The Village and Harlem

In the chapter from Gay New York, Chauncey discussed how African-American communities in Harlem would  police the lives of its members. For example, many of the tabloids and gossip columns of the time would publish reports about a person's suspected homosexual activity or any other juicy tidbits they happened to pick up. This was a way to "correct" the other person's behavior and shame them so that they would conform to social and gender norms. This still occurs on a national and global level with tabloids lie the National Enquirer, websites like The Smoking Gun, and television shows like ET and TMZ that constantly criticize the lives of celebrities and public figures. What would happen if this still happened on a community level with neighbors policing the relationship and sexual behavior of other neighbors?

I believe that if this were to happen in today's world there would not only be a large number of privacy violation lawsuits but what would be reported would also be drastically different. While homosexual behavior would probably still be whispered about and looked down upon, it probably would not be as devastating to a person's social standing as it was back then. Exceptions to this would include religious leaders, those involved in heterosexual relationships or marriages, and those who work with children. These people would, and do, lose social standing, and in some cases, their lives are ruined. It is interesting that even though many things have changed, a lot hasn't over the years.