Lake View East in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Frank Kameny
The Legacy Walk
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
1. Frank Kameny Marker
Inscription.
Frank Kameny. The Legacy Walk.
Frank Kameny LGBT Civil Rights Pioneer (1925 - 2011) . Institutionalized anti-gay bigotry during the McCarthy-Era drove astronomer Frank Kameny from his job at the U.S. Army Map Service and into the pantheon of modern LGBT activism. He single-handedly took on the U.S. government – using his own name and face in an era when most gay people could not risk being photographed – to petition the Supreme Court in 1961 in a futile attempt to overturn his job dismissal. Effectively unemployable in his chosen field, he struggled in poverty while an aggressive, pro-active, politically-driven crusade – fueled by his uncompromising belief that “Gay is Good” – took shape in his mind. An apostate of the early Homophile Movement, Kameny rejected characterizing homosexuality as a border-line mental illness in order to win sympathy, if not approval, from straight people. Arguing that “gays must not be a mere passive battlefield across which conflicting ‘authorities’ fight their intellectual battles” – and that they should play an active role in determining their own fate – he co-founded an independent chapter of the Mattachine Society in Washington DC to focus on changing laws and challenging institutions whose policies forced people to remain closeted. Along with Barbara Gittings, he led the successful effort to remove homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental disorders in 1973. A veteran of World War II, Kameny deliberately orchestrated Vietnam War hero Sgt. Leonard Matlovich’s public admission of homosexuality in order to bring the issue of gay people serving openly in the military into the national consciousness. 35 years later he was seated in the front row when President Barack Obama signed the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” into law – ending the battle he had helped to start. Kameny’s tactical instincts – though heretical in his time – foreshadowed political victories which are taken for granted today. In 2009 he received a formal apology from the U.S. government for the original job dismissal that catalyzed his resolve to transform the way gay people were treated in society. His numerous accomplishments have made him one of the most influential LGBT activists in history. He passed away at the age of 86 on October 11, 2011 – “National Coming-Out Day.”
Frank Kameny
LGBT Civil Rights Pioneer
(1925 - 2011)
Institutionalized anti-gay bigotry during the McCarthy-Era drove astronomer Frank Kameny from his job at the U.S. Army Map Service and into the pantheon of modern LGBT activism. He single-handedly took on the U.S. government – using his own name and face in an era when most gay people could not risk being photographed – to petition the Supreme Court in 1961 in a futile attempt to overturn his job dismissal. Effectively unemployable in his chosen field, he struggled in poverty while an aggressive, pro-active, politically-driven crusade – fueled by his uncompromising belief that “Gay is Good” – took shape in his mind. An apostate of the early Homophile Movement, Kameny rejected characterizing homosexuality as a border-line mental illness in order to win sympathy, if not approval, from straight people. Arguing that “gays must not be a mere passive battlefield across which conflicting ‘authorities’ fight their intellectual battles” – and that they should play an active role in determining their own fate – he co-founded an independent chapter of the Mattachine Society in Washington DC to focus on changing laws and challenging institutions whose policies forced people to remain closeted. Along with Barbara Gittings, he led the successful
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effort to remove homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental disorders in 1973. A veteran of World War II, Kameny deliberately orchestrated Vietnam War hero Sgt. Leonard Matlovich’s public admission of homosexuality in order to bring the issue of gay people serving openly in the military into the national consciousness. 35 years later he was seated in the front row when President Barack Obama signed the repeal of “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” into law – ending the battle he had helped to start. Kameny’s tactical instincts – though heretical in his time – foreshadowed political victories which are taken for granted today. In 2009 he received a formal apology from the U.S. government for the original job dismissal that catalyzed his resolve to transform the way gay people were treated in society. His numerous accomplishments have made him one of the most influential LGBT activists in history. He passed away at the age of 86 on October 11, 2011 – “National Coming-Out Day.”
Erected 2013 by The Legacy Project.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the The Legacy Walk series list. A significant historical date for this entry is October 11, 2011.
Location. 41° 56.698′ N, 87° 38.961′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021
2. Frank Kameny Marker - wide view
The Frank Kameny marker is visible here mounted to the rainbow pylon that it shares with a marker for Leonard Matlovich.
, in Cook County. It is in Lake View East. Marker is on North Halsted Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3444 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Excerpt: "Franklin Edward Kameny (May 21, 1925 – October 11, 2011) was an American gay rights activist. He has been referred to as "one of the most significant figures" in the American gay rights movement."
(Submitted on October 29, 2021.)
Additional keywords. lgbt lgbtq
Kay Tobin (courtesy of the New York Public Library), 1971
3. Frank Kameny in front of the Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 29, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 122 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on October 29, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 2. submitted on January 4, 2022, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. 3. submitted on October 29, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
