Spotlight: 1960s Queer Icons
In a time of transformation, when our nation is extending long-overdue rights to Black Americans, women, and immigrants, there is one group that continues to be pushed into the shadows— the LGBTQ+ community.
Throughout history, gay men and women have faced devastating discrimination. In Nazi Germany, they were marked with pink triangles and sent to separate camps— a symbol of sexual predation. Even in the United States, so-called ‘sodomy laws’ criminalized love and identity. In New York, it was illegal for bars to serve openly gay people, not because of what they did, but because of who they were. Even for being a “suspected” homosexual, someone could be denied service.
The LGBTQ+ movement really kicked off in 1969, when police raided the Stonewall Inn in New York and the community fought back. The Stonewall Riots were not just a rebellion— they were a turning point.
After Stonewall, many LGBTQ+ activists emerged during the beginning of the gay rights movement, one of them was Frank Kameny. A pioneer in gay rights who was fired from his government job for being gay, and the increased fear of the Lavender Scare. He was a victim of the Lavender Scare which associated being gay with being a communist. McCarthy in Case 62 implied that the men in these two cases were susceptible to Communist recruitment because, as homosexuals, they had what he called "peculiar mental twists." Further labelling queerness as a mental illness. Kameny spent the 1950s and 60s fighting discrimination, including co-founding early gay rights organizations.
After being fired, he initially began his effort with what is known as the first gay rights pickets right outside of the White House. Kameny's protests were often organized and peaceful, uniting the local LGBTQ+ community with a simple mission: recognition for their fundamental rights. After being fired, he was the first person to take it to court and ask the court to recognize the discrimination, although unsuccessful, it pushed others to pursue gay rights advocacy. Later, seized the chance to further this mission by being the first gay man to run for Congress. As Kameny gained traction in his campaign, he also became one of the first to get on the ballot by almost 8000 signatures. His campaign ran on the theme of “personal freedom.” Highlighting liberty and justice for all individuals.
Similarly, Barbara Gittings was a leading activist for gay rights in the 1960s, especially against discrimination in mental health and education. Gittings primarily focused on making LGBTQ+ people more visible and debunking negative stigmas. Gittings worked alongside many other gay rights activists to declassify “homosexuality” as a mental illness under the American Psychiatric Association. She was often discriminated against in her own academic communities and kept out of many opportunities because she identified as a lesbian.
Gitting continued her activist work by joining the “Daughters of Bilitis,” a group of gay identifying women that worked to support other gay women. This led her to create the New York chapter of “Daughters of Bilitis.” Leading newfound efforts in this new era of advocacy and using her strengths by being an editor of “The Ladder,” the first nationally distributed lesbian publication.
Both Kameny and Gittings were a part of the beginning of a greater movement to have the United States recognize fundamental rights of the LGBTQ+ community. They paved the way and inspired many later activists to make their own voices heard. Their efforts continued to be echoed throughout gay communities everywhere. Even years later, their impact is still felt, as during this Pride month, we continue to fight to be heard.
