Harassment at the Wigwam, April 1972
The Cast - Major players identified. Actual historical figures on left.
| Steve Allcock, Disabled Activist C-U Gay Liberation Front | Steve Hancock |
| Jeff Graubart, Activist/Treasurer C-U Gay Liberation Front | Dave Rosen |
| Kathy McCabe, Activist C-U Gay Liberation Front | Gloria McMaster |
| William Stanley, Activist C-U Gay Liberation Front | Winston Stanfield III |
| Roger Walther, Activist/President C-U Gay Liberation Front | Roger Hamilton |
In light of the recent repeal of the cross-dressing laws in Champaign and Urbana, power in the local GLF had shifted from the "consciousness-raisers" to the direct-action activists. Kathy McCabe and Ed Lisowski were out. William Stanley and I were in. My censure by the organization was quickly forgotton on the heels of the Champaign victory. I was elected treasurer and my roommate, Roger Walther, elected president.
On March 31st, 1972, management of a campus bar called the Wigwam which catered to hippies, radicals and growing number of gays and lesbians, began a campaign of harassment against its gay and lesbian clientele. Ash trays and beers were dumped on patrons by the manager, accompanied by homophobic slurs.
When we found out, our new militant GLF called an emergency meeting.
Dramatization of GLF emergency meeting in response to Wigwam harassment [1]
The Gay Liberation Front voted to have a "Stonewall" at the Wigwam. I found this cool yellow helmet at the Woolworths with the word GAY printed accross the front that I wore for the occaision. Why it was made and for whom, I have no idea. It was the only helmet on the toy shelf.
On April 8th, over 20 of us marched over from the Illini Union to the Wigwam and took up four or five tables. As it turned out, the manager responsible for the attacks was not present and we were all treated with the utmost courtesy. Slowly we began to filter out, considering it a victory, until there were just four of us left. And then, it happened.
Dramatization of late night April 8th at the Wigwam [2]
The anti-gay attacks that occurred late that night outraged all of us in the Gay Liberation Front. We decided to call for a boycott of the Wigwam and scheduled a picket for Thursday, April 13th, Saturday, April 15th and Sunday, April 16th, 1972. The picket on Thursday night went without incident. But we got a lot of favorable publicity. On Friday April 14th, the Student Senate voted to support the boycott. On Saturday, April 15th, The Daily Illini, the student newspaper wrote an editorial supporting the boycott.[3]
The picket on Saturday night, April 15th, would lead to events that changed my life and had repercussions for the nationwide gay liberation movement.
References
Contact Person
Jeff Graubart jeffgrau@rcn.com
