Some 52 years ago, Dr. Frank Kameny was fired from his post as an astronomer in the Army Map Service for one reason: he was gay. Yesterday, OPM’s gay director John Berry was all: Yeah, sorry about that. And then Kameny was all: S’cool. And, well, it is, since between his dismissal and today Kameny would go on to become a civil rights leader, coining the phrase “Gay Is Good,” taking his wrongful termination case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which, although it denied to hear his petition, marked the first time a case based on sexual orientation reached the justices.
galefan2004
We would be nowhere in this fight without people that took their misfortunes and used them as stepping stones to fight for their rights.
Michael @ LeonardMatlovich.com
THREE CHEERS FOR FRANK! I knew him long ago and it’s wonderful to see him receive these various honors while he’s still around to enjoy them. He also outlived his greatest protege.
It was reading an interview with Frank, and then several conversations, that inspired Leonard Matlovich to out himself to his Air Force commanding officer and start the battle against the military gay ban still insanely going on 34 years later.
And still insanely going on six months after January 20th, 2009…. So NOW [after apologizing for Obama’s forgetting to introduce Frank at that signing charade last week] this government needs to apologize for continuing to discharge gays [265 and counting], defending DADT in court in homophobic terms, refusing to freeze discharges and kickstarting Congressional repeal.
“Equality is a moral imperative. … As your President, I will use the bully pulpit……Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will provide that leadership. … I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT Americans. …America is ready to get rid of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. All that is required is leadership. That work should have started long ago. It will start
when I take office.” – Barack Obama
[img]http://garychapelhill.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/matlovich_time_cover.jpg?w=227&h=300[/img]
Bill Perdue
An apology well deserved. One down, millions to go.
Too bad it had to come from the Obama administration challenged on all sides (except for hard line party loyalists) for its openly hostile attitude towards the LGBT agenda for equality.
Equality is what Frank Kameny, Barbara Gettings and others fought for in an lonely decade’s long struggle. Coming in these circumstances and from an Obot like Berry, another tired Clinton rerun, it’s a lot less lustrous than it could have been. Still, it’s well deserved.
schlukitz
Three cheers for Frank Kameny.