The American LGBTQ+ Museum

Event Details

Join us for an extraordinary evening featuring seven of the original members of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) as they recount their transformative experiences with one of the first major LGBTQ activist organizations, active from 1969 to 1972.

This event offers an invaluable opportunity to engage with some of the pioneers who shaped the early days of the LGBTQ rights movement. Their stories illuminate the struggles, triumphs, and indomitable spirit of the Gay Liberation Front, whose legacy continues to inspire generations.

Doors open at 4:00PM.

Featured Speakers:

• Flavia Rando: Delve into the vibrant visual history of GLF with Flavia Rando as she presents a captivating collection of photographs from the early public demonstrations, vividly capturing the spirit of activism from 1969 to 1970.
• Mark Segal: Hear a powerful personal account from Mark Segal, who was present at the Stonewall Inn during the historic raid. His testimony provides a unique, personal perspective on the event that galvanized the LGBTQ+ movement.
• Martha Shelly: Discover the remarkable story of Martha Shelly, the lesbian activist who not only organized the first protest march in Greenwich Village one month after Stonewall but also played a crucial role in naming the Gay Liberation Front.
• Ellen Broidy: Listen to Ellen Broidy’s recounting of her pivotal role in proposing and initiating the very first Gay Pride March, a groundbreaking event that became a symbol of LGBTQ pride and solidarity.
• Perry Brass: Explore the revolutionary media landscape with Perry Brass, the editor of GLF’s pioneering newspaper, Come Out!—a publication that gave voice to the movement and spread its radical messages.
• John Knoebel: Gain insight into GLF’s commitment to inclusivity and intersectionality through John Knoebel’s stories of meeting with influential figures such as Huey P. Newton and attending the Black Panther Party’s “Revolutionary People’s Constitutional Convention.”
• Mark Horn: Learn about the foundational work of Mark Horn in establishing “Gay Youth.” Horn will also discuss significant GLF offshoots, including “Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (STAR),” which extended the movement’s reach and impact.

Moderator:

Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz has been a volunteer coordinator at the Lesbian Herstory Archives for two decades. She is an Associate Dean for Teaching, Learning, and Engagement at NYU Libraries.

About the New York “Gay Liberation Front”

The New York “Gay Liberation Front” (GLF) was formed by politically-minded gay men and lesbians in New York City in late July of 1969—just one month after the famous street riot that followed the police raid at the Stonewall bar in Greenwich Village. GLF immediately organized a public street march drawing over 300 marchers that ended with a demonstration at the by-then closed Stonewall Bar.

GLF was the first LGBT activist group to use the word “gay” in its name and its famous slogan “Out of the Closets and into the Streets” and many protests indicated the new radical nature of this pioneering group. GLF’s activist politics were demonstrated by its many public street protests against police harassment, mafia bars, the Village Voice, Time Magazine, NYU and many other hostile targets of that time. GLF published seven issues of its pioneering radical newspaper. “Come Out!” Open Sunday night meetings drew over 200 attendees to discuss actions and political directions. GLF thumbed its nose at mafia bars by holding its own well-attended monthly dances throughout 1969 to 1972. Within those same years, GLF inspired the formation of over 100 new gay liberation organizations around the US and several European countries.

Most famously, in late 1969 GLF proposed holding a major street march on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. This led to GLF organizing the first “Christopher Street Liberation Day March” held on June 28, 1970. An estimated 5,000 marchers walked from the Village and up 6th Avenue to Central Park—thus giving birth to today’s hundreds of public LGBTQ Pride Marches that continue to give visibility and validation to millions of participants in nations around the world.

Consciously formed as a political “umbrella group,” over the next two years GLF gave birth to spin-off groups including Radicalesbians, Street Transvestites Action Revolutionaries (STAR), the Third World Revolutionary Party and many other groups covering the entire range of LGBT identities. Its founding work accomplished, GLF disbanded at the end of 1972.

Accessibility

We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please reach out with any questions, requests or needs to info@americanlgbtqmuseum.org. For more information about accessibility at The Center, please visit this page.