The Stonewall Riots of 1969 have long been considered the birth of the LGBT-rights movement. But there were events years before that helped strengthen the community and blazed a trail for the Stonewall protestors to follow.
In celebration of Pride month and Logo’s Trailblazers special on June 26, here are five pre-Stonewall events that helped shape gay rights.
Watch the first-ever Trailblazers special on Logo, June 26 at 9pm.
Founding of the Mattachine Society
1950
One of the earliest gay—or “homophile” as the were called then—organizations in the U.S. was founded by L.A. activist Harry Hay and a group of close friends hoping to end persecution by police, politicians and the general public and present homosexuals as a distinct cultural group worthy of respect.
While their activism was less militant than later groups, Mattachine published newsletters, assisted members in legal straits and created the first national LGBT-activism network with chapters around the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment