Irving Kaufman: Masculine Women... Feminine Men.... (1926)

Irving Kaufman (1890-1976) as "Frank Harris" / Masculine Women! Feminine Men! (words by Edgar Leslie, music by James V. Monaco) / Recorded: January 29, 1926 --

Hey, Hey women are going mad, today
Hey, Hey fellers are just as bad, I'll say
Go anywhere, just stand and stare
You'll say they're bugs when you
Look at the clothes they wear

Masculine Women, Feminine Men
Which is the rooster? Which is the hen?
It's hard to tell 'em apart today
And say...
Sister is busy learning to shave
Brother just loves his permanent wave
It's hard to tell 'em apart today
Hey, Hey!
Girls were girls and boys were boys
when I was a tot,
Now we don't know who is who or
Even what's what
Knickers and trousers baggy and wide,
Nobody knows who's walking inside
Those Masculine Women and Feminine Men

Masculine Women, Feminine Men
Which is the rooster? which is the hen?
It's hard to tell 'em apart today
And say...
Auntie is smoking, rolling her own,
Uncle is always buying cologne
It's hard to tell 'em apart today
Hey, Hey!
You go and give your girl a kiss in the hall
But instead you find you're kissing
Her brother Paul
Mama's got a sweater up to her chin,
Papa's got a girtle holding him in
Those Masculine Women, Feminine Men

Stop, Look, Listen and you'll agree... with me
Things are not what they used to be... you'll see
You say hello to Uncle Joe,
Then look again and you find it's your Auntie Flo
Masculine Women, Feminine Men
Which is the rooster? Which is the hen?
It's hard to tell 'em apart today
And say...
Wifey is playing billiards and pool,
Hubby is dressing kiddies for school
It's hard to tell 'em apart today
Hey, hey!
Ever since the Prince of Wales in
Dresses was seen,
What does he intend to be the King or the Queen
Grandmother buys those tailor-made clothes
Grandfather tries to smell like a rose
Those Masculine Women, Feminine Men

The song is referenced in the following wikipedia article on the "Roaring Twenties"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roaring_Twenties

Homosexuality became much more visible and somewhat more acceptable. London, New York, Paris, Rome and Berlin were important centers of the new ethic. Crouthamel argues that in Germany the First World War promoted homosexual emancipation because it provided an ideal of comradeship which redefined homosexuality and masculinity. The many gay rights groups in Weimar Germany favored a militarised rhetoric with a vision of a spiritually and politically emancipated hypermasculine gay man who fought to legitimize "friendship" and secure civil rights. Ramsey explores several variations. On the left the Wissenschaftlich-humanitäres Komitee (Scientific-Humanitarian Committee; WhK) reasserted the traditional view that that homosexuals were an effeminate "third sex" whose sexual ambiguity and nonconformity was biologically determined. The radical nationalist Gemeinschaft der Eigenen (Community of the Self-Owned; GdE) proudly proclaimed homosexuality as heir to the manly German and classical Greek traditions of homoerotic male bonding, which enhanced the arts and glorified relationships with young men. The politically centrist Bund für Menschenrecht (League for Human Rights; BfM) engaged in a struggle for human rights, advising gays to live in accordance with the mores of middle-class German respectability. Humor was used to assist in acceptability. One popular American song was "Masculine Women, Feminine Men." It was released in 1926 and recorded by numerous artists of the day. The relative liberalism of the decade is demonstrated by the fact that the actor William Haines, regularly named in newspapers and magazines as the #1 male box-office draw, openly lived in a gay relationship with his partner, Jimmie Shields. Other popular gay actors/actresses of the decade included Alla Nazimova and Ramón Novarro. In 1927, Mae West wrote a play about homosexuality called, "The Drag", and alluded to the work of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs. It was a box-office success. West regarded talking about sex as a basic human rights issue, and was also an early advocate of gay rights. Profound hostility did not abate in more remote areas such as western Canada. With the return of a conservative mood in the 1930s, the public grew intolerant of homosexuality, and gay actors were forced to choose between retiring or agreeing to hide their sexuality even in Hollywood. (wikipedia)

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