By Evelyn Bailey
Bob Osborne, Larry Fine, R.J. Alcala, Patti Evans, Karen Hagberg, Marshall Goldman. Who would you say these people are?
These men and women were the Shoulders on which the University of Rochester’s Gay Liberation Front was founded.
This October marks the 40th Anniversary of the Gay Liberation Front. On the U of R campus the group has gone through many name changes, and is currently the Pride Network. The University of Rochester’s Meliora Weekend, Oct. 14–16, provides two opportunities to celebrate this extraordinary event where past meets the present: Pride Network 40th Anniversary After Hours, Friday, Oct. 15, 9 p.m.-12 midnight at Wilson Commons, Bridge Lounge; College Diversity Roundtable: Conversations about Diversity at the College, Saturday, October 16, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m., Gleason Hall, Room 318/418. All are welcome!
Let’s take a step back in history. The Gay Liberation Front did not come into existence out of a vacuum. Rochester in the 1960s and 1970s was a city like many others in the United States. The population of Rochester was shifting from city to suburb, with substantial growth in Greece, Gates, Chili, Henrietta, Brighton and Irondequoit.
The Rochester 1964 race riot took place on July 24 and marked the beginning of riots throughout the United States during the civil rights period. Only after the National Guard was called out was peace restored after three days. This led to a review of old policies and practices which had not changed in 10 years, even though the African American population had tripled, and African Americans continued to be given low-pay and low-skill jobs and lived in sub-standard housing. As a result, the city soon saw its first African American Public safety director. Several African American police officers were hired. City leaders convinced local radio stations to seek African American announcers.
In the mid-1960s, our community also began to address the lack of access to inner-city health care. The work initiated in the 1960s led to a network of Federally Qualified Health Centers, and in 1986 RPCN (Rochester Primary Care Network) was incorporated.
In the midst of all of this social change, the Stonewall Riot took place on June 28, 1969 at the Stonewall Inn on Christopher Street, New York. Gays had finally become outraged enough at the regular police harassment, and fought back! The first Gay Rebellion had occurred!
The gay liberation movement came to Rochester in October of 1970. On October 3, 1970, Bob Osborne and Larry Fine, students at the U of R, invited members of the Cornell Gay Liberation Front, and the Mattachine Society of the Niagara Frontier to speak at Todd Union on the University of Rochester’s campus. The University of Rochester Gay Liberation Front (GLF) was formed from this student group and funded by the University of Rochester. The GLF attracted students and non-students from surrounding areas, and served as a focal point for gay rights activities in the region.
More than anything else, the existence of the GLF brought the gay community out of the closet in order to discuss openly the nature of gay oppression, and begin to explore the potential for united action. The GLF was together enough to present a statement to the Special Committee on Discrimination Against Homosexuals of the NYS Assembly in its first ever public hearing on January 7, 1971 in Albany. Bob Osborne, R.J. Alcala and Marshall Goldman pointed out in their presentation that upstate and small city homosexuals, although silent for a long time, are oppressed by New York State laws at least as much as those in New York City.
“We want to urge that all laws relating to sexual acts be revised, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission be restricted in its powers, and that the Civil Rights Commission and Human Rights Commission resolve to assure equal rights in employment and housing to all regardless of sex or sexual orientation.” (EC, Feb 1971)
A major activity of the GLF was the Speakers Bureau. Karen Hagburg and Patti Evans responded to the many requests for speakers in academic classes, and in the larger community. On reflection, the speakers thought that in all of the engagements people felt good about finally being able to discuss openly a previously taboo subject with people who are willing to be honest about themselves with others. Today the Speakers Bureau still provides the same opportunity
In 1973, a community group formed: the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley took over where the GLF had left off and moved the gay organization off the U of R campus to the Bulls Head area of West Main St. Today the seeds sown at the University of Rochester for gay liberation continue to grow, and respond to the changing needs of our community.
Shoulders To Stand On is proud to congratulate the founders of the Gay Liberation Front and the Pride Network of the University of Rochester for its ongoing commitment to create an open and secure environment for people of all sexual orientations and genders on the University of Rochester campus and in the community at large. The Pride Network’s presence and active participation in our struggle for equality under the law encourages the Gay Alliance and all of our community to stay the course – to continue to fight for freedom from all oppression for all people – and to Stand Shoulder To Shoulder in mutual support as we continue to move forward!