Meet Henry Gerber, the LGBTQ+ activist who founded the first gay rights group 100 years ago
before the 1969 Stonewall Riots? While the groundbreaking protest blazed a trail for present-day LGBTQ+ civil liberties, the movement can be traced back to 1924, when a Chicago man named Henry Gerber formed the Society for Human Rights (SHR) in Chicago.This month marks 100 year since Gerber launched what’s largely regarded as the country’s first-ever gay rights group.
On December 10, his oft-overlooked legacy was celebrated with a panel discussion at the Chicago History Museum.Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.Dec.
10, 1924: The first organization to advocate for gay rights, the Society for Human Rights, is founded in Chicago. Henry Gerber, a gay postal worker, founds the group and publishes a newsletter, Friendship and Freedom, for distribution among its small membership.
1/5 pic.twitter.com/WL337fLJ0QAccording to The Legacy Project, Gerber was born in Bavaria and immigrated to the United States with his family.
