Existing comment:
Emergence of the Gay Community
Although never absent from society, gay men and women had long been vilified, declared mentally ill, and made into criminals for private behavior. A sudden transformation in consciousness came in 1969 with the Stonewall riots in New York City, when patrons at a gay bar defied police harassment and fought back. The riots reverberated around the country, and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community came out and became a more unified and political voice.
In Washington, Franklin Kameny and the Mattachine Society had been pioneers in pioneer gay activism since the 1960s. In 1971, DC's Gay and Lesbian Gay Activist Alliance (GLAA) organized to secure "full rights and privileges" for gay people. In 1972, the DC School Board banned discrimination on sexual orientation -- the first US city to do so. And in 1973, Mayor Washington signed DC legislation against gay discrimination in housing, public accommodation, bank credit, and employment.
Public expressions of the gay lifestyle became more evident. Bars, safe houses, baths, and stores catering to gay sensibilities and gay literature became staples of Washington street life. |