Sexual Revolution In The 1960s

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The sexual revolution in the 1960s undeniably imprinted an important cultural image for North America today. Traditional Christian familial values became increasingly alienated from the emerging liberal worldview that recognized procreation and recreational sex as two distinctive entities. As a result, the landscape of the public presentation of sex dramatically altered during this time; Canada began to witness increased violence and level of devaluation against women, as well as a new pattern of family formation and dissolution. Ministers influenced by the sexual revolution pushed for a reexamination of Canadian law on sexuality resulting in the Criminal Amendment Act. The sexual revolution that occurred during the 1960s can be examined through…show more content…
The magazine was popular amongst woman of all classes and demographics. While feminist magazines like Chatelaine were not the basis for significant sexual reforms in the fifties, they encouraged women to think for themselves; this style of thinking laid the groundwork fundamental to the sexual revolution that was to unfold in the next decade. Starting in the sixties, Canadians began to form families at a much later age. Socialists noted that this pattern corresponded with the declining stability of marriages. This pattern can be attributed to socio-economic factors. Socially, the popularization of the feminist idea that females were repressed in society and that marriage was merely a way for males to exert dominance and control over women deemphasized the importance Christianity places on the joining of two as one flesh in marriage. The feminist empowerment philosophy attacked the puritan view on sexual abstinence, and instead stressed couples' rightful entitlement to sexual pleasure in a premarital relationship, further eroding the need for marriage as a compulsory precursor to motherhood. The maturing birth control technology was in high demand to…show more content…
Up until the late sixties, homosexuality was perceived as a pathological disease. Influenced by the sexual liberation movement, homosexuality was finally reexamined by notable scientists like Alfred Kinsey and Evelyn Hooker. They scientifically challenged and successfully appealed to the American Psychological Association and American Association of Psychiatrists to dismiss homosexuality as a pathological disease. The recognition of homosexuality merely as a sexual preference justified the legalization of homosexuality in the Criminal Law Amendment Act, thus granting homosexuals rights to publicly form gay communities. This helped lay the groundwork for the emergence of gay churches. A San Francisco group known as the Council on Religion and Homosexual (CHR) formed in 1964. The group took advantage of religious liberalism and used it to encourage Christians to reexamine homosexuality by hosting annual symposia on the issue. Inspired by the American model, an Ottawa group formed the “Committee of Social Hygiene” in 1965. Their goal was to establish religious and spiritual connections between the gay and clergy. Their efforts resulted in the establishment of notable gay churches amongst existing Protestant denominations and Catholic congregations. We can see this in the founding of the Integrity Anglican/Episcopal Church,
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