Raid to Rally – 1969 to 1970

Raid to Rally – 1969 to 1970

By the late 1960s, Atlanta’s lesbian and gay scene existed alongside established yet quiet social networks of women and men. Both segregated according to race, gender, age, and class. For older generations of gay women and men, private house parties, backyard barbeques, and Sunday dinners remained primary means of socializing. For younger women and men or those willing to venture out publicly, popular lounges, restaurants, and taverns catered to sexually diverse clientele, while an increasing number of establishments served a nearly exclusive gay base. Among those listed in the 1969 International Gay Guide are the Blue Room in the American Motel and Cameo Lounge on Spring Street; Dupree’s Lounge and Restaurant, Joy Lounge, and Mrs. P’s on Ponce de Leon Avenue; the Club South Baths; and the Prince George Inn.

Billy Jones, top center, performs as Phyllis Killer during a Miss Joy Lounge pageant in 1968. The Joy Lounge opened on Ponce de Leon Avenue near Mrs. P's around 1967. Dupree's, a bar that catered to working class lesbians, was located a few blocks away on Ponce. These bars were among the first in the city to cater exclusively to gays and lesbians. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

Richard Kavanaugh, pictured driving the car on the left, socializes with friends at Piedmont Park, a popular cruising site, 1969. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center

In early August 1969, just weeks after the New York City Stonewall riots, Atlanta police raided a local theatre during a screening of Andy Warhol’s Lonesome Cowboys[1]. In addition to arresting the projectionist and confiscating the film print, the police photographed those they believed to be homosexual. Shortly after the event, a group of concerned young gay women and men meet and later formed the Georgia Gay Liberation Front. The Great Speckled Bird, the city’s underground newspaper, reported on the raid, news of gay liberation activities in New York and San Francisco, and what was the beginning of Atlanta’s gay rights movement.

Letter to the editor referencing the Lonesome Cowboy raid, Great Speckled Bird, 11 August 1969. Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

Advertisement for Mattachine International, Great Speckled Bird, 15 September 1969. Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

Classified ad for Mattachine International, Great Speckled Bird, 13 October 1969. Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

During the 1950s and most of the 1960s, no known homophile organizations existed in Atlanta to advocate for social change. As the 1960s came to an end, the city’s older system of quiet accommodation existed side-by-side with a younger, more vocal, and more visible model influenced by various social and cultural movements. As the 1970s unfolded, private and public life changed dramatically for the city’s gay populace.

Review of Club Centaur, Great Speckled Bird, 11 May 1970. Located at the corner of Peachtree and Eleventh Streets in Midtown, the heart of the Atlanta's hippie scene, this short-lived club became well known for its outrageous drag shows backed by a live band and featuring performers like Phyllis Killer and Diamond Lil. Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

Postcard, Diamond Lil, circa 1970. Thoughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Diamond Lil performed at numerous gay venues and wrote for the the Great Speckled Bird. He continues to perform in Atlanta. Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

This pamphlet, one of many in the possession of James Kambourian, a member of the Committee on Gay Education at the University of Georgia in the early 1970s, exemplifies the proliferation of gay liberation across the country. Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

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