National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) is an activist organization and resource center for the gay and lesbian civil rights movement. The Task Force focuses its political efforts in four areas: lob-bying, media and public information, support for grassroots organizations, and direct action. Bruce Voeller and other associates in the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) formed the National Gay Task Force (NGTF) in 1973 after becoming dissatisfied with the direction of the GAA. The NGTF was modeled on the American Civil Liberties Union, with a board of directors and a paid professional staff. Toby Marotta noted: “The organizers of the Task Force wanted to synthesize the old homophile and the reformist gay and lesbian approaches into a new hybrid with broader appeal.”