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Gay Lobby Day

Picture
"Gay Lobby Day Flyers". LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection. LGBT History Project, Archives & Special Collections at Waidner-Spahr Library, Dickinson College.
Gay Lobby Day, also known as Gay Education Day, took place on March 23, 1976, where LGBTQ activists in Pennsylvania went to Harrisburg to lobby legislators on Gay Rights issues. The main issue targeted was the presentation of Senate Bill 743 (among other bills), which would bar Gay people, along with those with mental illnesses, from jobs in the state government and State Police. This was not only blatant discrimination against LGBTQ people, but it also categorized being Gay as having a "mental defect.” It also was not the first discriminatory bill proposed to the Pennsylvania Senate. Governor Shapp previously vetoed such bills that were passed, and was dedicated to protecting the civil rights of LGBTQ people. The goal was to approach these state legislators and have face-to-face interactions with activists, in order to humanize and discourage legislators from making laws that allowed discrimination (especially in state jobs). More than 100 of gay men and women, marked with pink triangles, gathered in the state capitol gained the attention of state legislators and their staff, as well as many people who heard about the event through newspapers, TV, or the radio. They received mostly positive responses: with about 30% of legislators reacting positively, 30% reacting negatively, and the rest being indifferent/neutral.
​​
Picture
"Gay Lobby Day Report," April 11, 1976, LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection, Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections.




“You might ask, ‘Who were these lobbyists?' Well, they were teachers, laborers, coal miners (female), counselors, ministers, shipping foremen, computer analysts, sociologists, accountants, and many more. They were women and men, young and old, single and married, parents and children. Most importantly, they were all people with a mission and a willingness to work for it.”
​ -Gay Lobby Day Report, 1976

Sam Deetz talking about the creation of the Rural Gay Caucus and first Gay Lobby Day, LGBT Oral History – Deetz, Sam – 025, Dickinson College Archives Special Collections.
Picture
Sam Deetz on Gay Lobby Day, Dickinson College Archives and Special collections.

Unfortunately, senate bill 743 was overwhelmingly passed in the Senate, and would pass easily in the House. The reason is clear: votes. The post-event report found that many Senators voted ‘yes’ without thinking or reading the bill. However, the lobbyists raised the consciousness of Senators and lawmakers, so that the next time they would think first. Some legislators even said that they had changed their viewpoints after talking with lobbyists. ​
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  • Home
  • The Long Road
    • Beginning >
      • Early Experiences
    • Philadelphia >
      • Philadelphia Part 2
    • Harrisburg >
      • Harrisburg Experiences
    • Lancaster >
      • Lancaster Experiences
    • York >
      • York Experiences
    • Allentown
    • Montgomery >
      • Montgomery Experiences
      • Montgomery Part 2
    • Work Continues >
      • Current Challenges
    • Acknowledgments
  • With Open Hearts & Open Arms
    • Gay LIfe in Pre-Castro Cuba/Homophobia/What's In a Name? Part 1
    • What's in a Name? Part 1 Continued/UMAP/Mattachine Society
    • Leftist Gays in the US/The Mariel Boatlift
    • The Mariel Boatlift Part 2/Resettlement Camps
    • Resettlement Continued/Press Coverage
    • Immigration/What's In a Name? Part 2
    • LGBTQ+ Organizing
    • The Mariel Generation/Life in PA
    • The Eromin Center/Impact of AIDS
    • AIDS in Cuba/LGBTQ+ Rights in Cuba
    • Acknowledgements
  • Stories of Discrimination
    • Hate Crimes >
      • Anita Bryant
      • Escalating Violence
      • Appalachian Trail
      • Bookstore Bombings
    • Employment Discrimination >
      • Blacklisted
      • "Moral Turpitude"
      • Elected
      • Traumatized and penalized
      • Other Stories of Employment Discrimination
    • Transgender Discrimination >
      • High School Experiences
      • Other Stories of Transgender Discrimination
    • Housing and Property Discrimination >
      • Vision of Hope MCC
    • Conclusion
  • We Believe?
    • Early Expereriences
    • Coming Out
    • LGBTQ+ Groups >
      • Religious Life
      • Social Life
      • Political Life
    • Faith and Identity
    • LGBTQ+ Clergy
    • Responses: Backlash
    • Responses: Acceptance
    • Looking Forward
  • Duty, Honor, Pride
    • Vietnam War Era >
      • Investigations
    • Post-Vietnam Experiences
    • "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Policy >
      • Personal Experiences
      • Criticisms
      • Repeal
    • Closing >
      • Citations
  • History of LGBTQ+ Bars
    • Bars of the 1950s & 1960s
    • Bars of the 1970s
    • Bars of the 1980s
    • Bars of the 1990s & 2000s
    • Harrisburg, PA
    • Lancaster, PA
    • York, PA
    • Bar Spotlights >
      • 400 N. 2nd Street, Harrisburg: Pre-Raids
      • Johnny Kobler's
      • Harrisburg LGBTQ+ Friendly Bars of the 1960s
      • The Neptune Lounge
      • The Strawberry Inn
      • Harrisburg LGBTQ+ Bars of the 1970’s
      • Silhouette/D-Gem
      • Shadows
      • The Archives
      • Harrisburg LGBTQ+ Bars of the 1980’s
      • Harrisburg LGBTQ+ Bars of the 1990/2000’s
      • Village Tavern Night Club
      • Tally-Ho Tavern/ The Loft
      • Railroad House Bar
      • The Fiddler
      • Sundown Lounge
      • Altland’s Ranch
      • Town Tavern
      • 14 Karat Room
  • Gender Identity and Gender Expression
    • Terminology
    • Early Years: Impersonation
    • Entertaining for a Cause
    • Gender During Gay LIberation
    • Medical Classification
    • Rise of Publications and Organizations
    • The 1990s
    • Advocacy and Visibility
    • Expansion of Organizations and Activities >
      • Oral Histories and Photos
    • Where We Are Now
  • LGBTQ+ Art and Artists
    • Jude Sharp
    • Paul Foltz
    • Inspired
    • Aries and the Gay Era
  • The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus
    • What is the Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus? >
      • PA Rural Gay Caucus Education Committee
    • Where were these groups located?
    • Gay Lobby Day
    • Important People
    • Pushback Against Opposition
    • What Happened to the Caucus?
  • Early LGBTQ+ Activism
    • Life Before Stonewall
    • Who's Who?
    • Richard Schlegel
    • Social Organizations
    • Effects of Stonewall on Central PA
    • Political Organizing
    • Rifts in the Movement
    • Read All About It!
  • Coming Out
    • Emily Newberry
    • Joanne Carrol
    • Amanda Hecker
    • Mara Kiesling
    • Maria Warren
    • Shaka Hudson
    • Lindsay Snowden
    • David Payne
    • Dr. Eric Selvy
    • Heidi Notario
    • Tammy de Sol
    • Cindy Lou Mitzel
    • LGBTQ+ Support Groups
  • Out on Campus
    • Acknowledgments
    • Bryn Mawr
    • HBCUs
    • Lafayette College
    • BCCC
    • Penn State
    • UPenn
    • Pitt
    • Lehigh University
    • Shippensburg University
    • HACC
  • Other Resources