'Indecent Advances' Chronicles Violence Gay Men Experienced Before Stonewall Riots

"Indecent Advances" traces the history of so-called homosexual panic, starting in the 1920s, when gay men were classified as sex criminals, and lumped with rapists and pedophiles. Just being gay could land a man in jail. “You have to remember sodomy was a criminal offense – a felony in 50 states at the time,” Polchin says.

A closeted life felt like the only option to most of the men meeting furtively at places like the bar at New York’s Hotel Astor, or less-safe spaces such as gay bars (often owned by the Mafia and raided by police) or public cruising areas. Gay men from smaller towns visited urban areas such as New York, Los Angeles or Chicago on business, but also, fleetingly, to be themselves.