Watch The Homosexuals (1967)

A piece of gay history was recently made available online.

CBS aired The Homosexuals on March 7, 1967. Hosted by Mike Wallace, it was the first major television special dedicated to homosexuality.

Considered a pioneering broadcast at the time (homosexuality was still classified as a mental illness in 1967), viewing it today is a bittersweet experience.

While it illustrates how much progress has been made in the last four decades, it’s also disheartening to realize that the prejudiced attitudes voiced in the broadcast are held by many people today.

Whether it be the idea that gays are unstable, spiritually flawed, or incapable of maintaining relationships, it shows that there is still a long way to go in the struggle for equality.

I also noticed that there is no mention of lesbians in the broadcast, which is not surprising considering that most “discussion” about homosexuality is driven by fear of gay men more than gay women.

Thank goodness for Gore Vidal, who provides a stirring defense of homosexuality as normal.

Watch it below: