early lgbt activism in nyc

8/12/2019 Early LGBT Activism in NYC

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I want to thank Rev. Pat for asking me to do this presentation. Ill aim for brevity, hence

a disclaimer: Brevity necessitates oversimplification, brevity necessitates the selecting

some headlines of history at the expense of others. nd yo! know there is no s!ch thing

as one ob"ective historical tr!th. I think my comments reflect what many, if not most, of

the people who were there wo!ld say, b!t there are other viewpoints and different

interpretations.

nyone too yo!ng to remember #!ne $%&% wo!ld be shocked to learn "!st how bad things

were for '(B) people then, how !tterly all*pervasive the overt and virt!ally

!nchallenged discrimination against '(B) people was in every + and I mean every +

aspect of life. or starters, to society in general '(B) people were invisible. Invisible-

)o society at large, we didnt exist, and that takes a trrible toll. ost straight people

didnt think abo!t !s at all, and if they did they tho!ght there were very, very few of !s.

/rgani0ed religion + all faiths and denominations + condemned !s as sinners. )he

government labeled !s criminals. 1o*called sodomy laws on the books and strictly

enforced in all 23 states made that crystal clear, that we were criminals4 the one thing that

was perfectly legal was discrimination of any and every kind against !s. nd psychiatry

branded !s as mentally ill. ost of !s accepted that there was something wrong, defective

abo!t these feelings we had, so we kept 5!iet abo!t it. 6e fig!red the fewer people who

knew o!r shamef!l secret, the better.

nd then, amidst all that gloom, on the last weekend in #!ne of $%&%, in (reenwich

7illage in 8ew 9ork ity, B- 6;- B/B1;


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1)/8


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of those treatments, getting kicked and bashed, hit with flying rocks and other debris, @ha

ha finally fleeing in panic. )ri!mphant rioters whooped and exclaimed, C)he streets are

o!rs- 6e own the streets-D Id say that rates );R


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B!t back to o!r narrative: there was almost no coverage of the 1tonewall Riots in the

mainstream media. 6ere invisible, rememberA I think if any other minority gro!p had

been rioting, it wo!ld have been front*page news. B!t we were not on )7 and there were

"!st tiny little articles b!ried in the back pages of )he 8ew 9ork )imes and the Eaily

8ews. )he little headline in the Eaily 8ews even took a sort of mocking, belittling tone:

CG!een Bees 8est Raided and )heyre B!00ing ad.D

B!t even if the mainstream media didnt get it, it was a tr!ly remarkable feat that in

pitched battles the rioters were able to win control of the streets for three nights. 6hat

co!ld explain this victoryA 6hat co!ld acco!nt for this !psetA ;eres my opinion: it

was the diversity of the rioters, the !nity of the rioters, the pride of the rioters. Eiversity,

!nity, pride. 'ets take a closer look at those H factors.

6hen it comes to EI7


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everyone there now regarded everyone there as my blood, my kin, my people, my tribe.

nd when it comes to the PRIE< of the rioters, in their righteo!s anger they "!st innately

knew + despite everything they had heard from everyone else for their whole lives + that

we are first*class h!man beings and they said we not going to take this ab!se any more +

not from the police, not from anyone. Bottom line: the diversity, the !nity and the pride

of the 1tonewall rioters made possible their improbable victory. nd that very same

diversity, !nity and pride have been the g!iding force for the '(B) 'iberation

ovement at its best ever since, empowering !s to come faster and farther than anyone

might have been dreamed possible 2 years ago.

'et me say a few words abo!t the words we !se beca!se its important for the

!nderstanding of this narrative: 1ometimes terminology, or the lack of it, obsc!res what

later becomes perfectly clear. In revol!tionary times, when people are overthrowing

oppressive systems and developing new liberated ways of thinking, it may take a little

while to artic!late things precisely, to find exactly the right words for what we are trying

to say. 6hat we were trying to say is that every one of the 1tonewall rioters and their

heirs, no matter the reason we were discriminated against or marginali0ed, m!st be free.

1o when 1tonewall*era activists said the word gay, we meant it as a liberating all*

incl!sive word, all*incl!sive + we had "!st coined the word beca!se we re"ected the

sickening enslaving word that o!r oppressors had pinned on !s, Chomosex!alsD. 6hen

1tonewall*era activists called for gay pride and gay power + those words 1t. 1ylvia led !s

so often in ra!co!sly chanting, gay power + I can hear her voice now, C(imme a (D + we

meant what we now, with o!r more advanced ability to artic!late precisely, call '(B)


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Pride and '(B) Power. nd when we demanded, as I will disc!ss shortly, an end to

discrimination based on Csex!al orientation,D o!r intent was to benefit '' of the

1tonewall rioters and their heirs + o!r intent was to end discrimination based on what we

now, with o!r more advanced ability to artic!late precisely, know is Csex!al orientation

and gender identity.D

)herefore, now that thankf!lly we have this more advanced ability to artic!late with

precison, we m!st honor the spirit of 1tonewall + that spirit of diversity, !nity and pride +

and we m!st respect the intent of the early activists by o!tlawing all discrimination based

on sex!al orientation and gender identity. 1o today we say lo!d and pro!d: 8ew 9ork

1tate 1enate: pass (


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committed to take militant action on o!r own behalf, willing to attend weekly meetings

and do hard work, and there were even larger n!mbers of people eager for dances and

social events r!n by pro!d '(B) people for pro!d '(B) people. Bob Fohler, who I

mentioned, was a ma"or fig!re in ('. Bob, a great and passionate activist his whole

life, loved (' and he wo!ldnt like these next few sentences, b!t I have to say them:

('s time on the center stage of the '(B) 'iberation ovement lasted for "!st five

months, from #!ly $%&%, when as I said (' was fo!nded, !ntil Eecember $%&%, when

the (ay ctivists lliance took over the leading role and kept it for nearly ten years.

=nfort!nately for (', its somewhat anarchistic internal str!ct!re was "!st not able to do

what needed to be done to advance '(B) 'iberation at this critical "!nct!re of history.

1o in Eecember of $%&%, less than half a year after the 1tonewall Riots, some ('

members who were, I wo!ld say, the people most gifted with nat!ral leadership talents,

organi0ational abilities and tactical skills, anno!nced the formation of the (ay ctivists

lliance, (. )he spark of o!r peoples freedom that had been lit at 1tonewall and

then grown to a flame at (' wo!ld now, over the next few years at the (ay ctivists

lliance, become a gen!ine raging firestorm. )he (ay ctivists lliance, (, wo!ld

t!rn the promise and potential of the 1tonewall Riots into the powerf!l ongoing reality of

the '(B) 'iberation ovement. 'et me be specific + and I sho!ld say spoiler alert,

beca!se this really gives yo! the bottom line + over the co!rse of the early $%?3s what

( did and instigated bro!ght abo!t two previo!sly*!nthinkable historic firsts that

changed everything forever: n!mber one, for the first time ever, millions of '(B)

people + probably an act!al ma"ority of '(B) people + were PR/=E of who we were,


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felt good abo!t o!rselves4 millions of !s, probably a ma"ority, for the first time ever,

d!ring those years, heard abo!t and embraced the message of '(B) pride4 and n!mber

two, the activists ended '(B) invisibility and forced + forced '(B) concerns onto the

p!blic agenda, across the board, for the first time. 1o, in a n!tshell, ( made !s pro!d

of who we are 8E p!t !s on the map for society at large. Id say that rates );R


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( was committed to the most militant @b!t non*violent and the most effective

activism possible on behalf of '(B) rights, and nothing wo!ld distract or deter !s from

this single*minded foc!s + a one*iss!e foc!s on '(B) 'iberation. In my view, the

geni!s of (s fo!nding members was their ability to devise an internal str!ct!re that

was f!lly democratic and fair b!t capable nevertheless of reaching decisions, taking

action, and channeling the great energy, enth!siasm and determination of the membership

in the most prod!ctive way against o!r common enemies. ( enco!raged leadership

5!alities among '(B) activists and devised a system known as the elected chain of

command at street demonstrations, enabling '(B) activists to battle on an e5!al footing

against highly organi0ed foes s!ch as the police. ll of this was new.

( vowed to end the c!rse of '(B) invisibility among society at large and, co!ntering

the notion that there are very few of !s, proclaimed that 6e re


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horrific tragedy. )he police raided a 6est 7illage bar called the 1nake Pit and began

arresting the people there. yo!ng man who was !ndoc!mented knew hed be deported

if arrested and, in a panic to escape, "!mped o!t a second floor window. 9o! can cover

yo!r ears if yo! want for the next six seconds and Ill speak softly beca!se this is very

graphic. @Below the window was a spiked fence and he was impaled. ;e was critically

in"!red. ore than &33 activists marched on the &thprecinct on 6est $3th1treet.. B!t the

precinct commander, f!ll of hatred and contempt, ref!sed even to meet with (

president #im /wles. )he crowd was ready to riot, b!t there were h!ndreds of cops right

there with cl!bs raised ready to beat !s if we did. 7iolence was averted only by #im

/wles decision for the activists to move on to 1t. 7incents ;ospital where o!r in"!red

brother was to chant and let him know that we were with him.

( then sharply escalated its press!re for the raids on bars to stop, with demonstrations

month after month by h!ndreds of people at Police ;ead5!arters downtown and at half a

do0en different precinct ho!ses aro!nd anhattan. =nder this onsla!ght from (, the

police raids on bars did stop. )hat was a h!ge victory for the new '(B) 'iberation

ovement. )he raids had been going on literally for generations, and now, barely more

than two years after the 1tonewall Riots, at last '(B) people had the same right as

everyone else to gather and sociali0e in peace with o!r own kind, o!r own people, o!r

tribe- 6e had stopped the police raids- I say that rates );R


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been given !p by the city and was privately owned. )he opening of the ireho!se, as

everyone called it, was an iconic moment for the yo!ng '(B) 'iberation ovement.

)he opening of the ireho!se marked what I call the real beginning of (s heyday

which then lasted almost five years. E!ring that halcyon half*decade of (s heyday +

I love that expression, the halcyon half*decade of (s heyday ** , the ireho!se hosted

tho!sands of '(B) people every week for a dynamic line*!p of social, political and

c!lt!ral events in a bra0enly o!t*and*pro!d atmosphere. )he world had literally never

seen anything like it before. It was in effect the first '(B) comm!nity center, altho!gh

that description hardly capt!res the feeling. )here was an a!ra of tremendo!s

excitement palpable in the air + yo! co!ld feel the giddy, intoxicating "oy of first*time

pride and empowerment-

many parts of entral and 1o!th merica.

6hat was happening at the ireho!se inspired writers, artists, playwrights, filmmakers,

scholars. low*b!dget doc!mentary movie called C 7ery 8at!ral )hingD came o!t,

showing interviews with happy, healthy well*ad"!sted '(B) people, and it played in art

ho!ses in 8ew 9ork and in cities aro!nd 8orth merica. visiting (erman filmmaker


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named Rosa von Pr!mheim ret!rned to his native co!ntry and made a movie that had a

ma"or impact in spreading the '(B) 'iberation ovement there in (ermany4 its title

translates into


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respected their c!stomers to start opening the giant discos that came to define gay male

pop c!lt!re + and infl!ence pop c!lt!re in general + in the late $%?3s and beyond.

7ideotapes of (s militant actions were a potent recr!iting tool, and they reached a

whole new a!dience starting in $%?$ when ( began showing them on something

brand new and c!tting edge that was "!st then coming into existence, namely cable )7 in

anhattan. I had the privilege of hosting (s weekly cable show for a while, and I

was gratified at how many people wo!ld tell me they came o!t and became activists after

seeing the show.

)he central facet of (s existence + I sho!ld have mentioned this sooner + was what

we called the CLPD + a Lap was a militant direct action confronting a person or

instit!tion that had done or was doing something evil and oppressive. Lap was the most

pop!lar word at (, and 0aps lived on into the vocab!lary of the next generation $2 or

>3 years later at gro!ps like ) =P and G!eer 8ation. In those early $%?3s years at

( there was a 0ap every few weeks + beca!se, despite the 1tonewall Riots, the world

hadnt really changed yet and the first reaction to (s demand for fair, non*

discriminatory treatment often ranged from extreme hostility to o!tright mockery. 1o

( was forced repeatedly to carry o!t militant 0aps "!st to get o!r lives and o!r

concerns taken serio!sly. /ften these 0aps involved h!ndreds of people on a f!rio!s

noisy picket line. 1ometimes 0aps were acts of g!errilla theater, the more extreme and

o!trageo!s the better. any times 0aps involved storming into and taking over offices +

for instance at ity ;all or a media o!tlet or corporate head5!arters, sometimes !sing


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some clever r!se or disg!ise to get in, other times p!re force or the element of s!rprise +

and then, once inside, chaining o!rselves to desks and other new and creative and

a!dacio!s tactics pioneered by (.

)o show yo! what we were !p against, ( had to s!e + s!ccessf!lly + "!st to

incorporate as the (ay ctivists lliance after the state said no, (ay is a forbidden word.

( had to s!e + s!ccessf!lly + to overt!rn a ban on openly '(B) people becoming

lawyers in 8ew 9ork after the state claimed that a r!le re5!iring lawyers to be Cof good

moral characterD a!tomatically excl!ded '(B) people. ( s!ed + s!ccessf!lly,

tho!gh it took years + to get 8ew 9ork states highest co!rt to r!le that !nder the state

constit!tion the states so*called sodomy law is !nconstit!tional, !nenforceable, n!ll and

void. )hat r!ling came down in $%M3. 6ell over two decades later, of co!rse, the =.1.

1!preme o!rt r!led all so*called sodomy laws nationwide !nconstit!tional..

In $%?3, the year after 1tonewall, ( had the very first gay civil rights bill in the world

introd!ced into the 8ew 9ork ity o!ncil. )this is an extremely cr!cial story

historically )he bill wo!ld ban discrimination based on sex!al orientation in "obs,

ho!sing and p!blic accommodations. /nce again, what happened in 8ew 9ork was an

important national and international trend*setter4 as the r!ck!s we created in s!pport of

the bill here drew attention to the iss!e, similar gay rights meas!res were introd!ced very

soon in many places all aro!nd this co!ntry and in all other 6estern democracies.


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6e knew it wo!ld be a long !phill fight for the gay rights bill, b!t there was one thing

that we felt co!ld be done immediately, with the stroke of a pen. 6e demanded that the

ayor of 8ew 9ork ity, #ohn 'indsay, iss!e an


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like something o!t of the movies, it was like )ar0an-D + as they bellowed at the top of

their l!ngs, Cayor 'indsay, sign the gay rights order-D. ayor 'indsay capit!lated to

(s 0aps and iss!ed the + ebr!ary $%?>, "!st >

years and M months after the 1tonewall riots, we had an


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s a footnote on o!ncilmember (riet0er, in the next election, in $%?H, #im /wles, after

his term as ( president had ended, ran against (riet0er, an entrenched inc!mbent

backed by the political establishment. ;e ran on a one*iss!e '(B) rights platform on a

shoestring b!dget and got a respectable do!ble digit percentage of the vote + leaving the

)7 commentators that election night slack "awed with shock + and paving the way for

)om E!ane, who had attended ( meetings at the ireho!se as a college st!dent, to be

elected to that ity o!ncil seat $M years later, the first openly '(B) p!blic official in

8ew 9ork. )oday there are six '(B) ity o!ncil embers o!t of 2$, more than $3N

of the ity o!ncil.

B!t back to $%?>: the next h!rdle ( faced was to get the city co!ncil committee

where the '(B) rights bill had been referred to hold hearings on it. 8othing co!ld move

forward !ntil hearings were held. )he committee chair, named 1a!l 1harison, ref!sed to

sched!le hearings. 1o one 1at!rday night at the concl!sion of the ireho!se dance at $

a.m., ( led a crowd of more than a tho!sand people from the ireho!se to the

committee chairs !pscale apartment b!ilding on


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)hen it came time for the ity o!ncil committee to vote on the bill. )ension was high.

6hen the committee voted the bill down, we !nleashed a dose of that old 1tonewall

spirit- 6e are not going to take this ab!se any more- E!ring the evening r!sh ho!r, close

to a tho!sand f!rio!s '(B) activists marched onto the Brooklyn Bridge, sat down and

locked arms with each other across the roadway and bro!ght traffic to a standstill + while

other activists disr!pted s!bway service at the ity ;all station, p!lling the emergency

brakes on trains and shoving ob"ects into the trains doors so the doors wo!ldnt close.

;!ndreds of tho!sands of 8ew 9orkers wondering why their trains were delayed or why

traffic downtown was gridlocked heard on the news that it was beca!se '(B) activists

were protesting the city co!ncils ref!sal to give !s protection from discrimination. I

think its fair to say that at that point the era of '(B) people being invisible to the

general pop!lation was definitely over, and so too was the idea that politicians co!ld

la!gh !s off or br!sh !s aside witho!t conse5!ences.

s part of the p!sh for the gay rights bill in the ity o!ncil, ( also had to confront

media enemies who opposed it. 6B*)7 local anchor Roger (rimsby said on the &

oclock news that he was glad ity o!ncil 'eader )homas !ite ref!sed to meet with

'(B) activists, adding with a snarl, CI wo!ldnt meet with them either.D 1o of co!rse

we decided we m!st meet with him, and the next night he was st!nned when ( hit his

st!dio as he was doing the & oclock news. In mid*sentence he stopped and g!lped and

then said in a shaken voice, C6ere going to a commercial. 6ell be back + if the gay

protesters who are po!nding on the st!dio door dont break in before then.D ;e never

said another nasty word abo!t !s on the air.


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B!t the biggest showdown came with the Eaily 8ews after that right*wing tabloid

p!blished a vile editorial opposing the bill and strongly advocating contin!ed

discrimination and hatred against '(B) people. )he editorial began with these words:

Cairies, nances, le00ies, 5!eers, call Oem what yo! will.D ( responded with one of

those two*pronged o!tside and inside 0aps. t l!nch time on a work day, when there

wo!ld be the largest n!mber of onlookers, h!ndreds of !s picketed in front of the papers

head5!arters on >nd1treet . s a yo!ng office employee in midtown, I always especially

en"oyed it when I co!ld spend a l!nch ho!r doing that- eanwhile, more than a do0en

other (ers managed to infiltrate into the Eaily 8ewss editorial offices, where they

chanted with fists raised, blew whistles and generally disr!pted operations !ntil the police

co!ld take them away. 8ever again did the Eaily 8ews or any other ma"or p!blication

!se s!ch ins!lting lang!age abo!t !s.

( hosted meet*the*candidates for!ms for '(B) voters, something that had never

been done before. In $%?H, three of the fo!r ma"or 8ew 9ork ity mayoral candidates

appeared before more than 233 people at the ireho!se on a 1!nday afternoon. s a

direct res!lt of the press!re applied to them there, the three candidates emphasi0ed their

s!pport for '(B) rights in a prime*time )7 debate that night seen by nearly a million

people. )he debate moderator, (abe Pressman, noted with some s!rprise that '(B)

rights had evidently now become a ma"or iss!e, to be taken serio!sly.


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fter a few years, when (s all*o!t non*stop lobbying and demonstrating had

s!cceeded in getting more than half the members of the ity o!ncil to say p!blicly or

privately that they favored the gay rights bill, it became clear that + !ndemocratic as it

so!nds + one individ!al, the politically all*powerf!l boss, ity o!ncil 'eader )homas

!ite co!ld + and wo!ld + single*handedly prevent the bill from ever passing as long as

he was there. nd in blocking the bill, he was acting directly on orders from the Roman

atholic rchdiocese of 8ew 9ork. 1o from then on, every year abo!t >,333 activists in

a (*led coalition marched on 1t. Patricks athedral in an ann!al demonstration to

expose who the p!ppet*master controlling city government was + namely, the Roman

atholic rchdiocese + and to demand separation of ch!rch and state.

)o flash ahead for a moment, in $%M&, $& years after it was introd!ced, and as soon as

o!ncil 'eader )homas !ite exited the scene, the bill became law, the (ay Rights

'6 was enacted- )he (ay Rights '6- Id say that rates );R


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and Rev. Er. artin '!ther Fing #r., from )imes 15!are to the 1tate apitol in lbany.

)hey talked to everyone they co!ld in every town along the way + the local weekly

newspapers, the little radio stations and the people in main street coffee shops. )hey

stayed overnight wherever they co!ld find a place to sleep. /ne night when they had no

place to stay, they s5!atted in a field and were confronted by the farmer who owned it,

pointing a loaded shotg!n at them. ort!nately, he did not shoot first and ask 5!estions

later, he asked 5!estions first, and after listening to their '(B) rights speech, he said

they co!ld stay for there for the night. 6hen they got to lbany, h!ndreds of (

members traveled there in a convoy of b!ses and "oined them to walk the final mile and

rally at the 1tate 'egislat!re. or ( it was the first s!ch mass o!ting beyond the city,

and it set the precedent for the ann!al '(B) lobbying days that have been held in lbany

ever since. s a res!lt of that lobbying, 8ew 9ork states 1ex!al /rientation 8on*

Eiscrimination ct became law in >33H. )he (ender Identity 8on*Eiscrimination ct,

(, at (s behest, the two members of ongress from

anhattan, Bella b0!g and


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behalf + live on national television with millions watching, the first time many '(B)

people across the co!ntry had heard the message of '(B) 'iberation.

/F, lets shift gears a bit. ( was fighting for these civil rights bills b!t at the same

time we had to step !p o!r 0aps to p!t a stop to every case of discrimination and bigotry

we enco!ntered here and now. or instance: 6hen the city )axi ommissioner iss!ed a

reg!lation in $%?$ stating that '(B) people who wanted to get or renew a hack license

to drive a cab had to prod!ce certification from a psychiatrist attesting that their Cmental

illnessD @homosex!ality wo!ld not interfere with their ability to drive a cab, (

members wearing white coats and carrying a co!ch stormed into the )axi

ommissioners office, p!t him on the co!ch and told him his mental illness @bigotry

was interfering with his ability to administer the )axi ommission, and told him it had to

stop. )he re5!irement for '(B) cabbies to get a psyschiatrists letter was promptly

dropped. nd the video of this dramatic 0ap was always one of the most pop!lar we had.

6hen the largest apartment complex on entral Park 6est, called Park 6est 7illage,

p!blicly indicated in $%?> that it did not want '(B) tenants, ( pitched tents on the

lawn in front of the main office, saying we will stay here !ntil yo! let !s live in the

b!ildings, and when the police were called in to drag away the protesters, the activists

cl!ng so tenacio!sly to their t!rf that the grass was literally torn !p. )he ho!sing

discrimination there ended. @Eont tell anyone, b!t to this day, when Ferry and I walk by

there, we stop so he can take an extra pee on that lawnfor old times sake


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In $%?$, when the ity lerk, ;erman Fat0, iss!ed a cease and desist order telling an

'(B) ch!rch to stop performing ceremonies of ;oly =nion for same*sex co!ples, which

the ity lerk called Cillegal homosex!al marriages,D ( members invaded and

occ!pied the ity lerkss office with happy same*sex co!ples in wedding attire and a

big fancy m!lti*layered wedding cake topped by representations of a lesbian and a gay

male co!ple. )he '(B) ch!rch in 5!estion, )he h!rch of the Beloved Eisciple, was

not a etropolitan omm!nity h!rch, b!t its Pastor, Bishop Robert lement, wasQis a

good friend and fellow traveler of o!r o!nder Rev.


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headlines in the emerging '(B) press proclaimed C1ick 8o ore-D 1ick no more- Id

say that rates );R


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needed to reach. B!t when ( called B1 and said Cover the '(B) 'iberation

ovement,D B1 wo!ld say no and hang !p. )hen a teen*ager named ark 1egal, who

was a member of a gro!p called (ay 9o!th that met at the ireho!se, had an idea: he

wrote to 6alter ronkite asking if he as yo!ng "o!rnalism st!dent and admirer of

ronkite co!ld please sit in the st!dio one time and watch ronkite do the broadcast.

ronkite agreed. nd as ronkite was delivering the news to the nation one

!nforgettable night in $%?H, ark 1egal "!mped in front of the camera, right in front of

ronkite, holding !p a poster and sho!ting C(ays demand media coverage.D 8ow );)

got coverage, and after that B1 didnt hang !p the phone on !s when we called-

1o thats it: three nights of 1tonewall Riots pl!s five months of (' pl!s the halcyon

half*decade of (s heyday e5!als the beginning of the '(B) 'iberation ovement-

Id say that rates );R

early lgbt activism in nyc

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