Franklin Edward “Frank” Kameny a US gay rights activist and deemed one of the most significant figures has died at the age of 86. Kameny was dismissed in 1957 from his position as an astronomer in the Army Map Service because of his sexuality, leading him to begin “a Herculean struggle with the American establishment” that would “spearhead a new period of militancy in the gay rights movement of the early 1960s”. Kameny protested his dismissal and argued this case to the United States Supreme Court in 1961. Although unsuccessful in his petition, it was notable as the first civil rights claim based on sexual orientation. In 1963 Kameny launched a campaign to overturn sodomy laws and became the first openly gay candidate for the United States Congress, personally drafting a bill that finally passed in 1993.

 

Inspired by Linda Hirshman http://ow.ly/6ZkWk image source DCVirago http://ow.ly/6ZkSM