The Annual Reminder events were some of the earlier organized public demonstrations for LGBTQIA+ rights. Held outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Annual Reminders began on July 4, 1965,[1] and were held yearly until the final event on July 4, 1969.[2] Participants dressed in formal business attire to communicate "respectability", and they carried signs with messages such as "Homosexuals Ask For Equality Before the Law".[1]
Prelude[]
The events were held during a period now known as the "lavender scare". So-called "sexual deviants"[2]— "homosexuals"—were barred from federal government employment in 1953 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed[1] Executive Order 10450. Thousands of people lost their jobs[2] for having a sexual orientation that was not heterosexual.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "What Was Your Stonewall? Pivotal L.G.B.T.Q. Moments Across the U.S." by Scott James on New York Times. Published 2019-06-20. (Archived on 2022-01-24)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Demanding Civil Rights: The Roots of the LGBTQ Movement" (original link down) on National Park Service (PDF). (Direct URL for archived PDF) (Archived on 2022-06-01)