Homosexuality has been a part of the world since the beginning of time. It was practiced by ancient civilizations through modern times. It wasn't until the last several hundred years that it became a problem for certain members of society. During the mid to late 1800's, European public officials took note of a trend of some citizens focusing less on intercourse for family propagation and more as a form of simple pleasure. Historians feel this was in part due to the post-Industrial Revolution lifestyle that pushed people into cities and away from family farms, where societal models such as religious devotions and arranged marriage were not as common as they once were. Trying to understand and control this, public officials studied and then characterized and grouped people as different types of sexual deviants, one of which was homosexuals. It was after this that a public outcry regarding homosexuals began. Medically, religiously, legally, people tried to intercede on behalf of homosexuals. This continued through the decades in many areas of the world, most notably being the Nazi attempt to destroy homosexuals by sending them to die in camps with the other disparate people of society. Sadly, American history for homosexual culture and politics, while even briefer than Europe's, is no better. In the United States, the historically largest communities for gay and lesbian citizens have always been New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. As in the post-Industrial Revolution days of Europe, many people migrated to big cities looking for work after the fall of the family farmer. After moving to a bigger cities, as in Europe, they were typically living in a less traditional lifestyle, often times in same sex living arrangements such as military barracks or industrial shared apartments. People that already had homosexual feelings found themselves in a situation with other like-minded people, away from the ever watchful eye of judgmental families and churches.
