Gay Lobby Day

"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). Hundreds 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.

"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.

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.