With the Supreme Court ruling that same-sex marriage is a constitutional right, it is important to look back at the men and women who fought for equality. In 1964 homosexuality was listed as a disease by the APA. By 1973 the APA removed it from its list of mental disorders with the help of John Fryer, a psychiatrist who worked at Temple University. He had given a speech at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting in 1972 against the classification of homosexuality as a disease, though he only agreed to do it if he could remain anonymous.  He wore a mask, a baggy suit, and talked into a microphone to distort his voice.  A draft of his speech as Dr. Henry Anonymous can be found on HSP’s digital library and can act as an excellent teaching tool for exploring primary source documents and teaching tolerance in the classroom.

For more information on the history of gay rights in Philadelphia, check out our Reminder Day Pamphlets and stay tuned for more events coming this fall as part of our Embedded Artist series. funded by the Pew Center for Arts and Heritage..