marry later in life if at all and sometimes live together without even being married. The standard American family is based on completely different criteria than that of a previous generation. Although these families are still units within themselves the dependency has dropped considerably. One could argue whether the results of capitalism and technology have been positive or negative but the fact remains things have changed. And as long as technology grows things will constantly be changing.