Gay Coalition of Denver

Last updated
Gay Coalition of Denver
SuccessorGay Community Center of Colorado, The Center on Colfax
Established1972
FounderGerald "Jerry" Gerash, Lynn Tamlan, Mary Sassatelli, Jane Dundee, and Terry Mangan.
Dissolved1977
Purpose Gay liberation
Location
  • Denver, Colorado


Gay Coalition of Denver (1972-1977) was a gay liberation organization founded in Denver, Colorado. GCD was central for the gay community, and offered services like doctor referrals, counseling, and a phone hotline. They led the City Council Revolt in October 1973, in which the City Council repealed Denver laws that targeted the gay community.

Contents

Foundation

In 1972, the Gay Coalition of Denver (GCD) was founded by five members in order to fight back against police harassment. [1]

The original founders were Gerald "Jerry" Gerash, Lynn Tamlan, Mary Sassatelli, Jane Dundee, and Terry Mangan. [1] The group was non-hierarchical, and rotating chairs provided leadership. They met in apartments to plan legal strategy to address police harassment and raids on gay bars. [2] Their first headquarters was at 1454 or 1460 Pennsylvania St. [3] Some of the members had experience in social movements for Black civil rights, women's rights and anti-Vietnam war actions, but most people had never been to a political meeting or participated in a demonstration before. [4]

GCD acted as a community center, since there were very few locations outside bathhouses and bars where the LGBTQ community could meet. GCD had a coffee house called Approaching Lavender, which was housed by Denver Free University. [1] [4]

The GCD developed committees to address issues, including political and legal committees. These focused on the harassment of gays by the Denver Police Department. DPD targeted the gay community through raiding gay bars and arresting people for dancing or kissing or for "lewd and lascivious" behavior. Additionally, police officers approached gay men and initiated sexual conversations, then arrest the target once they agreed. [4] Vice Squad leader Captain Jerry Kennedy was named as one who was particularly adamant. [5]

In 1972, Colorado repealed its sodomy laws, but the city of Denver retained its laws and cops continued to target gays. [4]

"Johnny Cash Special"

In January or February 1973, the Denver Police Department introduced a large tour bus with a marquee that read "Johnny Cash Special." The bus drove around downtown Denver in the popular gay cruising areas. The driver stood outside to invite targets to get on the bus for free Johnny Cash concert tickets. Once inside, the driver solicited the target, and once they acquiesced, uniformed policemen jumped out and arrested the target. Police commanded the targets to lay quietly in the back so that they could repeat the process, which would continue until the bus was full enough to go back to the police station. [4] [6]

Between January and March, 380 gay men were arrested in this operation. Simply agreeing to a proposition made by an officer was grounds for arrest on "making a lewd offer." Records showed that 100% of arrests for lewdness were gay men, and 99% were not initiated by the public, but by police. [6]

Denver City Council Revolt

After the "Johnny Cash Special" was publicized, the Gay Coalition of Denver members began a campaign to repeal the criminal code. They published leaflets, hosted lectures, held press conferences, called councilmen, and sent speakers to various schools and universities. [6] Their goal was to repeal four city ordinances: Lewd Act, Loitering for Sexual Deviant Purposes, Renting a Room for Sexual Deviant Purposes, and an Anti-Drag law. [7]

In 1973, GCD sued the city of Denver and organized a protest at City Council. [6] [5] The civil lawsuit allowed GCD discovery that included the court records showing police were targeting gay men in a discriminatory manner. [4]

On October 23, 1973, GCD members and 300 community members attended the Denver City Council meeting. Their goal was to overturn four laws that targeted the gay community: loitering, cross-dressing, police entrapment, and renting out rooms for "sexual deviant purpose." [1] 36 people signed up to speak at the meeting. [2] The chamber was standing room only, and protesters waited for hours for the meeting to begin. [8] [6] The City Council president Robert Koch was opposed to the protest. He only gave them 30 minutes to speak, and after applause for the first speaker, threatened dismissal to anyone who disrupted the meeting [6] with arrest and detention using the three Sheriff buses waiting outside. [4]

The council became more receptive to the speakers as the meeting went on, especially as they saw the statistics. Two councilors, Irving Hook and Elvin Caldwell, advocated to extend the meeting until 1 A.M. so that everyone could speak. [2]

