The Pansy Crazy

An Explicit Explanation

In the early 20^th century, Pansy Craze was an expression which was used to illustrate and describe places such as clubs where gay performers used to hang around. These performers eventually came to be known as Pansy performers.  The term was so common that it gained a great deal of popularity in the United States within a very short time span. For instance, perfumers like Ray Bourbon, and Gene, alias Malin, Bruz Fletcher, and Bert Savoy were well connected with the term pansy craze. Prominent historians and various schools of thought argue that the eruption of this new way of life was due to the ban of relationships involving persons of the same sex. And it due to this implication that later this situation came to be referred to as the era of anything Goes.

Furthermore, according to Barrios, during that time that liquor was illegal and every speakeasy appeared all over the place. Performances were also common during this time where they were experienced in the village and later in the New York City. After the ban was lifted, many of these pansy performers found themselves without any more favors and they were miserable during this period. Many of the performers realized that they lacked style. Although this was the case, they had already set the stage for other performers like Jim Bailey, and RuPaul.

In the period of 1920s, there was recurrent flirting with homosexuals in a Broadway but the original performers were found in small and irrelevant villages in the country where else others were found in Harlem. The popularity of prohibition, led to the loss of inhibition and this propagated the fact of performers being liked in every club in the country and more so New York City.

Many actors were obliged to put on clothes that they did not like them at all. Some were forced to wear a tuxedo and point to high gowns.  The unfortunate thing is the fact that the gowns were hanging on them from behind them and this humiliated them.

While there was a restraint of male engaging in gay activities in the 20^th century, there was proscription which limited the salons which were private. During that period lesbians were not as active as gay in this activity. The dancehall was the only safe haven for those who were not financially stable. To some extent, Pansy Craze played a significant role of ensuring those people involved in such activities come were never embarrassed about their actions. It was also in this period that the society accommodated this wild culture. It has been argued that the governors of the city and other officials colluded to create a sophisticated environment by allowing these people to continue with their activities.

There was a defined pattern of lesbians and gays during those days and what passed as gays and lesbians was accepted then. Chauncey explains the fact that most women who act as gay are actually men who have been trapped in female bodies. Then there was the Oscar Wilde scandal; it brought some revolutions in this field where the men became bold enough to call their mates "she". The representative of the same-sex relationship in these films shows a tip of how they were treated in the real world⁵. Most of the characters in the early movies who acted the roles of same-sex relationships did so to fight for the freedom of their colleagues

Another feature great feature that is depicted of the gays and lesbians is that they have a unique, ambiguous relationship between the act of gay and switching gender. The act of cross-dressing has never been seen to go on one direction; there have always been different courses for this behavior among the gays and lesbians. The common behavior where a woman dresses like a man and vice versa is common in Pansy Craze. In genera situation, one is accepted and the other is ridiculed⁶.

In conclusion, there have been a lot that have passed by since the intrusion of this strange behavior in our society.  With time, this behavior has come to be accepted in the society. In the films, the gays and lesbians are struggling to make their names known in the so as to be accepted in the society.