Organizing Politically: Fighting for Our Rights
While women all over the United States were joining together to make a positive difference in the lives of women, including lesbians, another woman’s impact was also being felt throughout the United States. In June 1977, Anita Bryant successfully campaigned to repeal the gay rights provision within the anti-discrimination human rights ordinance in Dade County, Florida. Bryant formed an organization “Save the Children” that was based on her belief homosexuality was sinful and that homosexual "recruited" children into their sinful "lifestyle.". The day after the gay rights protection was repealed, Bryant sang in Norfolk. Protesters showed up in Norfolk to take a stand, including people from Richmond and Norfolk. Bryant’s campaign was publicized nationally and her visits to Virginia spurned Richmond citizens to action. Following the June protest, several organizations began meeting in Richmond.
On October 8, 1977, Bryant performed at the Robbins Center at the University of Richmond, sponsored by the University of Richmond and the First Baptist Church. Instead of staging a formal protest, most of the Richmond LGBTQ community chose to respond with a positive self affirming action: the city’s first organized Gay Pride Rally was held at Monroe Park on the campus of VCU. The keynote was given by author and activist Karla Jay. The rally participants capped off the event with a reception at the Pace Memorial United Methodist Church and a dance at the Sheraton. In a conversation with Beth Marschak, she emphasized that the coalition of groups that had come together, including RLF, wanted to focus on a positive message to counter Bryant’s message and not focus on Bryant herself.
Although the primary response of the community was the rally, several members of the community did attend the performance and confronted Bryant at the UR concert. Neil Parsons and Bruce Garnett were 2 gay men that confronted Bryant. Parsons told Bryant how she was hurting gay people and Garnett argued religion and the bible with Bryant and her husband. Their words must have made an impression because Bryant was later to mention the incident in an interview with Playboy. In a conversation with Neal, he noted that his response to the comments made by Bryant was also published in Playboy; he had responded with a letter to the editor because Bryant’s recollections of the event twisted what he and Garnett had said. Weeks after the confrontation, October, 22, 1977, Parsons and Garnett, along with Tony Segura, continued their activism, helping to form the Richmond Gay Rights Association (GRA or RGRA).
The Richmond Gay Rights Association formed to “formulate action programs aimed at the repeal, enactment and modification of laws and ordinances affecting the gay and lesbian community and to formulate educational and cultural programs to promote the general community welfare.” Specifically, the group protested actions by the local police departments vice squads on the "block," the perception was that police officers "entrapped" gay men enticing them to suggest sexual acts and then arresting them. The GRA also spoke in support of adding sexual orientation to the Richmond Human Rights Ordinance. Meetings were held at 1406 Floyd Avenue two times a month.
The City of Richmond passed a solicitation law in 1975. According to the 1975 law, “police can arrest anyone for soliciting sex by ‘word, sign or gesture’ or through any lewd, lascivious and indecent act.” The April 1978 edition of Our Own (Vol 2, #9) reported Richmond citizens harassed for solicitation on “The Block,” the gay male cruising area. The law was designed to reign in local massage parlors, but by 1978 was increasingly used by the police to arrest gay men for solicitation, following an increase in vice squad patrols. The GRA wanted to specifically to protest the perceived entrapment of gays by the local police vice squads.
In addition to the GRA another group formed partially in response to Bryant and the atmosphere of fear and hate that Bryant’s campaign engendered, the Virginia Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights formed in February 1978. The board consisted for 8 men and 8 women from across the state with Richmond’s own Barbara “Bobbi” Weinstock serving as the temporary chair. The group principally served as the state’s LGBTQ information and communications network. The May 1978 edition of Our Own, reported on the formation of the Political Action Committee of the VCLGR and 2 priorities were set: 1) removal of the word “homosexual” from ABC regulations which forbid serving alcohol beverages to or hiring “known homosexuals;” and 2) to repeal the state sodomy law. An education committee was also formed to provide support to campus groups and promote understanding of homosexuality in the “non-gay” community.
Another stated goal of the GRA was to add sexual orientation to the Richmond Human Rights Ordinance and members of the Virginia Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights also worked to support this goal. In 1978, the Richmond Human Rights Commission began forming the text for a new human rights ordinance to amend the City Code of 1975. At the June 6 meeting a number of people spoke for inclusion of sexual orientation in the language. Some of the speakers for the inclusion were: Beth Marschak of the Third District Women’s Political Caucus, Bruce Garnett of the Richmond Gay Rights Association (GRA), Barbara Weinstock of the Virginia Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights and Reverend Ed Meeks “Pope” Gregory. Members of RLF chose to step up and speak for the ordinance as members of other groups they were involved with in order to indicate the widespread organizational support for the ordinance. The Richmond Human Rights Commission endorsed the inclusive language.
City Council woman, Willie Dell, introduced the ordinance to city council, and three public hearings were held, where members of the GRA and VCLGR spoke up. On May 29, 1979, Richmond City Council approved the ordinance with “sexual orientation” and “ancestry” removed from the list of protected classes. Over 30 years later, there is still no inclusive human rights ordinance in place in Richmond. <comments />
