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In the United States, the 1920s was a decade of social experimentation, particularly with sex.

This was heavily influenced by the writings of Sigmund Freud, who theorized that sexual desire would be sated unconsciously, despite an individual's wish to ignore it.

Freud's theories were much more pervasive in the U. S. than in Europe.

With the well-publicized notion that sexual acts were a part of lesbianism and their relationships, sexual experimentation was widespread.

Large cities that provided a nightlife were immensely popular, and women began to seek out sexual adventure.

Bisexuality became chic, particularly in America's first gay neighborhoods.

No location saw more visitors for its possibilities of homosexual nightlife than Harlem, the predominantly African American section of New York City.

White " slummers " enjoyed jazz, nightclubs, and anything else they wished.

Blues singers Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, and Gladys Bentley sang about affairs with women to visitors such as Tallulah Bankhead, Beatrice Lillie, and the soon-to-be-named Joan Crawford.

Homosexuals began to draw comparisons between their newly recognized minority status and that of African Americans.

Among African American residents of Harlem, lesbian relationships were common and tolerated, though not overtly embraced.

Some women staged lavish wedding ceremonies, even filing licenses using masculine names with New York City.

Most women, however, were married to men and participated in affairs with women regularly ; bisexuality was more widely accepted than lesbianism.