As chapter 4 of Eaklor’s “Queer America” has started to delve into the emergence of the modern gay rights movement and the introduction of queer influence on American culture, I wanted to focus on one of those influences the community had on American norms. One big influence the queer community has contributed to American culture was the changes in fashion. At this time, gay and lesbian communities started to emerge in urban areas around NYC. The social norm for fashion in this time period was that men were expected to wear pants, suits, ties, dress shirts and women were expected to wear blouses, skirts, stockings, heels, and makeup. As these gay and lesbian groups emerged, particularly the lesbians' take on fashion, led the way for an androgynous type of fashion to be introduced into the media. Lesbian women were seen wearing pants, shorts, t-shirts, ties, boots, etc., which at the time was deemed illegal for women to wear. This carried on to modern ages as there are a wide range of clothing that slide across the spectrum of gender for women, men, and androgynous people to be allowed to wear without having the fear of facing harsh punishment as it was back then.
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