Harry Hay (1912 - 2002)
by Robert Shetterly
Painting
Henry "Harry" Hay, Jr. was an advocate for American gay rights, communism, labor, and Native American civil rights. He has been called "the father of gay liberation."
"Out of the mists of our long oppression,
We bring love for ourselves and each other,
And love for the gifts we bear,
So heavy and so painful the fashioning of them,
So long the road given us to travel them. A separate people,
We bring a gift to celebrate each other,
'Tis a gift to be gay!
Feel the pride of it!"
- Harry Hay -
Lifelong advocate for gay rights as human rights, Harry Hay rejected the notion that gays should "assimilate" into society, but rather that all gays should be proud of who they are, to live openly and honestly and to use their community and solidarity to advance the cause of gay rights.
Page created on 12/8/2011 12:50:45 PM
Last edited 10/1/2018 6:25:35 PM
