are you now or have you ever been.....................

FBI Releases 947-Page
File on the Mattachine Society

(A poster from the 1960s.)

The good folks at GovernmentAttic.com, through a Freedom  of Information Act request, have obtained the 947-page Federal Bureau of Investigation file on the Mattachine Society, a gay lib org started in the 1950s by a handful of brave homosexuals, and the entire file is now available at the site for everyone to read.

Click here to download the large PDF. If you "right click, save" on the link, it is easier to download, instead of just clicking the link.

I'm looking forward to reading the full document, and right now want to share two highlights I found while skimming the file.

From the file's first page:

On May 29, 1953, Confidential Informant [redacted] of known reliability who is a sex deviate contacted [Special Agent] ROBERT KARL. The Informant made available a copy of the Publication entitled "ONE" [...]

Further review of the Publication indicates it is written for Sex Deviates [...]

The Bureau's attention is directed to Pages 9 and 10 of the publication. The article is entitled "Are You Now or have you ever been a Homosexual" [...]

I simply can't imagine the courage it took in those dark times, to come out of the closet, link up with other homosexuals, risk losing employment or housing or the love of family and friend, and also publish a newsletter demanding respect and tolerance...............