How the Gay Liberatn Front Manifto helped to shape me | Peter Tatchell | The Guardian

Contents:

• LONDON GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO 1971
• GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO
• GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO, LONDON 1971
• GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO.
• GAY LIBERATN FRONT (GLF) MANIFTO 1971
• HOW THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO HELPED TO SHAPE ME
• THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT PUBLISHED ONE 1971 (9)
• GAY LIBERATN FRONT: MANIFTO

LONDON GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO 1971

The Gay Liberatn Front Manifto, published London 1971, was a revolutn nscns and remas so today. It offers a radil crique of sexism and what we now ll homophobia; as well as a pneerg, far-sighted agenda for both social and personal transformatn. They rema h, novative, challengg and spirg; stratospher above the equent medcry of today’s lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr (LGBT) polics.

Although I did not wre the Manifto, I was a Gay Liberatn Front (GLF) activist at the time and volved the discsns – and rows – about .

Although cril of the misogyny and homophobia of the “straight left”, posned the LGBT stggle as part of the broar anti-palist, anti-imperialist movement, strivg for the emancipatn of all humankd. In orr to build this alliance, the brothers gay liberatn will have to be prepared to sacrifice that gree of male chvism and male privilege that they still all posss.

GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO

It criqu homophobia, sexism, marriage, the nuclear fay, monogamy, the cults of youth and bety, patriarchy, the gay ghetto and rigid male and female genr rol.

GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO, LONDON 1971

The Manifto’s ialistic visn volved creatg a new sexual mocracy, whout homophobia, misogyny, racism and class privilege. It means that we mt root out the ia that homosexualy is bad, sick or immoral, and velop a gay pri.

Wh gay liberatn, a number of nscns-raisg groups have already veloped, which we try to unrstand our opprsn and learn new ways of thkg and behavg.

GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO.

Revolutnary not reformist, GLF’s Manifto went beyond overturng homophobia and transphobia. The aim was to end “male chvism” and the “genr system”, which were intified as unrpng both sexism and homophobia.

It n easily be seen that homosexuals don’t f to the stereotyp of mascule and feme and this is one of the ma reasons why we bee the object of spicn, sce everyone is tght that the and only the two rol are appropriate…. “The long-term goal of Gay Liberatn, which evably brgs to nflict wh the stutnalised sexism of this society, is to rid society of the genr-role system which is at the root of our opprsn.

But gay men don’t need to opprs women orr to fulfil their own psycho-sexual needs, and gay women don’t have to relate sexually to the male opprsor, so that at this moment time, the et and most equal relatnships are most likely to be between homosexuals. gay, society, male, opprsn, homosexualy, straight, fay, mascule, liberatn, women, gay people, gay men, gay liberatn, straight people, sexist culture, male chvism, small fay, gay women, fay un. Furthermore some materials nta triggerg ntent which is racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, natnalistic, anti-Semic, ableist, ageist, or otherwise not reprentative of the movement.

GAY LIBERATN FRONT (GLF) MANIFTO 1971

Skip to ma ntentThe Gay Liberatn Front (GLF) was found by stunts Bob Mellors and Aubrey Walter. It challenged gay people to e out and be visible, while also explorg the means by which they were opprsed by society. For the GLF, gay liberatn was not about law reform, was about a revolutnary change society.

Many gay rights anisatns that emerged durg the urse of the 1980s and 1990s would have their re prcipl rooted the work of the manifto digised here is the first what will bee an onle library of key LGBTQ+ texts om the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, held the Special Collectns and Archiv here at the Manifto, 1971GLF Manifto, 1979Further readg our LGBTQ+ CollectnsWhat We Do.

On the 27th June, 1969 as part of s policy of raidg and closg Gay Bars, the New York Police arrived at the Stonewall Inn to rough up the ctomers and make a few arrts. New York’s ft enuntered black and whe drag queens, gay men and lbians, sick of police btaly, and who on beg physilly provoked fought back. On the 4th July Lbians and Gay Men om the Matache Society New York, rponse to the rts, staged a walk-out and moved to the Alternative Universy Greenwich Village where they found what beme the Gay Liberatn Front.

HOW THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT MANIFTO HELPED TO SHAPE ME

Aubrey Walter and Bob Mellor found the Gay Liberatn Front London, on 13th October, 1970 at the L. “Not only did liberatnists go to Philalphia to show solidary wh the black movement, but was there that Huey Newton as lear of the Panthers, first gave clear support of the Gay Cse, sayg that homosexuals were maybe the most opprsed people of Amerin society, and uld well be the most revolutnary. On 13th November, GLF ma the first ever, public monstratn the UK by lbians and gay men at Highbury Fields, Islgton, to prott the e of “pretty policemen” agent provotrs ed by the police to entrap gay men to attemptg acts of gross cency, a standard police practice and an easy way for them to crease the figur for crime tectn and prosecutn.

An Anti-Psychiatry Group foced on analysg and attackg the Psychiatric Establishments wholale acceptance of Juo Christian prejudice, Biblil thory, and the e of electric shock/emetic dg programm on gays and lbians who did not f , or who were found guilty of breakg the law. An Actn Group anisg public GLF danc held lol town halls, and later the Gay Days the parks, an Office Collective, and the Steerg Group, later the Co-ordatg Commtee to n the Wednday night General Meetgs.

In all about a hundred gay men and lbians were active the var GLF Groups, while by mid-January, ’71 there were up to five hundred people a week attendg the General Meetg, which suggts that many thoands of gay men and lbians passed through the doors. The women monstrated agast the anti-Gay Lib policy of the ‘Gateways Club’ and Red Lbians attacked the Stock Exchange. David Rben’s book, “Everythg you wanted to know about sex – but were aaid to ask”, which claimed to tell ndid facts whilst avoidg moral judgement and the sectns on gays and lbians ntaed referenc to light bulbs, cucumbers, and the e of wire at hangers for abortns.

THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT PUBLISHED ONE 1971 (9)

In Augt there was a Gay Day Hy Park followed by a march to Trafalgar Square led by the Gger Baker Band and anised by the Youth Group.

In July ’72 the first Gay Pri march left Trafalgar Square and marched to Hy Park for the Gay Pri Party, wh over a thoand attendance, and acpanied by two thoand police.

Consistent monstratns agast the psychiatric tablishment and raids on their nferenc where GLF took over the agenda eventually lead to the overthrow of the ia that homosexualy was a medil ndn. At the end of ’71 ser spls were occurrg between the men who saw ‘g out’ as only the first step the transformatn of gay men and the send the nontatn wh the social ials of masculy, and sexism, whilst followg the Manifto aim of movg toward munal livg. They had also turned up the volume by appearg drag as men ock and beg unmistakably gay.

GAY LIBERATN FRONT: MANIFTO

Opposg them were the men who ignored the Manifto, refed to acknowledge their heterosexist quali, were learng to mpaign on sgle issu, but need, as straight men do, an anised stcture which to operate, one that gay lib was liberately signed not to provi. The gay men were not terted munal works, but promotg their dividual selv on the back of issu and mpaigns that GLF eher pursued or generated s opponents. In June me the first issue of ‘Gay News’ published by a group ntag many 'straight gays' om the GLF Actn Group, and immediately laid down a format for savg the natn om the screamg red queens and faggots of gay lib.

The Office Collective had been neglected and had turned to an Admistratn by supporters of ‘Gay News’ and those who liked to be near the exchang of rmatn and money. Intified and stereotyped natnally by ‘Gay News’, Bethnal Rouge Febary ‘74 appeared by vatn at Goldsmh College Gay Soc to give a Pre-Dis talk.