At the next City Council meeting on November 12, council repealed two of the four laws, and at the next meeting on November 19, they repealed the final two. [6] [2]

This was a landmark moment for the LGBTQ community, as the first time the community formed a group and convinced a city to repeal anti-gay laws. [1]

In 1974, Gerash won the lawsuit against the city. [6] The court determined that police cannot enforce laws discriminating against gay people, and the police appoint a liaison to the GCD. [4] This was the first LGBTQ+ police liaison in the state. [8]

Legacy

The momentum from the City Council revolt mobilized the gay community. After the City Council revolt, Dale Bently, owner of a San Francisco bathhouse, gave seed money to Gerash to continue the work of the GCD. [6] [1] Their offices were in a house owned by the First Unitarian Society of Denver. [3] In 1975, Gerash used the seed money and brought together eight gay and lesbian groups across the city to form a new group called Unity. By 1977, there were 39 groups associated with the Gay Community Center of Colorado, which is now The Center on Colfax. [6]

In 2023, Gerash made a documentary about the City Council Revolt called Gay Revolt at Denver City Council and the Beginnings of an Organized Gay Community. [9]

Related Research Articles

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 1981.

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the year 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Cuba</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Cuba have significantly varied throughout modern history. Cuba is now considered generally progressive, with vast improvements in the 21st century for such rights. Following the 2022 Cuban Family Code referendum, there is legal recognition of the right to marriage, unions between people of the same sex, same-sex adoption and non-commercial surrogacy as part of one of the most progressive Family Codes in Latin America. Until the 1990s, the LGBT community was marginalized on the basis of heteronormativity, traditional gender roles, politics and strict criteria for moralism. It was not until the 21st century that the attitudes and acceptance towards LGBT people changed to be more tolerant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Lebanon</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people living in Lebanon may face discrimination and legal difficulties not experienced by non-LGBT residents, although they have more freedom than in other parts of the Arab world. Various courts have ruled that Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which prohibits having sexual relations that "contradict the laws of nature", should not be used to arrest LGBT people. Nonetheless, the law is still being used to harass and persecute LGBT people through occasional police arrests, in which detainees are sometimes subject to intrusive physical examinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compton's Cafeteria riot</span> 1966 protest for transgender rights in San Francisco

The Compton's Cafeteria riot occurred in August 1966 in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. The riot was a response to the violent and constant police harassment of drag queens and trans people, particularly trans women. The incident was one of the first LGBT-related riots in United States history, preceding the more famous 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City. It marked the beginning of transgender activism in San Francisco.

This is a timeline of notable events in the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Canada. For a broad overview of LGBT history in Canada see LGBT history in Canada.

This is a list of notable events in the history of LGBT rights that took place in the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Cat Tavern</span> LGBT historic site in Los Angeles, California

The Black Cat Tavern is an LGBT historic site located in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In 1967, it was the site of one of the first demonstrations in the United States protesting police brutality against LGBT people, preceding the Stonewall riots by over two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in New York</span>

The U.S. state of New York has generally been seen as socially liberal in regard to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights. LGBT travel guide Queer in the World states, "The fabulosity of Gay New York is unrivaled on Earth, and queer culture seeps into every corner of its five boroughs". The advocacy movement for LGBT rights in the state has been dated as far back as 1969 during the Stonewall riots in New York City. Same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults has been legal since the New York v. Onofre case in 1980. Same-sex marriage has been legal statewide since 2011, with some cities recognizing domestic partnerships between same-sex couples since 1998. Discrimination protections in credit, housing, employment, education, and public accommodation have explicitly included sexual orientation since 2003 and gender identity or expression since 2019. Transgender people in the state legally do not have to undergo sex reassignment surgery to change their sex or gender on official documents since 2014. In addition, both conversion therapy on minors and the gay and trans panic defense have been banned since 2019. Since 2021, commercial surrogacy has been legally available within New York State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT rights in Colorado</span>

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the U.S. state of Colorado enjoy the same rights as non-LGBT people. Same-sex sexual activity has been legal in Colorado since 1972. Same-sex marriage has been recognized since October 2014, and the state enacted civil unions in 2013, which provide some of the rights and benefits of marriage. State law also prohibits discrimination on account of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and public accommodations and the use of conversion therapy on minors. In July 2020, Colorado became the 11th US state to abolish the gay panic defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT history in the United States</span>

LGBT history in the United States spans the contributions and struggles of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, as well as the LGBT social movements they have built.

