A Gay Manifesto

A Gay Manifesto

Wittman, Carl

1971

Announces: “In the past year there has been an awakening of gay liberation ideas and energies. How it began we don’t know; maybe we were inspired by black people and their freedom movement; we learned how to stop pretending from the hip revolution. Amerika in all its ugliness has surfaced with the war and our national leaders. And we are repulsed by the quality of our ghetto life.” Calls for: “1. Free ourselves; come out everywhere; initiate self-defense and political activity; initiate counter community institutions. 2. Turn other gay people on; talk all the time; understand; forgive; accept. 3. Free the homosexual in everyone. We’ll be getting a good bit of shit from threatened latents; be gentle, and keep talking and acting free. 4. We’ve been playing an act for a long time, so we’re consummate actors. Now we can begin to be, and it’ll be a good show!” Background information: Carl Wittman (1943 - 1986) “was born and raised in New Jersey. He attended Swarthmore College where he became involved in the civil rights movement. In 1963 he became one of the leaders of the radical left-wing Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). In 1967 he moved to San Francisco to work as a labor organizer. Shortly before the Stonewall Rebellion he wrote ‘Refugees from Amerika: A Gay Manifesto,’ which was printed on 22nd December, 1970 in San Francisco and all around the U.S.A. in 1971. The article became a guide to gay activism and gay life, and was used in particular by the Gay Liberation Front.” ( Carl Wittman. The Knitting Circle. http://myweb.lsbu.ac.uk/~stafflag/carlwittman.html ) Note on date: 1971 is penciled on document. Mobilization Opinion

Wittman, Carl

Gay rights--Washington (State)--Seattle

Civil rights--Washington (State)--Seattle

Northwest Digital Heritage

text

http://digitalcollections.lib.washington.edu/cdm/ref/collection/protests/id/416