University of Virginia Library

Stressed Repression

The Mattachine Society was
the first to stress the repression
of civil liberties in an active
and militant way. They wanted
to create better lives for
homosexuals as homosexuals.

The Mattachine Society
caused a public scandal when
they picketed the White House
in 1965.

In 1967 the first student
group was organized at
Columbia University and "by
1969," Mr. Kameny stated,
"our movement had grown ten
fold and we had established
that 10 per cent of the people
in the U.S. were gay."

Mr. Kameny divided the
problems that homosexuals
must face into five areas.

"The question of criminal
law has always been irrelevant.
Most states have laws
concerning sodomy, but these
laws don't necessarily apply to
homosexuals."