This article concerns LGBT history in Florida.

The state of North Dakota has improved in its treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents in the late 1990s and into the 21st Century, when the LGBT community began to openly establish events, organizations and outlets for fellow LGBT residents and allies, and increase in political and community awareness.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooper Do-nuts Riot</span> Alleged 1959 LGBTQ uprising in Los Angeles, California

The Cooper Do-nuts Riot was an alleged uprising in reaction to police harassment of LGBT people at a 24-hour donut cafe in Los Angeles in the 1960s. Whether the riot actually happened, the date, location and whether or not the cafe was a branch of the Cooper chain are all disputed, and there is a lack of contemporary documentary evidence, with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) stating that any records of such event would have been purged years ago.

The Right to Privacy Committee (RTPC) was a Canadian organization located in Toronto, and was one of the city's largest and most active advocacy groups during the 1980s, a time of strained police-minority relations. The group focused on the Toronto Police Service's harassment of gays and infringement of privacy rights, and challenged police authority to search gay premises and seize materials. At the time of the 1981 bathhouse raids, RTPC was Canada's largest gay rights group with a mailing and volunteer list of 1,200 names. People associated with the RTPC include Michael Laking, Rev. Brent Hawkes, John Alan Lee, Dennis Findlay, Tom Warner, and George W. Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengaluru Namma Pride March</span> Annual queer pride march in Karnataka, India

Bengaluru Namma Pride March is a queer pride march that is held annually in the city of Bengaluru in Karnataka, India, since 2008. The march is organised by a coalition called Coalition for Sex Workers and Sexuality Minority Rights (CSMR). The pride march is preceded by a month of queer related events and activities

The Village Station police raid was a police raid that targeted the Village Station, a gay bar in Dallas, Texas, United States. The raid occurred on October 25, 1979, and saw several bar patrons arrested for public lewdness while performing a bunny hop dance. The raid and the subsequent court cases involving those arrested are considered an important moment in the LGBT history of Dallas, with the impact it had on the city compared to that of the Stonewall riots of 1969.

The Fun Lounge police raid was a 1964 police raid that targeted Louie's Fun Lounge, a gay bar near Chicago, Illinois, United States. The raid led to the arrest of over 100 individuals and is considered a notable moment in the LGBT history of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Springs nightclub shooting</span> Mass shooting in Colorado Springs, Colorado

On November 19–20, 2022, an anti-LGBT-motivated mass shooting occurred at Club Q, a gay bar in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. Five people were murdered, and 25 others were injured, 19 of them by gunfire. The shooter, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich, was also injured while being restrained, and was taken to a local hospital. Aldrich was charged and remanded in custody. On June 26, 2023, Aldrich pled guilty to the shooting and was sentenced to five consecutive terms of life in prison without the possibility of parole, plus 2,211 years. On January 16, 2024, Aldrich was additionally charged with 50 federal hate crimes in connection with the shooting.

The Center on Colfax is a LGBTQ community center in Denver, Colorado. The nonprofit provides programs and services to the queer community including mental health support, historical preservation, and community building.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Marcus, Aaron. "In Silence, Ignorance Thrives". History Colorado.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Beaty, Kevin (December 5, 2022). "When the cops weren't around, gay bars like downtown's Court Jester offered safe space in a hostile city". Denverite.
  3. 1 2 "Queer Spaces in Denver 1870-1980" (PDF). Historic Denver.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Gerash, Gerald. "THE ORIGINS OF THE CENTER – HOW AND WHY IT CAME ABOUT". Denver Gay Revolt.
  5. 1 2 "A Brief History of LGBT Rights in Colorado". Law Week Colorado.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Bindel, Paul (December 16, 2015). "In the beginning..." Out Front Magazine.
  7. ↑ Sylvestre, Berlin (August 20, 2014). "A Brief LGBT History of Colorado". Out Front Magazine.
  8. 1 2 Nash, Phil (October 18, 2023). "Denver's Stonewall: Commemorating a Half-Century of Fighting Back". Westword.
  9. ↑ Gerash, Gerald. "The Gay Coalition of Denver Film Footage". Youtube. History Colorado.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.