Box Turtle Bulletin

Today In History, 1965: ECHO’s Endorsement of Picketing Threatens To Split the Gay Rights Movement

In 1963, representatives of the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C., the Mattachine Society of New York, the New York chapter of Daughters of Bilitis, and Philadelphia’s Janus Society came together to launch the East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO), to foster better communication and cooperation between the groups. In addition to its annual conferences, ECHO delegates met once a month to plan the annual conference and to exchange ideas and discuss general problems and come to agreements on plans of action.

Beginning in late 1964 and continuing onto 1965, members of the ECHO coalition’s organizations were pioneering a new era of gay rights activism with the start of some of the first pickets of the gay rights movement (Sep 19, Apr 17, Apr 18, May 29). On June 5, the majority of the delegates at June 5 ECHO meeting voted in favor of a resolution endorsing the practice of picketing for civil liberties.

The move was exceptionally controversial, especially to to the national leadership of the Daughters of Bilitis. DoB members Barbara Gittings (Jul 31), Kay Lahusen (Jan 5) and soon-to-be DoB President Shirley Willer (Sep 26) were very enthusiastic about engaging in direct action. But Willer and Meredith Grey knew the move would be contentious and sought input from the DoB national board. The board reminded Grey and Willer that picketing was a violation of DoB policy. Grey and Willer placed another resolution before the ECHO delegates pledging that ECHO would not adopt policies that were contrary to those of member organizations within ECHO.

That resolution failed, and the DoB board decided to cut its ties with ECHO. “At this particular point we do not have confidence in the leadership as demonstrated by the Eastern Mattachine groups, who, under present circumstances, would be able to override DoB in any and all cases,” the board stated. “And what DoB’s participation would amount to is tacit support of the Mattachine program. We would prefer to hold DoB’s identity as a separate organization intact and cooperate with the Eastern Mattachine groups in so far as we are able.” By then, the issue of picketing became just one of many issues dividing DoB from ECHO. As a women’s organization vigilant to preserve its place in the male-dominated homophile movement, many DoB activists were determined to protect women’s interests from the mens’ tendency to dominate discussions and decision-making. While the issue of picketing was the immediate impetus of the split, it was just one more grievance among a larger constellation.

But that grievance wasn’t a trivial one. DoB cofounders Del Martin (May 5) and Phyllis Lyon (Nov 10) didn’t reject direction action outright, but objected to what they saw as a lack of planning and preparation in case of arrests. “Timing and strategy are of the utmost importance in direct action projects — as is proper training in techniques of non-violence.” They felt the DoB leadership wasn’t ready to make such an important decision. Other DoB leaders rejected direct action entirely. One said, “only dirty, unwashed rabble do that.” Del Shearer, DoB’s vice president objected strongly with picketing “at this time or in the very near future” since the homophile groups had not yet had much impact on “the reflection of custom and public policy” of the general public.

ECHO decided to move ahead with two more planned pickets, in Philadelphia (Jul 4) and at the Pentagon (Jul 31). ECHO also approved another resolution imploring DoB to remain affiliated with ECHO, and tasked Frank Kameny (May 21) with conveying ECHO’s sentiments to the DoB board. His June 8 letter to DoB leadership, in typical Kameny fashion, was not particularly tactful:

I realize that you are very conservative in outlook. …I do not ask or expect that you will be the leaders, taking an avant-garde position or that you will re-do and remake yourselves over in the image of other groups. But can you not even allow the ECHO affiliation, WITH YOU AS A MEMBER, to sponsor a demonstration.

The homophile movement is becoming increasingly activist. “Uncle Tomism” in our movement is on its way toward becoming as discredited as it is in the Negro movement. Surely you can find a compromise position which will not rule you out of the most important activities…

With the kindest of feelings toward you, I will say that if you do not keep up with the movement, I predict that DOB will go “down the drain” as a meaningful organization — not be over act of anyone else in the movement, but because that’s just the way movements evolve.

…In summary, on this point, I will say, simply, that if you withdraw from ECHO at this time, you will be removing yourselves from participation in some of the most important activities ever to affect the American homosexual, and the loss will be primarily DOB’s — and permanently so.

[Sources: Marcia M. Gallo. Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights (New York: Carrol & Graf Publishers, 2006): 114-117.

Michael G. Long (ed.) Gay Is Good: The Life and Letters of Gay Rights Pioneer Franklin Kameny (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2014): 96-99, 106.]