"Mattachine Review, Third issue, [Cover]" The New York Public Library Digital Collections.1955
The Lavender Scare:
The Hunt for Homosexuals and Their Fight For Rights
The Mattachine Society
The Mattachine Society was originally formed in Los Angeles in 1950 by Harry Hay and four other men. Their goal was to create a "societal class for homosexuals and gain the ability to address and fight for their rights" (Boyd 137). This organization also constructed a magazine known as the Mattachine Review, which “created a new image of homosexuality and made it available for public consumption” (137).
"Homosexuals are Different", Mattachine Society of New York, From The New York Public Library. 1960.
“Mattachine Review: Revolt of the Homosexual,” Front Runners New York History and Archives 1959
"Frank Kameny with briefcase on Capitol Hill #2", New York Public Library, 1971
Kameny
In 1957, Frank Kameny was dismissed from his job in the military due to the Lavender Scare. He wanted to fight his dismissal through the courts, which he brought to the US Supreme Court in 1960. There, he petitioned for certiorari however the petition was denied. The disregard for his case sparked a drive to push for LGBTQ+ rights.
Pickets
Kameny met with members of the New York branch of the Mattachine Society to create a branch in Washington. The Mattachine Society of Washington (M.S.W.) then continued debating LGBTQ+ rights through picketing. The M.S.W. formed the Committee on Picketing and Other Lawful Demonstrations. In 1965 the committee then launched several pickets at the State Department, Pentagon, Civil Service Commission, and the White House in an attempt to alert the media of their movement. These pickets were the only way to demonstrate their movement since debates for equal rights in the courts were often shut down.
"Frank Kameny in picket line" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1965.
"Picket line outside of Independence Hall" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1965 .
"Barbara Gittings in picket line" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1965.