SAGA speaker honors LGBTQ visionaries
November 13, 2018
On Nov. 7, the Mercyhurst Sexuality and Gender Acceptance Club (SAGA) held a celebratory club event to honor heroes of the LGBTQ movement from whom minorities have won their rights.
The evening consisted of a lecture by guest speaker Ted Hoover, who presented the talk “Still, They Resisted.”
Hoover is an LGBTQ advocate, author and public speaker who celebrates the unsung heroes of the LGTBQ movement who engaged in ordinary acts that advanced the cause of human rights.
Hoover’s message is that while we all know Ellen DeGeneres and Harvey Milk, we should also celebrate all the courageous everyday acts of little-known LGBTQ people.
Hoover began his talk by discussing the achievements of Marsha P. Johnson, a black transgender woman who fought for LGBTQ rights in the Stonewall riots of 1969. Johnson is a more well-known LGBTQ activist for her role in the gay liberation movement and the mystery that surrounds her suspicious death.
Hoover also discussed the achievements of Barbara Gittings, who he referred to as “the grandma of the LGBT movement.” Gittings tackled the psychiatric side of homophobia to fight for the APA’s removal of homosexuality from its list of psychiatric disorders in 1973. She also fought for lesbian civil rights and to make public spaces safe for minorities.
As well as these major figures who played roles that history has deemed significant, Hoover tried to emphasize those who are lesser known.
For example, Aaron Fricke was the first person to bring another male date to prom after winning a landmark court case in Rhode Island in 1980. His plea led the court to rule that existing free speech doctrine protected gay and lesbian students’ rights to attend prom with same-sex dates.
Later came Jeanne Manford, an American schoolteacher whose son was a gay activist. She co-founded the support group Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays as an advocacy organization. PFLAG is an organization that continues to this day for LGBTQ allies.
Hoover went on to discuss the small acts of bravery by countless others who have acted to advance the cause of human rights.
Many students were touched by the talk, which showed the effect of small actions with large consequences.
Sophomore Psychology major Sydney Zajac agreed that the talk was inspiring.
“I enjoyed the message of this talk a lot,” Zajac said. “It is interesting to see how such massive issues can pervade the LGBTQ community, and yet small actions which are truly brave do have an effect. These actions tend to have a ripple and because of that are worth it.”
Jerry Pritikin • Nov 15, 2018 at 10:49 am
I agree whole heartily with this article, since I was one of those unsung people in the early Gay Rights Movement. In a period of 3 weeks in 1977, I managed to get 3 stories and images on the Associated Press and United Press International wire services, and outed myself nationally at the same time when it was not fashionab lly to do so. First when I created the Anita Bryant’s Husband is a Homo Sapein! T-shirt and wearing one for an UPI story, then a week later getting Jane Fonda, to wear one at a S.F. gay fund raiser at Oil Can. Harry’s Disco to help fund the coalilition fighting against her in Dade County Florida. Then on 6/7/77, I managed to get my footnote in Gay History when I took what became an iconic image of Harvey Milk 5 months before he was elected to the S.F. Board of Supervisors on “Orange Tuesday” ( I coined that phraise but never was given credit) when Anita Bryant led Dade County Florida voters to rescind a Gay Rights Ordinance.
There was an impromptu march when the outcome of the election was noted when of the vote took place. Ironically, the recreation of that event was featured in the movie MILK, was not as it really happened. The movie had Harvey speaking in front of the Castro Theater before the march-THAT NEVER HAPPENED! Then they showed it ending at City Hall- NOT SO! For the real story would never have been noted if I did not take my film over to the S.F. Associated Press after it ended. At first the Bureau Chief told me he was not interested because it was a local S.F. story. I TOLD HIM THAT 5,000 taking part in an impromptu march reacting to a local election 2,000 miles away was a nationally newsworthy story and the he agreed. visit:
http://www.thecastro.net/street/memoriespage/pritikin/scene05.html
Because of that image- Harvey is known for his bullhorn. It is now in the Smithsonian because in the movie, they showed Harvey using it many times. That is NOT SO! If you do a google image search Harvey Milk with bullhorn- there are just a few of him that way. 2 are mine, a N.Y. Times article and one more, and MANY of Sean Penn. as Harvey from the movie MILK.
Resently, Harvey Milk’s nephew Stuart who is the head of the Harvey Milk Foundation had a tie-in with Stoli Vodka using a painting of Harvey with the bullhorn(based on my image) that adds to the myth of the bullhorn.
So you see why I agree with this article. I honestly believe that image is similar to Joe Rosenthal’s WW ll photo of the American Flag over Iwo Jima. At least he got credit… Someday I wish I will get my due in Gay History.