Perry Brass, 2009

Perry Brass, 1971

Coming Out Into Come Out!, 1969-1972, by Perry Brass

Gay activist Perry Brass tells of his work with the Gay Liberation Front in New York City in the late 1960s and early 1970s, including his story of coming out of the closet publicly through the GLF's newspaper Come Out!.

Ed Field, 2002

Neil Derrick, 1963

Neil Derrick, 1962

Ed Field, 1962

Alfred Chester

Ed Field 1945

Ed Field 2007

Edward Field: Autobiographical Reflections, 1924-2009, by Edward Field

Edward Field's autobiographical entries about life, love, and his escapades around the world. This is a considerably revised version of Field's entry in Contemporary Authors, Autobiography Series, Volume 27 (published in 1997 by Gale).

Billy Strayhorn

Billy Strayhorn, jazz musician

A jury in Domestic Relations Court in Dallas, Texas denies Mary Jo Risher custody of her 9-year-old son.

A jury in Domestic Relations Court in Dallas, Texas denies Mary Jo Risher custody of her 9-year-old son. The Risher case was one of many in the 1970s in which women who came out as lesbians after marrying men and having children lost custody of…

The New York Times publishes a front-page story titled “Growth of Overt Homosexuality in City Provokes Wide Concern.”

The New York Times publishes a front-page story titled “Growth of Overt Homosexuality in City Provokes Wide Concern.” The article describes the existence of a homosexual subculture as the city’s “most sensitive open…

The U.S. Senate releases a report titled “Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government.”

The U.S. Senate released a report titled “Employment of Homosexuals and Other Sex Perverts in Government.” The report described homosexuals as “security risks” and wrote that even one homosexual “can pollute a Government office.” The report…

Opening of the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations.

Lesbian and gay activists from around the country gathered in Chicago for the opening of the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations. Delegates to the conference endorsed "Gay Is Good" as a slogan for the movement.

The first “Annual Reminder” is staged outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

The first “Annual Reminder” is staged outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia with conservatively dressed lesbians and gay men marching in respectful protest. This was a homophile-organized protest to raise attention to the discrimination that gays…

Supreme Court rules in Manual Enterprises v. Day.

In a 6-1 decision, the Supreme Court rules, in the case of Manual Enterprises v. Day, involving photo magazines of male nudes, that the magazines could not be considered obscene and therefore were not in violation of federal anti-obscenity laws.

First picket of White House by gay and lesbian activists.

A group of gay and lesbian activists mounted a picket line outside the White House. Carrying signs with such messages as “Fifteen Million U.S. Homosexuals Protest Federal Treatment,” they protested the exclusion of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals…

First "Great Southeast Lesbian Conference" convened.

Almost 325 women from 18 states begin convening in Atlanta for the “Great Southeast Lesbian Conference.” Sponsored by the Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance, the three-day conference was organized around the theme of “Building a Lesbian Community.”