The History of Sexuality a Case of Augustus Granville Dill (1881 – 1956)
Augustus Granville dill, born in 1881 in Ohio, was an individual who was involved in different kinds of professions (Bragg, 2020). Most importantly, he was a sociologist and business management professional who worked with/for W.E.B Du Bois, the co-founder of the national association for the advancement of people of colour (NAACP). One of his most famous works was The crisis, Du Bois’s journal, published in 1913. He was also involved in the publication of the brownies’ book a children’s magazine that made its debut in the late 1920s. He represented the 10% of the university/college-educated black population that web du Bois described as the pioneers of civil rights movements in the united states. Dill, who graduated from the University of Atlanta in 1906 and another one from the Havard University in 1906 was among the few young Americans who were visible in America at a time when racism was at its peak.
What makes Dill the perfect subject for analyzing the changes in LGBT rights from the 20th century to present is that he was a victim of the violations of rights against LGBTs that was going on during the jim crow era in the united states. He is also a representation of the prevalence of humhttps://sharksavewriters.com/of-our-spiritual-strivings-by-du-bois/an rights violations against African American LGBTs. He is an individual who played a crucial role in shaping the history of LGBT rights in the U.S. during the era of jim crow (Bragg, 2020). He was not only a close colleague of Du Bois’s but also a player in the events that articulated the equality in rights for Americans of colour. He attended many conferences organized by du Bois, including the one that initiated the African American civil rights activism.
By 1920, all of Dill’s energy was committed to publishing of The Crisis, a venture that they had started together with du Bois. A turn around of his career as a publisher and artist came in 1920 when he was arrested for homosexuality in a restroom in New York City. This prompted him to resign from his potion from The Crisis (Bragg, 2020). It is widely known that du Bois laid him off citing the attention that he had brought to the publishing house and the negative impacts that his association with a ‘homosexual’ would have on his political career (Bragg, 2020). Also, the fact that employers were particularly discriminative of homosexuality against coloured Americans makes him a perfect example of how LGBT rights have changed since then.
Fast-forwarding to this era, a debate on the discrimination of employees based on their sexuality has been raging in the united states. Discriminatory behaviour or activities against people whether knowingly or unknowingly that make or make them feel disadvantaged as compared to colleagues of another sexual orientation or race is a violation of the united states constitution (Corrales, 2012). However, reports indicate that many openly gay employees have been discriminated upon based on their sexuality more than once. Homosexuality has become the most dominant form of discrimination. Although it is illegal to discriminate people based on their sexuality, studies have shown that employers are more reluctant to hire openly gay individuals. This relates to the jim crow era, during which Augustus Granville dill grew up in that employers are even more unwilling to engage or even associate themselves with individuals who are involved in the advocacy for LGBT rights and equality of all Americans (Bragg, 2020). Most employers are afraid that such employees would bring negative publicity to their businesses/companies, which would negatively affect their performance (Harrison & Michelson, 2017). This augers well with study results that indicate that negative publicity has negative impacts on business performance, gauged in terms of customer loyalty, sales volume, and profitability.
It is also worth noting that the public perception and attitude towards openly gay men have improved considerately since the 1900s. 45% of the people in northern regions of the united states have tolerant attitudes towards LGBTs, while 29% of southerners are liberal of openly gay people (Flores, 2014). Also, public support for LGBT rights has grown tenfold since the era of jim crow (Harrison & Michelson, 2017). Many people who have been victims of discrimination based on their sexuality have won lawsuits that filed against their employers. As opposed to state and federal law prohibiting gay sexuality, most states in the united states have enacted laws that make discrimination against LGBTs illegal (Mucciaroni, 2011). There are fewer cases of employees who have been laid off because of their sexual orientation in the united states today as compared to the jim crow era. This can be attributed to the changes in perception and attitudes towards sexual orientation or the fact that employers are afraid of the adverse legal ramifications.
The analysis of the sacking of Augustus Granville Dill by W.E.B. du Bois and how his case relates to today’s LGBT rights and public perception shows how the issue of sexuality has changed since the 19th century. Most people in the united states have become more tolerant of LGBTs and have even been supporting the actualization and implementation of their rights. However, more should be done to ensure that such individuals are not treated in ways that make them feel disadvantaged against others. Employers should also be at the forefront of advocating for equality for all Americans.
References
Bragg, S. (2020). Augustus Granville Dill (1881-1956). Retrieved 18 April 2020, from https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/dill-augustus-granville-1881-1956/
Corrales, J. (2012). LGBT Rights in the Americas. Americas Quarterly, 6(2), 88-94.
Flores, A. (2014). National trends in public opinion on LGBT rights in the United States.
Harrison, B. F., & Michelson, M. R. (2017). Listen, we need to talk: How to change attitudes about LGBT rights. Oxford University Press.
Mucciaroni, G. (2011). The study of LGBT politics and its contributions to political science. P.S.: Political Science & Politics, 44(1), 17-21.