The American LGBTQ Rights Movement An Introduction Chapter 2 THE HOMOPHILE MOVEMENT

THE MOVEMENT HE OE HE MODERN MOVEMENT MO TUM AND PERS books gays were sickness for which there was no known cure THE GAY PERSECUTION and police raids of World War II and its Cold War aftermath were powerful warnings against coming out as gay or lesbian . There were almost no positive resources to help one out one sexual orientation . I didn know anyone who was gay . For most of us , it was There was no relevant discussion in schools ,

22 . My churches , or colleges . Psychology books taught that gays were afflicted with a sickness for which there was no known cure , except perhaps psychotherapy designed to turn gays straight . This mental disorder carried with it a social stigma that would bar us from jobs . It was inconceivable that we could ever lead a normal life , much less settle down with a permanent sex partner . Many of us just forcibly shut down that side of our lives . In college I enrolled in , whose in the final two years I needed for tuition . I was acceptable enough to become a Distinguished

. My Military Graduate with a lieutenant commission in addition to my bachelor degree , summa cum laude . I ranked fourth in my Officer Basic course ( out of 80 ) and served out my term in New York , undetected , with increasing responsibilities and top security clearance . After I had landed ajob teaching , one of my promising freshman students didn return for a second semester . He had been arrested in a police raid on a gay bar . The police notified his parents and also the college president , who had told him not to return to school . William 23

24 My DEFINITION OF TERMS Although the terms gay , lesbian , transgender , and ( an , gay , bisexual , transgender , and queer ) have been used throughout the text , these were not terms people predominantly used in and . Homosexual was the term most often used for lesbian and gay people in the era . Many gay and lesbian activists of the and preferred the term to homosexual and referred to their for equal rights as the movement . Queer was considered a derogatory term , unlike the positive meaning it has today . In the and , transsexual became the most widely used term for transgender . Today the term transsexual is used more as a subset of transgender if it is used at all . Donald Webster Cory The Homosexual in America A Subjective Approach published in 1950 was the first book in the United States to identify gay and lesbian people as an oppressed minority group . Unlike most psychological accounts of the AL IN AMERICA day , it criticized the idea that could be cured and encouraged gay and lesbian people to shed their guilt and shame . The book argument for the rights of homosexuals inspired activists of the era and set the stage for the gay rights movement to follow .

TH BEGINNING 25 THE POST WORLD WAR II ERA saw the formation of some of the nations THE MODERN first organizations , including the Veterans Benevolent Association in New York and Knights of the Clock in Los . Although these early organizations had no real impact on rights and mobilization . The activist organization of note came together in 1951 when Harry Hay RIG MOVEMENT helped organize the Society in Los Angeles . The Society blamed an intolerant society , not gay and lesbian people , for the discrimination they faced . Hay argued that gay and lesbian people were a minority group oppressed by a prejudicial society , and they needed to organize to their unjust persecution . At first , membership in the organization grew slowly . Most gay and lesbian people feared they would be arrested or from their jobs if anyone knew they were a part of an organization . But IN AN ERA THAT LABELED PEOPLE as mentally ill and legally criminal , Latino gay activist Julio provided a public symbol of pride , determination , and revolt . theatrical drag performances at the Black Cat bar in San Francisco were a popular theatrical tion in the and . When he was arrested on a morals charge , he decided to be the most notorious impersonator or homosexual or fairy or whatever you want to call you would pay for His lyrics taunted the police who harassed him . He took to the streets in makeup and drag in an open challenge to local morals statues . He led the bar patrons in renditions of God Save Us Nelly Queens , enlisting them in the war against quiet shame and solitude . ran for a city supervisor seat in 1961 , the first openly son to run for government office in the United States . Later as founder and head of the Imperial Court System , created an oasis for pride and celebration , as well as a fundraising force for rights causes across the United States . You do good work , your work will fight your Jose work cast him as one of the most caring , devoted , and fearless leaders in the early fight for rights . JULIO 2013

26 Founders of the Society include from left to right Dale Jennings , Harry Hay , Rudi , Stan , Bob Hull , Chuck Rowland , and Paul Bernard . To avoid the local police and federal authorities , members met in secret at undisclosed locations and often did not know each others full names . My in 1952 , when the Society fully defended a police entrapment case against one of its members , excitement spread about the organization . Society chapters formed across the United States and membership expanded rapidly . The success was . At the Society national convention in 1953 , members forced Hay and the other nal founders out because of their past communist ties . Although the following years saw ship dwindle and the national coalition crumble , local Societies in Washington , New York City , Chicago , San Francisco , Boston , and Detroit among others continued to work for gay and lesbian rights into the in the , but soon grew weary of the party stance . In HARRY HAY xi ) 3003 1948 , he proposed a group founded on the idea that homosexuals were an oppressed minority who must mobilize for civil rights . Two years later , Hay and four others founded the Society . Hay ended his marriage , resigned from the Communist Party , and himself to the Society . Unfortunately , Hay hope of leading a national movement ended when he and his fellow were ousted due to their past communist ties . After being called to before the House Activities Committee in Los Angeles in 1955 , Hay retreated from public activism . In the 19705 , Hay and his partner John Burnside became active in the gay and Native American civil rights movements . By the end of the cade , they had helped found the Radical Faeries , a tribal spiritual ment for building gay consciousness . Hay reintroduction into activism revived interest in his past and early organizing efforts and led to his standing among many as the founder ofthe gay rights movement .

