Slogan created by Dr. Franklin E Kameny, 1968.
Resources for research on
the Mattachine Society of Washington, DC
and related issues
The original materials referenced below are the generous donations of
Paul Kuntzler, Eva Freund, Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen.
Mattachine Society of Washington documents used with permission.
| "The Society maintains that, in the absence of valid evidence to the contrary, homosexuality is not a sickness, but is an orientation not different in kind from heterosexuality. It aims primarily to combat prejudice and discrimination by seeking acceptance of the homosexual as a homosexual, not by 'rehabilitating' him or converting him to heterosexuality." |
DC's OWN MATTACHINE
Washington DC's Mattachine Society (MSW), co-founded by Dr. Franklin E. Kameny and Jack Nichols on November 15, 1961 as an independent gay civil rights organization unrelated to other Mattachine groups brought new strategies, tactics, and issues to the struggle for homosexual rights in the United States. The Mattachine Society of Washington continues today as a registered, though dormant, non-profit organization in the District of Columbia. Mattachine described itself as an information-education, civil liberties, social service organization.
Sources:
Mattachine tells its own story (undated but based on internal evidence probably circa 1966)
MSW statement of purpose
News release announcing the Mattachine Society of Washington, August 28, 1962 (because the original is slightly larger than legal size the text has been broken down into shorter segments for scanning; this is not the look of the original).
Information for heterosexuals about homosexual issues
ORGANIZING MATTACHINEThe first meeting to discuss organizing a homosexual rights organization took place at the Hay-Adams Hotel on August 1, 1961. The meeting was infiltrated by Louis Fouchette, head of the Perversion Section of the Metropolitan Police Morals Division. Fouchette was identified, exposed, and left the meeting. On November 15, 1961, the first official meeting took place on Harvard St NW in Earl Aiken's apartment. Present were Dr. Kameny, Jack Nichols, Ron Balin, and Bruce Scott.Dr. Kameny originally "proposed some more directly descriptive names ... I turned out to be too far ahead of the troops. 'Mattachine' was in the air, was well known and held in high regard, was put forward by some member(s), and was voted in, in the form, as we all know: The Mattachine Society of Washington -- much later: Inc." (from an email message by Dr. Kameny, April 22, 2002).
DC's Mattachine Society was a membership organization, with annual dues. Though open to anyone irrespective of sexual orientation prospective members had to be interviewed before being admitted. Membership was "open to all adults of goodwill, who support the Society's Statement of Purpose; there are no restrictions as to race, religion, se or sexual preference or orientation." Membership was $12 per year (in the mid-1960s) to anyone living within 50 miles of Washington; $7.50 per year to anyone living elsewhere.
Mattachine members used a pseudonym, as required by the by-laws, to disguise their identities. Dr. Kameny states (in an email dated January 14, 2007) that "pseudonyms were mandatory for all members except me, not optional and merely urged as you state. That was done so that in case any individual member had trouble with a security clearance, and was accused of "obviously" being fearful of disclosure and therefore subject to blackmail, the Bylaw could always be shown, indicating that the use of the pseudonym was required willy nilly." Some of the members' pseudonyms were:
Member Pseudonym Jack Nichols Warren D. Adkins Robert Belanger Robert King Lilli Vincenz Lily Hansen Paul Kuntzler David LeMay Eva Freund Eva Kolodny Jon Swanson John Marshall Ron Balin The members elected four officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and had a direct voice in the policy and operations of MSW. Meetings were held monthly.
The campaign for president in December 1964, as the Mattachine Society was about to enter its fourth year, was a tumultous event in which Dr. Kameny faced serious, and successful, opposition from Robert Belanger, aka Robert King. The election followed by two months Mattachine's hosting of the 1964 ECHO conference at the Park Sheraton hotel. Several early members, among them Earl Aiken, Otto Ulruch, and Lilli Vincenz, opposed Dr. Kameny. Dr Kameny was supported by co-founder Jack Nichols, Gail Johnson, Perrin Shaffer, and others. Bob Belanger was elected President for the term beginning in 1965.
Make It Safe to Be Gay, with FEK, a 1964 campaign document supporting Dr. Kameny for President of MSW.
MSW carried out its work through committees. By the mid 1960s these included committees for:The Mattachine Society of Washington rented an office at 1319 F St. NW from January 1966 but found the expense too great and gave up the office after about a year. Mattachine often met at St. Mark's Episcopal (3rd and A St SE) on Capitol Hill for membership meetings and large events. Smaller meetings were also held at members' homes and at Dr. Kameny's home and office at 5020 Cathedral Avenue NW.Fundraising, Governmental Concerns, Membership, Picketing and Other Lawful Demonstrations, Program, Publications, Publicity and Public Relations, Referral (legal, medical, religious, employment), Religious Concerns, and Research.Sources:
MSW informational flyer (post 1965)
MSW constitution, by-laws, and policy procedures (constitution first adopted August 27, 1963)
DOCUMENTS FOR SOME MATTACHINE CAMPAIGNSEmployment and security issuesSources:Outreach to clergy (through the Committee on Religious Concerns and, later, the Washington Area Council on Religion & the Homosexual)
Blackmail questionnaire
Letter from John Macy, US Civil Service Commission, September 28, 1962
Letter from John Macy, US Civil Service Commission, February 25, 1965
Presentation to the DC Advisory Committee of the US Civil Service Commission on Discrimination Against the Employment of Homosexuals, February 28, 1963
Presentation to the US Civil Service Commission on Discrimination Against the Employment of Homosexuals, November 15, 1965.
