Frank Kameny | |
|---|---|
 Kameny in 2010 | |
| Born | Franklin Edward Kameny May 21, 1925 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | October 11, 2011 (aged 86) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | Queens College (BS) Harvard University (MS, PhD) |
| Known for | Gay rights activist Fired for being gay by the U.S. Civil Service Commission Co-founder of the Mattachine Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Thesis | A Photoelectric Study of Some RV Tauri and Yellow Semiregular Variables (1956) |
| Doctoral advisor | Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin |
Franklin Edward Kameny (May 21, 1925 – October 11, 2011)[1] was an American gay rights activist. He has been referred to as "one of the most significant figures" in the American gay rights movement.[2]
During the Lavender scare, in 1957, Kameny was dismissed from his position as an astronomer in the U.S. Army's Army Map Service in Washington, D.C., because of his homosexuality,[3] leading him to begin "a Herculean struggle with the American establishment" that would "spearhead a new period of militancy in the homosexual rights movement of the early 1960s".[4]
Kameny formally appealed his firing by the U.S. Civil Service Commission.[5] Although unsuccessful, the proceeding was notable as the first known civil rights claim based on sexual orientation pursued in a U.S. court.[6]
- ^ Dunlap, David W. (October 12, 2011). "Franklin Kameny, Gay Rights Pioneer, Dies at 86". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ^ Bullough, Vern L. (2002), Bullough, Vern L. (ed.), Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context, New York: The Haworth Press, p. 207, ISBN 1-56023-193-9
- ^ Chibbaro Jr., Lou (October 4, 2006). "Kameny's work finds new home" (PDF). Washington Blade. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2008.
- ^ Johnson, David K. (2002), "Franklin E. Kameny (1925–)", in Bullough, Vern L. (ed.), Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context, New York: The Haworth Press, pp. 209–18, ISBN 1-56023-193-9
- ^ "Gay rights epicenter named landmark". USA Today. February 27, 2009. Archived from the original on January 14, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
- ^ Gaynair, Gillian (June 8, 2009). "DC pride festival honors gay rights pioneer Kameny". Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2009.