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• Franklin Kameny has been called "father of gay activism." On February 26, 2009, the 83-year-old Kameny's home in Washington D.C. was declared a historic landmark. For decades, Kameny has been involved in issues concerning gay rights, including leading an effort to overturn a ban on gay employment by the U.S. Civil Service Commission.The Washington Post: NW Home of Activist Made Historic Site Gay Pioneers: Franklin E. Kameny

• Fast Facts

  1. Name: Franklin Edward Kameny
  2. Born: May 21, 1925
  3. Birthplace: New York City
  4. B.S. in Physics from Queens College; enrolled at age 15
  5. M.A. and Ph.D. in Astronomy from Harvard University
  6. Veteran of World War II
  7. Began work as an astronomer for the Army Map Service
  8. Fired in 1957 for being gayThe Washington Post: NW Home of Activist Made Historic Site
  9. Argued for equal rights for gays before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1961The Washington Post: NW Home of Activist Made Historic Site
  10. Unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1971The Washington Post: NW Home of Activist Made Historic Site
  11. Founder of the National Gay Task Force and the Gay Rights National Lobby
  12. Credited with coining the phrase "Gay is Good"Gay Pioneers: Franklin E. Kameny

• Kameny's Home: A Historic Landmark

  In February 2009, the city of Washington D.C.'s Historic Preservation Review Board officially designated Franklin Kameny's home a historic landmark. Board Chairman Tersh Boasberg said, "Everybody will be able to appreciate how incredibly significant Dr. Kameny is." Kameny was reportedly "touched" by the recognition. Kameny continues to work as an activist for gay rights.The Washington Post: NW Home of Activist Made Historic Site

• Kameny vs. Brokaw

  In November 2007, Franklin Kameny took issue with former NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw's book [[Boom! Voices of the Sixties]]. In a letter to Brokaw and publisher Random House, Kameny was critical of Brokaw for not including information on the gay rights movement in the 1960s, saying Brokaw had "'de-gayed' the entire decade." Brokaw later responded to the criticism, saying he believed that the gay rights movement started "slightly later."The Bay Area Reporter Online: Kameny disses Boom! (November 29, 2007)

• Related Pages on Mahalo

  Harvey Milk | Gay | Gay Marriage | California Gay Marriage | Phyllis Lyon Del Martin | Del Martin | Tom Brokaw | [[Boom! Voices of the Sixties]] | How to Become an Astronomer

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