1960s
The 1960s were a time of political change in the LGBT community and ultimately lead to the Stonewall Riots of 1969 in NYC. As shown in this part of the exhibit, there was a burgeoning LGBT publication market, as well as an increase in public awareness of gay and lesbian groups. Other facts about Michigan's gay and lesbian life of the time are included in this section.
Publications
The 1960s marked the hay day of gay and lesbian pulp fiction. Here are some examples of publications by various Michigan authors and Michigan gay/lesbian groups.
People & Events
Pictured here is a gay athelete who played for a short while on the Detroit Lions football team. Also included is a flyer advertising for a gay day to held at the Cedar Point amusing park.
Event Timeline: 1960s
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1960: Detroit Mattachine disbands. |
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1960: James Wiles, arrested in crackdown at the University of Michigan, commits suicide a week before sentencing. |
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1961: Letter to Mattachine Review notes "desperate need" for homosexual organization in Detroit. |
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1961: While serving as Episcopal chaplain at Wayne State University, Malcolm Boyd is punched unconscious by a man he picked up at a Detroit bar. |
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1962: Michigan State University remodels Union restroom to deter homosexuals. |
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1964: Police raid Studio D, Bill Dakota's gay after hours club on S. Saginaw Street in Flint. |
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1965: Escape Lounge, later BackStreet, opens on Joy Road in Detroit. |
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1965: ONE in Detroit is formed by Grosse Pointe travel agent Chuck Thompson. |
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1965: Russ Trainer publishes His Brother Love (Detroit: Foremost Publishing, 1965). |
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1967: Officials are charged with concealing movie cameras to view homosexual activity in Wayne State University rest rooms. |
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1967: Wayne State University administration agrees to destroy files on suspected homosexuals. |
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1968: Detroit News publishes profile of ONE in Detroit. |
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1968: Highland Park police seize the film "Of the Same Gender" from Hiland Art Theatre as obscene. |
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1968: Michigan repeals criminal sexual psychopath law. |
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1969: Flyer for Gay Day at Cedar Point. |
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1969: Isabel Miller publishes A Place for Us (New York: Bleecker Street Press, 1969). |
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1969: Metropolitan Detroit Council of Churches and ONE in Detroit co-sponsor forum on homosexuality. |
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1969: The Interchange, later the Detroit Eagle, opens on Holden in Detroit. |
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1950s
1970s