ABSTRACT
Early on, our goals didn't focus on specific legal reforms but on visibility. Millions of young gay men and women had grown up like I had, thinking they were “the only ones.” In 1970, you couldn't find much on the subject of homosexuality, and most of it argued that gay people were sick, sinners, or criminals—or some combination of all three. Our small group of activists believed, I think correctly, that we'd eventually win if we could just force people to deal with an issue they desperately wanted to avoid.
