Human Rights Activist Frank Kameny: R. I. P.

He was relentless and fought a good fight. Many wins and even more losses.  I wrote about my Kameny connection here, so no need to add anything. other than express my deep sorrow at his passing. He worked for, and accomplished so much - not always behind the scenes - and few LGBT people of this generation know him.  It boggles the mind. From WaPo:

Few people who set out to change the world actually succeed. Frank Kameny was one of those few. You most likely have never heard of him. But for gay Americans, he’s a Founding Father of the historic movement that pulled us out of the closet and into greater acceptance in the United States. What made Kameny a hero was that he demanded equity and fairness when it was literally him against the world. He was 86 and lived in Washington.
I can’t remember the first time I met Kameny. But I’ll never forget the impression he left on me. Feisty. Determined. What impressed me most about Kameny, though, was his unapologetic pragmatism. While he was “stubborn and impatient,” as D.C. Council Member David Catania (I-At Large) told The Post, Kameny understood that he, and eventually the movement that grew around him, had to make big leaps to get society as a whole to take the incremental steps need to move toward equality for gay men, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered Americans. And what leaps he made.When Kameny was fired from his job at the Army Map Service in 1957 for being gay, he petitioned the Supreme Court in 1961 for relief, arguing that the federal government’s treatment of him was an “affront to human dignity.” He was the first person to make that civil rights argument to the nation’s high court. His petition was denied, but “it started a revolution,” said Charles Francis, a founder of the Kameny Papers Project. Four years before the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, Kameny (second from left in the photo below) and other brave souls were picketing the White House and the Pentagon to demand equality. His bold leaps led to — and will continue to lead to — lasting change.

 If you're able to be out and proud you can thank Frank.  He paved the way for many who were frightened and full of guilt.

It's all at WaPo, HERE.

And so it goes.
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