It gets better.

October 11, 2011 10:02 PM

In the waning hours of National Coming Out Day, this 1976 pamphlet, "Growing Up Gay" [pdf] was a publication of Youth Liberation of Ann Arbor, MI (1970-1979). This collection of coming-out stories also advises young readers, in the years before the ascendancy of GSAs, on how to start "gay groups" at their schools and in their communities.

The organization was started by teen activists, including Keith Hefner, a MacArthur Fellowship recipient who continues to work for youth rights. Another young activist, Sonia Yaco, ran for the Ann Arbor school board and won 8% of the vote, despite being too young to officially declare candidacy.

Additional bibliography on the youth rights movement.

posted by liketitanic (5 comments total)

It has certainly gotten a hell of a lot better for a hell of a lot of us and this was only twenty years before I was born. THANK YOU GAY ELDERS!
posted by Blasdelb at 10:29 PM on October 11, 2011 [3 favorites]

70s in Ann Arbor seems to be a friendlier place to do gay and lesbian work than 00s lots of places--i did some work at the leather archive in Chicago this year, and was quite impressed and sort of suprised at how progressive the midwest was in the 60s and 70s. its something we forget
posted by PinkMoose at 10:35 PM on October 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

The "running away" story was heartbreaking. Definitely the subject that stood out in 2011 (not to imply that it doesn't happen today).
posted by en forme de poire at 10:50 PM on October 11, 2011

Relatedly, gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny has died. Hoping someone with more background than I can put together an FPP.
posted by StrikeTheViol at 10:53 PM on October 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ahh, the seventies.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 7:24 AM on October 12, 2011 [1 favorite]