, In 1953 , a group of Society members in Los Angeles came together to pub lish the periodical , ONE Magazine . Hen ry in 1924 , and Lisa Ben in 1947 , had each published gay and lesbian , but ONE Magazine was the to tain production and reach a national audience . ONE Magazine challenged the status quo with ?

a i cover stories on marriage and federal ( to Slater and persecution . The magazine quick Jim helped make ONE Incorporated a leading equal rights organization in the , Besides publishing , the States In 1953 and gain in 1954 organization was the first to establish a public the 10531 the magazine , research library ( 1953 ) provide social services to the community ( 1953 ) host Conferences on rights ( 1955 ) teach violated federal obscenity laws . But in the 1958 classes in studies ( 1956 ) and publish an ( 1958 ) ly drew the attention of the FBI and the United claiming its positive portrayal of homosexuality ) to have gender reassignment surgery , but she was certainly the most famous American to do so , A World War II veteran , George William always felt he was a woman trapped in a man body , Because the United States had no facility for sex reassignment , had the procedure in Denmark in 1951 . Now known as Christine , became a media sensation upon her return to the United States in the early . In an era where the stream media did not discuss identity or sexual , broke the silence by speaking to media outlets , touring as an entertainer and lecturer , writing a book , and having a movie made about her life . Her publicity raised the consciousness and visibility of transgender people to themselves and to the nation at large .

. Mo decision ONE , the United States Supreme Court overturned the ruling , delivering the first Supreme Court decision in favor of rights . In 1955 San Francisco , Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon helped found the Daughters of , the first lesbian organization in the United States . Their publication , 771 ?

Ladder , would be the only lesbian periodical in the United States over the next fourteen years . The Daughters of expanded to sever This 959 fol Hairy , of The , shows the interconnectedness of gay and lesbian activists in the 1960 convened the Of Series . This event included of ONE al chapters across the United States and , in al lesbian conferences . far left ) Hal Call ofthe Society ( front with bow tie ) advocate Di . Blanche Baker ( in wheelchair ) and Del Martin ( right with white collar ) and Phyllis Lyon ( upper right ) of the Daughters of . LYON 08 DEL MARTIN , lis Lyon ( left ) and Del Martin were as committed to activism as they were to each other . Aside from running the Daughters of and its publication , The Ladder , they were active in the Council on Religion and the Homosexual and helped launch the brutality Citizens Alert . They were the first lesbians to join the National Organization for Women as a couple , despite the rhetoric prevalent atthe time . Their book , winner of the ican Library Association book of the year in 1972 , was a tive text forthe burgeoning lesbian rights movement . Later , Martin and Lyon developed into leading educators regarding domestic violence and human sexuality . Together for over fifty years , they were the first couple legally married in California .

. Mo ACTIVISM GAINS MOMENTUM IN SAN FRANCISCO IN 1962 , gay bar owners and bartenders organized the Tavern Guild to combat police harassment of their bars and patrons . The Society for In Rights ( SIR ) formed two years later to push for broader rights . SIR combined social functions with political activities to become the largest or in the United States . In 1966 , it opened the nations community center . A coalition of San Francisco gay and lesbian activists and religious leaders formed the Council on Religion and the Homosexual ( in 1964 . When police raided a sponsored New Years Eve event in 1964 , religious leaders stood with gay and lesbian activists to condemn the police targeting of people . The protest brought about a temporary halt to police raids on Black Cat Bar protest in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles , 1967 establishments and demonstrated the untapped power of coalition politics . In Los Angeles , the report ed clash with police in 1959 at Cooper Donuts , where a mostly black and Latino clientele responded to the harassment of drag queen patrons by chasing officers from the . Eight years later , PRIDE ( Personal Rights in Defense and Education ) led hundreds in pro test when police raided the Black Cat bar in Los Angeles and brutally beat patrons and the bartender . The next year , bar owner Lee Glaze led a crowd of carrying protesters into a Los Angeles police station to protest the arrests in his bar . 29

