Frank Kameny Has Died

Frank Kameny died yesterday in his home. The cause of death is not yet known.

Kameny was a Harvard PhD, but was fired from his federal government job more than fifty years ago when it was discovered that he was gay. But Kameny didn't choose to hide, even after being outed and  fired. He took that discharge and began the fight that has led us to where we are today, even though there is still much to do.

Years before there was any such things as a gay rights movement, when we still lived in the shadows and hid in closets, Frank Kameny began to stand up for the gay and lesbian community. Even when the idea that one was homosexual could lead to being fired, or losing your home, or even physical violence, Frank Kameny worked to increase the acceptance of gay men and lesbians in mainstream American society and to win recognition of equality under the law.

At times he was a one-man protest group, marching in front of government buildings demanding to be treated equally, and to be recognized as a gay man, and a person of worth. In fact, many of the protest signs he carried in front of the White House are on display at the Smithsonian Institution, including one of his most famous, which simply read: "Gay is Good". In addition to the White House, he picketed at the State Department and at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. He did not accept his federal dismissal without a fight, appealing through the courts and writing his own briefs.

Kameny started a fight, started a dialogue, started a war; he won attention and respect in a vigorous but unsuccessful campaign he waged 40 years ago for election as the District’s non-voting delegate to Congress.

His death, apparently on National Coming Out Day, should be an inspiration to us all to continue the fight, to come out and be recognized, and to demand equality under the law.

Frank Kameny died yesterday but his fight, our fight, continues. Let's do what we can to make him proud.

other ISBL Posts about Frank Kameny:
It's as If We Don't Exist

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