Gay Liberation in New York City

A sign of changing times: Gay Power graffiti in Washington Square Park, 1970. Copyright Ellen Shumsky. Courtesy of the photographer.

Introduction

On June 27th, 1969, seven officers from the Public Morals Section of the New York City Police Department raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The raid sparked a three-day rebellion against the police—the largest and most sustained uprising among gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals to that point. And although it did not mark the beginning of New York’s LGBT movement—members of the Mattachine Society of New York (MSNY) and the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB) had been fighting for civil rights for years when Stonewall took place—it did initiate a new wave of activism, one that differed markedly from the homophile movements that preceded it.

In the years following Stonewall, LGBT individuals organized on unprecedented levels, forging new forms of activism that would change the direction of the movement and the consciousness of a generation. New York City was central to this period of activism, giving birth not only to the first gay liberation group in the country—the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), organized a mere month after Stonewall—but also to the myriad groups to follow, such as the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA), Radicalesbians (RL), Third World Gay Revolution (TWGR), Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), The Effeminists, and many more.

This exhibit will focus on the strain of activism that dominated the gay political scene in New York City and across the country from 1969-1973: Gay Liberation. The movement that emerged out of Stonewall was unique in the emphasis it placed on empowering gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals to come out, be proud, and fight back against oppression. But the movement never coalesced around a dominant political philosophy or organizational strategy, and fierce debates—both within and among different groups—persisted throughout the 1970s. Additionally, activists splintered along race, class, and gender lines, with women, people of color, and transgender people breaking off from existing groups to organize around their own identities and struggle against their particular oppressions.

By examining this early period of activism in New York City in all of its complexity, this exhibit will shed light on a critical juncture in the LGBT movement—both its successes and shortcomings—and, in doing so, glimpse at what may yet be possible.

The Activists

The gay liberationists who participated in this exhibit talk about what the movement meant to them. They are, in order of appearance, Kenneth Pitchford (of the Gay Liberation Front and The Effeminists); Karla Jay (of the Gay Liberation Front and Radicalesbians); Perry Brass (of the Gay Liberation Front); Rich Wandel (of the Gay Activists Alliance); Ellen Shumsky (of the Gay Liberation Front and Radicalesbians); Bebe Scarpi (of the Gay Activists Alliance and STAR); Michael Lavery (of the Gay Liberation Front and Gay Activists Alliance); and Jerry Hoose (of the Gay Liberation Front).

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Timeline

June 27-29, 1969: Gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals fight back against the police after a raid on the gay bar the Stonewall Inn.

July 1969: The Gay Liberation Front (GLF) is organized in response to Stonewall

December 1969: Marty Robinson, Jim Owles, and ten others leave GLF to form the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA)

May 1, 1970: A group of lesbians from the gay and women's liberation movements take over the Second Congress to Unite Women, initiating a conversation about lesbianism among conference participants. Radicalesbians (RL) is formed out of this action.

June 28, 1970: The First Annual Christopher Street Liberation Day March is held.

July 1970: Members of the Gay Liberation Front form the Third World Gay Revolution (TWGR).

September 20-25, 1970: Gay liberationists hold a five-day sit-in at NYU’s Weinstein Hall to protest the cancellation of gay dances there. Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) is formed out of this protest.

January 1971: City Council Members Eldon Clingan and Carter Burden introduce a bill—Intro 475—to include sexual orientation in New York’s Human Rights Law.

October 1971: Three days of public hearings on Intro 475 are held.

January 1972: The City Council’s General Welfare Committee opposes bringing Intro 475 to the full council.

1973: Former GLFers Steven Dansky, John Knoebel, and Kenneth Pitchford lay out the vision of The Effeminists in their Effeminist Manifesto.

Exhibit Pages

Gay Liberation Front

Gay Activists Alliance

Radicalesbians

Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries

The Effeminists

Christopher Street Liberation Day March

Consciousness-Raising

Come Out!

Categories

Gay Liberation, Stonewall, New York City, Gay Liberation Front, Gay Activists Alliance, Radicalesbians, Third World Gay Revolution, Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries, The Effeminists, Christopher Street Liberation Day March.

Contact

Lindsay Branson: lindsay.branson@gmail.com