Twenty years before the Stonewall Uprising, another group fought for rights for LGBTQ Americans. Strange Country cohosts Beth and Kelly discuss The Mattachine Society, a group that sought dignity and respect for LGBTQ during a time when being gay was criminalized. Luckily things are chill now. Oh wait.

Theme music: Big White Lie by A Cast of Thousands

Cite your sources:

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HANNA, JOHN, and ANDREW DeMILLO. “Kansas passes trans bathroom bill; Arkansas OKs own version.” AP News, 4 April 2023, https://apnews.com/article/transgender-rights-bathroom-bill-kansas-cbdc14be5bf1fb6e1a0749cad52e8ebc. Accessed 4 June 2023.

Katz, Jonathan Ned. “Henry Hay: Founding The Mattachine Society, "A call to me . . . more important than life" · Harry Hay: Founding the Mattachine Society, 1948-1953, by Jonathan Ned Katz.” OutHistory, 1976, https://outhistory.org/exhibits/show/hay-mattachine/hh. Accessed 4 June 2023.

“Mapping Attacks on LGBTQ Rights in U.S. State Legislatures.” American Civil Liberties Union, https://www.aclu.org/legislative-attacks-on-lgbtq-rights. Accessed 4 June 2023.

“State Legislative Attacks.” Human Rights Campaign, 5 May 2023, https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/the-state-legislative-attack-on-lgbtq-people. Accessed 4 June 2023.

Valelly, Rick. “The Conflicted Gay Pioneer.” The American Prospect, 8 October 2013, https://prospect.org/power/conflicted-gay-pioneer/. Accessed 7 June 2023.