Charles Silverstein via Facebook Charles Silverstein, 87, died on Jan. 30. He was a writer, therapist and gay rights activist.
He was best known for a presentation he gave at the American Psychiatric Association meeting in 1973 that led to the removal of homosexuality as a mental illness.
His passing reminded me of an afternoon in 1975, maybe early 1976, when I met him. We met when I attended a POG meeting at a church in Greenwich Village with my college boyfriend, Jon.
POG stood for Parents of Gays, which later became Parents of Lesbians and Gays, which later became Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays with branches around the world.