Kameny, Frank, 1925-2011

Gay rights activist, of Washington, D.C.

From the description of Frank Kameny-George Painter correspondence, 1981-1997. (Historical Society of Washington, Dc). WorldCat record id: 70959511

Gay rights activist. Full name: Franklin E. Kameny.

From the description of Frank Kameny papers, 1843-2006 (bulk 1957-1996). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 75382965

Biographical Note

• 1925, May 21: Born, New York, N.Y.
• 1943 - 1946 : Served in U.S. Army during World War II with combat duty in Germany
• 1956: Ph.D. in astronomy, Harvard University, Boston, Mass.
• 1957: Dismissed from the U.S. Army Map Service on charges of homosexual activity
• 1957 - 1961 : Appealed dismissal through government review boards and the federal courts up to the U.S. Supreme Court which declined his appeal for review
• 1961: Founded the Mattachine Society of Washington
• 1962 - 1990s : Served as counsel or representative for applicants charged with homosexual activity before a variety of federal administrative review boards, specializing in federal employment, security clearance, and military discharge cases
• 1963: Began campaigning for the removal of homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual of mental disorders (delisted in 1973), the reversal of the U.S. Civil Service Commission's exclusion of homosexuals from federal employment (ban lifted in 1975), the revocation of the District of Columbia's sodomy laws (repealed in 1993), and the retraction of policies denying national security clearances to homosexuals (completed in 1995) Cofounded the East Coast Homophile Organizations, an alliance of homophile organizations focused on legal reforms and education
• 1965: Led first public protests for gay rights at the White House; expanded the picketing to include the Pentagon, State Department, and the U.S. Civil Service Commission Organized first of several annual July 4th demonstrations for gay rights at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pa.
• 1968: Coined and promoted the slogan “Gay Is Good”
• 1971: Campaigned for the District of Columbia's nonvoting delegate seat as the first openly gay candidate for the U.S. Congress; following the election, the campaign committee formed the Gay Activist Alliance of Washington D.C.
• 1972: Delegate, Democratic National Convention
• 1973: Founding board member, National Gay Task Force
• 1975: Appointed as a commissioner on the District of Columbia's Commission on Human Rights
• 1977: Attended White House meeting as one of several representatives from the National Gay Task Force
• 1978: Alternate to Mid-Term Democratic Convention
• 1981: Delegate, District of Columbia Statehood Constitutional Convention
• 1988: Received the Durfee Award

From the guide to the Frank Kameny Papers, 1843-2006, (bulk 1957-1996), (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)