30 In Washington , in 1961 , Frank and Jack Nichols revived the Society of Washington and fought to reform the federal governments and lesbian policies . The group initiated a massive letter writing campaign aimed at federal staff and politicians , and in 1965 , helped organize some of the first gay and lesbian pickets . They enlisted the help of the American Civil Liberties Union ( which had previously ignored discrimination Claims . The Society provided support to Scan Macy ( 1965 ) and later Norton Macy ( 1969 ) both ful legal challenges to the federal governments discriminatory policies . In New York in the early , Randy Wicker , the member of the Homosexual League of America , provoked mainstream newspapers and magazines to cover homosexuality and homosexual issues . Wicker , and members of the New York and the League for Sexual Freedom , the first picket in 1964 when they protested military security lapses in regards to the confidentiality of gay and lesbian records . The New York Society staged the next year at New York City bars to protest the states ban on serving alcohol to patrons . In Philadelphia in 1965 , the anus Society , a activist group founded in 1962 , led a at Dewey restaurant in response to a decision by the owner to refuse service to those in nonconformist IN THE 19505 . FRANK WAS FIRED as an for the federal government when his homosexuality became known . Blacklisted from working in his profession , turned his frustration into political activism . Although he lost a court battle for reinstatement as a ment astronomer , he helped revive the Society of to agitate for reform of the federal government discriminatory policies . He helped to organize some of the first gay and lesbian tests , enlisted the support of the American Civil Liberties Union for gay discrimination claims , and inspired activists with his fiery speeches and tireless activism . FRANK early battles with the federal government convinced him that the fight for gay and lesbian rights would be forever hindered until the American Psychiatric Association ( APA ) removed its listing of homosexuality as an illness . Although others had broached the issue , his inspiring speech before the New York Society in 1964 ignited a heightened activism around the cause . remained actively involved in the issue for the next nine years , even speaking at the 1971 APA annual meeting , and helping end the APA listing in 1973 .

31 In 1967 , Charlie organized Seattle activists into US ( Association for Social Knowledge of the United States ) which later became the Dorian Society . This organization raised the visibility of the community in the Northwest and provided services to the community through its Dorian House . Bob Basker founded the Midwest in 1964 in to combat a heightening of local harassment and discrimination against people . In 1966 , the Midwest led a picket at the Tribune and Chicago Times to protest the of news and advertising . In 1963 , Frank helped bring together the Janus Society in Philadelphia and Society chapters in New York and Washington , to form East Coast Organizations ( ECHO ) In 1965 , ECHO led small protests at the White House , Pentagon , State Department , and Civil Service Commission , and initiated the in a series of Annual Reminder pickets outside of dependence Hall in Philadelphia . In 1966 , gay and lesbian activist organizations came together in sas City , Missouri , for the North American Conference of Organizations ( NACHO ) By 1967 , the coalition claimed a membership of individuals and organizations . By 1968 , they had formalized a national campaign behind Gay is Good slogan . REED WAS BORN RITA ALMA in El Paso , Texas . Independently wealthy , began his gender transition under the care of sex realignment surgery pioneer Harry Benjamin in 1963 and changed his name to Reed . In 1964 , founded the Educational Foundation , a charitable foundation primarily created to port research and services in , gender identity , and sexual diversity . Throughout the and , supported conferences , publications , educational services , and media outreach on transgender topics . donated over two million dollars to various organizations including the Harry Benjamin Foundation , Johns Hopkins Gender Identity Clinic , National Transgender Counseling Unit , and ONE . Through his generous philanthropy , transgender medical and support services more than any individual or organization in the and .

32 7759 . IMPACT AND INFLUENCE ACTIVISM of this era had limited impact on broader civil rights law . The Civil Rights Act of 1964 covered all Americans except those with disabilities , people , and undocumented migrants . The Immigration and Nation Act of 1965 removed a When the owners of Compton Cafeteria in San Francisco asked the police to run off their transgender patrons , activists set up a picket to protest the treatment . When owners continued calling the police , the patrons turned against the police and chased them from the building . The ensuing riot in August spilled into the streets , smashing windows , tory quota system , but it strengthened the exclusion of gay and lesbian immigrants . By 1969 , only Illinois had decriminalized sodomy ( 1961 ) while guilty sentences for sodomy in could result in life in prison . people still vandalizing a police car , and burning down a newspaper stand . relating I als , lewd conduct , and disorderly contact that sent them to jails and mental because of their sexual orientation or gender identity . Regardless , this era saw a change in the mentality of the movement and set the stage for the successes to come . Before the , there were no activist oriented organizations , no periodicals , and a worsening persecution of people . By the end of 1969 , there were activist organizations throughout the American Northeast , Midwest , and West open rebellion on the streets and an increasingly visible and strident print media . Those courageous activists that came out of the closet to lead this charge risked their homes , jobs , families , and lives so that future generations would not be excluded from their civil rights .

. In 1960 , Virginia Prince launched , the first transgender publication in the United States . Although a breakthrough for the time , Prince aimed the periodical for a narrow audience of married . The first transgender support group did not emerge until 1966 in San Francisco with Vanguard , the nation first organization for kids ( journals pictured ) Conversion Our Goal , the nation first transgender peer support group , and the National Transsexual Counseling Unit formed in San Francisco in 1967 and 1968 respectively . New York City saw the formation of Labyrinth Foundation Counseling Service in 1968 , the nation first organization devoted to transgender men . Although the movement was inspired by the tactics of the Civil Rights and movements , activists involvement in the struggles of other civil rights causes was often fraught by homophobic biases . Bayard , a leading strategist of the black civil rights movement and organizer of the historic 1963 March on Washington , was pushed into the background when his homosexuality became public . Ivy , a founder and president of the New York chapter of the National Organization for Women in the late , was driven out of the organization amid a purge of lesbian members . Not until the 19705 would such biases as black leaders such as Huey New ton spoke out in support of rights and became an force in the womens movement . 33

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