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W. Dorr Legg (1904 - 1994)
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 Homophile
Studies in Theory and Practice by
W. Dorr Legg
Generations before there were many gays and
lesbians (but closets were cluttered with homosexuals), Dorr Legg
and ONE Incorporated were proud and out. This unique documentary
chronicles the educational, scholarly and political base of this
evolution, no revolution, in American homophilia. — Richard
Green
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ONE Institute / International Gay & Lesbian
Archives -- ONE-IGLA Bulletin #1, Spring 1995 (40-Year
Dedicated Activist Dorr Legg Dies at 89)
Excerpt:
Dorr's advice to younger people was to never
give in to homophobia. He was noted for being a fighter with a
sharp tongue. Although some withdrew, offended by Dorr's style,
Williams notes how he and others ultimately developed great
admiration. "In a world where so many people will say nice
things to your face, and then viciously attack you behind your
back, Dorr was a refreshing change," said Williams. "He
did just the opposite. And that applied to no one more so than his
devoted partner John Nojima. He loved Johnny devotedly, and was
always concerned about Johnny's overworking himself. Johnny, on
the other hand, rendered incredible care to Dorr's personal needs
and support of his life's work, especially in the area of
videotaping Don's many lectures."
 Dorr was an active member of the Mattachine
Society, the pioneering homosexual rights organization founded in
1950 by Harry Hay and others. Then in 1952, Dorr became part of a
small group from within Mattachine who published ONE magazine,
America's first magazine to advocate a pro-homosexual
stance. In 1953 it was available by subscription and
appeared on newsstands across the country. Then in October of 1954
it was confiscated by the U.S. Post Office, declaring it obscene.
Obviously they didn't know the level of Dorr's determination to
fight back. Against all odds ONE sued the Post Office, taking the
case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1958 they won a
landmark decision guaranteeing the freedom of Gay and Lesbian
publications to be distributed through the mails...
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ONE
Institute and Archives is a non-profit corporation dedicated to
the service of humanity. Our history is as great as our ambition!
The moral and practical support of our readers and researchers
must be had if we are to continue to do great things. We ask for
your substantial financial contributions for supplies, printing,
and equipment needed to protect and support gay and lesbian
history and heritage.
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From The Knitting Circle
Excerpt:
One of the earliest gay movement organisations
in the USA. It began in Los Angeles in 1950-51. Its name was given
by the pioneer activist Harry Hay in commemoration of the French
medieval and Renaissance Société Mattachine, a musical masque
group which he had studied while preparing a course on the history
of popular music for a workers' education project. The name was
meant to symbolise the fact that "gays were a masked people,
unknown and anonymous", and the word, also spelled matachin
or matachine, has been derived from the Arabic of Moorish
Spain, in which mutawajjihin, relates to masking oneself.
Such an opaque name is typical of the homophile movement of the
time in which open proclamation of the purposes of the group
through a revealing name was regarded as imprudent...
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By Will Roscoe
Excerpt:
It may come as a surprise that the gay movement
not only began in the 1950s, but that its founders were former
communists and radicals. Harry Hay, who wrote the first call for a
gay movement in 1948, had been a party member for 20 years, active
in labor organizing and cultural work. The fact that these
organizers had already spent most of their lives outside the
mainstream no doubt prepared them for the risks involved in
forming a gay organization...
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Names Index:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R
S T
U V
W X
Y Z
| Authors
Index | Scholars
Index |
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