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Primary Source Sets
Stonewall and Its Impact on the Gay Liberation Movement
A letter from Phil Johnson to Circle of Friends board members outlining the history of the organization.

A letter from Phil Johnson to Circle of Friends board members outlining the history of the organization.

The Circle of Friends, founded in 1965, was the first gay organization in Dallas, Texas. Phil Johnson, a founding member, also founded the Dallas Gay Historic Archives. Since it was illegal to be openly gay in Texas until 2003, Circle of Friends partnered with straight allies to help protect its members from harassment and discrimination. This letter from Phil Johnson, on Circle of Friends letterhead, was written to the organization’s board members. It includes a brief description and history of the organization and highlights partnerships among religious clerics, straight people, and gay advocates.

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Citation Information
Johnson, Phil, “Letter from Phil Johnson to Circle of Friends board members,” Digital Public Library of America, https://dp.la/item/b28010875bf350918988f31f12ab8d71.
Note: These citations are programmatically generated and may be incomplete.
Courtesy of UNT Archives via The Portal to Texas History.

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  • the author's point of view
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Item 2 of 15 in the Primary Source Set Stonewall and Its Impact on the Gay Liberation Movement

Previous ItemNext Item
An excerpt from a 1958 radio program discussing gay people in the US.
A letter from Phil Johnson to Circle of Friends board members outlining the history of the organization.
A photograph of the window of the Stonewall Inn in New York City, 1969.
A photograph of the Gay Liberation Front picketing Time, Inc., in 1969.
The Gay Liberation Front platform statement, December 2, 1970.
A photograph of Gay Liberation Front members at a demonstration with a poster saying “Sappho was a right-on woman.”
A radio interview with a lesbian named Chris about her identity and politics, 1972.
An excerpt from a 1978 debate about California Proposition 6, an effort to ban gay men and women from working in California public schools.
A 1985 letter from Don Baker, a gay rights activist, to Dallas City Councilwoman Lori Palmer regarding gay rights.
A Stonewall GLBT button.
A 1990 press release announcing that black leaders had met to “discuss lesbian/gay issues.”
A pamphlet for the twentieth anniversary of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 1994.
Excerpts from a 2000 research article titled “Changing Social Attitudes in the United States: Increasing Acceptance of Homosexuals.”
A 2011 article about the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York State.
A 2014 article about the National Park Service’s decision to commemorate significant sites from LGBT history.

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