National Capital Area Civil Liberties Union on Federal Employment of Homosexuals, August 7, 1964Sources:APA 'sickness' issue
1963 Letter to 1,000 local clergymen
Constitution of the Washington Area Council on Religion & the Homosexual
Press release announcing formation of the Washington Area Council on Religion and the Homosexual, May 24, 1965
Response to Dr. BieberSources:
Is Homosexuality a Sickness? study aid from the Committee on Religious Concerns
Also see APA and APAzap on this website.
MATTACHINE'S PUBLICATIONSSources:The Gazette
The Gazette began publishing in the spring of 1962 as a briefing for members and for the homophile community.Vol. 2 No. 1, Spring 1964 including an account of Rep. Dowdy's attempt to strip MSW of its DC charitable organization registrationThe Homosexual Citizen
The quarterly journal of research and homophile news was edited by Lily Hansen (Vincenz) in the mid-1960s. Rainbow History does not have any issues in its collections.Eastern Mattachine Magazine:
The magazine became a joint publication of Mattachine of New York and Mattachine of Washington, incorporating articles from MSW's Gazette. The following issues, from 1965, carry news of MSW's demonstrations picketing at the White House, Defense Department, Civil Service Commission, State Department and at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The magazine also tracked developments within other homophile organizations in the US and worldwide, media coverage of homosexuals and carried a column by Randolfe Wicker. In 1965, the Mattachine Society of Washington was just four years old; New York Mattachine was ten. Because of the number of pages some of these are large files and will take some time to load.Vol. 10 No. 3, March 1965, including articles on legal rights, handling investigations.The Insider
Vol. 10 No. 4, May 1965, including news of the San Francisco police harassment of a New Year's Eve party and news of support from Unitarian churches in the DC area.
Vol. 10 No. 5, June 1965, including a lead article (co-authored by Jack Nichols writing as Warren Adkins) about the first picketing demonstrations in Washington and New York, an article (by Nichols) about joining the homophile movement, and reports of relations with local clergy.
Vol. 10 No. 6, July 1965, including an editorial by Dr. Kameny on picketing, a report on the Washington Area Council on Religion & the Homosexual.
Vol 10. No. 7, August 1965, including a report on the first July 4th at Independence Hall and an editorial on federal employment discrimination.
Vol. 10 No. 8/9, September/October 1965, including a report on a NY meeting with clergy, a transcript of a speech at the inaugural meeting of Mattachine Midwest, an account by Lilliv vincenz of Mattachine's outreach to the homosexual and hetrosexual public.
Vol. 10 No. 10, October/November 1965, including an account of picketing at the State Dept., New York Mattachine's 10th anniversary and Lilli Vincenz' encounter with straight men in a bar.
The Insider newsletter emerged as a local DC newsletter for the Mattachine Society as the Gazette focused on the wider homophile community. Originally, the newsletter focused on upcoming Mattachine meetings, volunteer needs, and organizational issues. In the late 1960s, the members' newsletter, then under the editorship of Eva Freund and Richard Schaefers, began to be distributed to local gay-friendly bars.
January 1966 meeting schedule, address at Unitarian church, Silver Spring, help wanted
February 1966 committee meetings, new office at 1319 F St NW,
April 1966 pledge campaign, office needs, meeting schedule
November 1966 committee meetings, MSW handout distribution, radio interviews
April 1967 Kameny and Nichols on TV, panel discussion at UMD in College ParkFebruary 1969 MSW training workshop, DC vagrancy law unconstitutional, MSW's new Gay is Good buttons arrive, MSW matchbooks, "governmental concerns", blackmail in DC.
March 1969 Upcoming lectures/programs, guerilla theater, grant seeking for studies on homosexuals, events in the movement, new MSW brochure, project to find counselors for homosexual couples, Harvard Law project on homosexuals and security clearances, recent events "in the bullpit of homophile reform".
May 1969 MSW and NACHO file suit against IRS over employee regulations, John Karr speaking on 'Homosexuals and the Law' at GWU, NACHO questionnaire to presidential candidates, events in the movement, bar owners respond to Gay is Good buttons, minutes of March meeting, new study of lesbians.
August 1969 The Stonewall resistance, straight vigilantes in Queens, the "last peaceful" July 4th demonstration in Philadelphia, court ruling that homosexuality is not a bar to federal employment, Maryland sodomy statutes, Martin Hoffman's article on homosexuality in Psychology Today, and an encounter with the police at Jo-Anna's on 8th St. SE.
September 1969 SIR files suit against Oakland and Berkeley entrapment, review of Harvard Law article "Government-Created Employment Disabilities of the Homosexual", movement news, Gay Is ...
October 1969 new Community Service Committee projects--blood drive and distributing the Gay Blade to the bars, discussion of DC 'solicitation' statute, "How is the Old Establishment Doing", media issues, review of The Same Sex by Ralph Weltge.
November 1969 Gay Blade distribution and the blood drive, blackmail attempt, "How's the Old Establishment Doing?", news of NY's Gay Liberation Front, military courts cannot process civil issues, report on NIMH's "Final Report of the Task Force on Homosexuality".
January 1970 upcoming talks/programs, meeting protocols, Gay Blade distribution, Homosexuals Are Denied ...", editorial welcoming the Homosexual Revolt.