"The older generation did not see coming out as necessary," he said.
Chauncey said the main reason that gays did not publicly announce their sexuality prior to the late 1960s was because of fear of harassment or brutality.
Of the 140 gay men Chauncey interviewed for his new book, he said half had been arrested for "gay-related charges" during that era and all knew someone who had.
"The degree of policing and hostility was unimaginable," he said.
In response to that hostility, Chauncey said gay men formed their own social world, which he called a "gay alternative public sphere," where they were openly homosexual.
Chauncey said men made their homosexuality known only within this "alternative public sphere."
"Coming out meant to yourself and to the gay world," he said.
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