I think that my own discomfort with embracing the sexual liberation part of the movement, which I memorably encountered with Hal Call, definitely colored my view of Dick. I’d read about Dick in my research as one of the old guard, the pre-Stonewall “accommodationists” who were more focused on fitting in and getting along than trying to upend the apple cart.Īnd I brought my judgments, too (which I recorded in my post-interview notes and address in my introduction to this episode). When I first met Dick Leitsch in 1989, I had a lot of preconceived notions about the one-time president of the Mattachine Society of New York.
Episode Notesįrom Eric Marcus: There’s a lot to be said for gaining 30 years of perspective. Dick Leitsch, president of the Mattachine Society of New York, speaks to the press about his group's Sip-In demonstration in protest of New York liquor laws that prevented serving gay customers, New York City, April 21, 1966.
