Gay rights pioneer Frank Kameny to be inducted into Hall of Honour
The US Department of Labor is to induct late gay rights hero Frank Kameny into its Hall of Honor.
Kameny is one of the most important figures in the early gay rights struggle, making the first civil rights claim based on sexual orientation in 1961 after he was fired for being gay.
The activist also founded the Washington DC branch of the Mattachine Society, which held the first ever gay rights picket outside the White House, 50 years ago this year.
Coming four years before the Stonewall riots of 1969 in New York – often considered to be the birthplace of the LGBT movement – Kameny’s early protests were uniquely ordered and restrained, with men and women even instructed to follow a strict dress code.
It was announced today that he will be inducted into the Hall of Honour by the US Department of Labour – one of the highest accolades the body can bestow.
The Hall of Honour is a monument to honour Americans who have made a positive contribution to how people in the United States work and live.
Secretary of Labour Thomas E Perez said: “Frank Kameny was a groundbreaking leader in the LGBT civil rights movement. He fought tirelessly to live out his truth and to end workplace discrimination.
“At the Department of Labour we work every day to carry on his legacy and ensure that all workers, no matter who they are or who they love, have equal access to opportunity.”
Mr Kameny passed away in 2011.
