Project History
Don't Hide it!
Three Months Before Stonewall: The Forgotten Heroes of the Bay Area
Editor: Pat Brown
1942-2025
The original, iconic photo used in the Berkeley Barb article, along with numerous other original photos, negatives, and documents belonging to the late Leo Laurence, were donated by Pat Brown in 2024 to the ONE Archives at the University of Southern California. The Director of the ONE Archives, Michael Oliveira, drove down to San Diego and picked up 13 Bankers-style boxes of materials related to Leo Laurence and Pat Brown.
Pat Brown allowed the webmaster, Felix Castillo to retain important documents, photos and recordings for use in the ongoing development of projecthistory.org.
It Didn’t All Start at Stonewall!
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Pioneers of San Francisco’s Queer Rights Movement, Leo Laurence and Pat Brown.
by Mark G. Conlan, Zengers Newsmagazine Feb.2012​
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Leo O. Laurence Continued
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The final straw came shortly thereafter when brash Leo Laurence criticized his employer, SIR, for being too timid and not forceful enough in fighting for gay rights. This criticism struck at the core of what the organization was supposed to be about. Leo was soon dismissed from his post at SIR. Gale Whittington was also fired from his job at States Steamship Lines due to the daring Berkeley Barb photo.
Leo Laurence, Gale Whittington, Pat Brown, and others then formed a protest organization called The Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF). They staged a three-month-long picket of States Steamship Lines with Pat Brown as the picket captain, urging the gay community to come out of hiding, engage in radical direct action, and counter societal shame with gay pride. This protest occurred several months before Stonewall and was the first organized and sustained action of its kind.
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Leo O. Laurence
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Leo Laurence was a nonconformist and undeniably brash. In 1969, he became a staff writer for The Berkeley Barb, a radical, underground newspaper. There, he wrote his seminal article, “Don’t Hide It!”, with a photo of him embracing his friend, Gale Whittington, who was shirtless. It was a revolutionary and early display of gay pride.
At the time, Leo also worked as a news editor for ABC-KGO, a mainstream news outlet, and was the editor of Vector, a monthly gay publication from the Society for Individual Rights (SIR). His article for The Berkeley Barb led to his firing from ABC-KGO, and apparently, the story and photo also set off alarm bells at Leo Laurence’s other employer, SIR, a conservative and the largest gay rights organization.
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by Pat Brown (2023)
Poster Boy Gale Whittington carrying a picket sign with Pat Brown and fellow activists standing nearby. (1969) Photo: Mother Boats
Pat Brown / Leo Laurence files (2023) Photo: F. Castillo, webmaster
​Photos: Some unpublished by Mother Boats, with many more to come...
Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF) members at an anti-war rally
Pat Brown and Charles Thorpe on the CHF picket line at States Steamship Lines
Photo: Mother Boats 1969
Photo:: Mother Boats 1969
Amplifying Voices: The CHF's Alliances for Social Justice
The Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF) collaborated with other relevant sectors such as anti-Vietnam War demonstrators and the Black Panthers. They stood up against racism, homophobia, and sexist oppression as a unified unit. They worked towards the goal of bringing about social change, as a result, they utilized synergy and together they had a greater impact. CHF and the other associated community-based organizations championed an array of issues and also wove in critical conversations that challenged the status quo and sought justice and equality.
sources:
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The Committee for Homosexual Freedom The Berkeley RevolutionAnti-Vietnam War Protests:
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Wikipedia - List of protests against the Vietnam War
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Black Panther Party: Wikipedia - Black Panther Party
Members of the Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF) carrying a large banner, marched in an anti-Vietnam War demonstration.
Foto: Mother Boats 1969
Sources:
(1) The Committee for Homosexual Freedom - The Berkeley Revolution. https://revolution.berkeley.edu/committee-homosexual-freedom/.
(2) Leo Laurence of San Francisco, Berkeley gay liberation. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/ff6f8dd0-2261-0137-37f6-5f3c192e20c9.
(3) Leo Laurence mentioned in Gay Press, Gay Power – The Tangent Group. https://www.tangentgroup.org/leo-laurence-mention/.
projecthistory.org
The story behind the domain name
In 1997, Leo Laurence, Gale Whittington, and Pat Brown organized a phone conference. They decided they needed to document the activism of the Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF)—the group they had established in the Bay Area during the 1960s. This is how Project History was born. Gale later published the book "Beyond Normal," while Leo began writing his own book. Unfortunately, Leo passed away before he could finish it. Pat's website, projecthistory.org, reflects his effort in documenting these events.
In 1997, Leo Laurence, Gale Whittington, and Pat Brown organized a phone conference. They decided they needed to document the activism of the Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF)—the group they had established in the Bay Area during the 1960s. This is how Project History was born. Gale later published the book "Beyond Normal," while Leo began writing his own book. Unfortunately, Leo passed away before he could finish it. Pat's website, projecthistory.org, reflects his effort in documenting these events.