Harry Hay

2022-04-16T19:41:25Z

Patroclus:

[[File:HarryHay.jpg|thumb|Harry Hay]]
'''Harry Hay''' was an american gay and labour rights activist. He is most known for pioneering gay activism with his creation of the [[Mattachine Society]] with his male friends. Later in life, he would co-found the [[Radical Faeries]] movement with Don Kilhefler. He's known to have shown consistent support for [[NAMBLA]]. <ref name=Wiki>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Hay#Stanford_University_and_the_Communist_Party:_1929_to_1938 Harry Hay - Wikipedia]</ref><ref name=NAMBLA>[https://www.nambla.org/hay2002.html Nambla's section on Harry Hay]</ref>

== Membership in the Communist Party ==

Harry Hay would join the Communist Party of America in 1934 despite concerns over their views that homosexuality was a defect that came from bourgeois society. Though he would only attend fundraisers for years, he would finally become a committed member in late 1937. Hay would teach a variety of subjects during his membership from marxist theory to folk music.<ref name=Wiki />

Despite his work in the party, members who he admitted his sexuality to would encourage him to marry a woman. He followed this advice and married party member '''Anna Platky''' in 1938. This did not stop Harry from seeking men in local parks and feeling isolated, saying that his marriage was as if "living in an exile world."<ref name=Wiki />

== Gay Rights Activism ==

=== Mattachine Society ===

Harry Hay would attend a beer bust meant to support Democratic presidential candidate Henry Wallace. There, he talked to other gay men about the creation of an organization to reform anti-gay law. He wrote a document for this theoretical organization, although no copy survived. He would show this document to his then-lover, Rudi Gernreich, who was excited by this. This would inspire the creation of the Mattachine Society.<ref>[https://sfpl.org/locations/main-library/james-c-hormel-lgbtqia-center-3rd-floor/radically-gay The Life of Harry Hay]</ref><ref>[https://sfpl.org/sites/default/files/2019-12/bachelors-anonymous.pdf Later Expanded Prospectus]</ref>

The organization's name would be inspired by French masque groups at the suggestion of '''James Gruber'''. '''Ned Katz''' would ask Harry Hay of the origin of the name. Harry then would reply, "One masque group was known as the 'Société Mattachine.' These societies. . . were dedicated to going out into the countryside and conducting dances and rituals. . . Sometimes these dance rituals, or masques, were peasant protests against oppression. . . So we took the name Mattachine because we 1950s Gays were also a masked people. . . who might become engaged in morale building and helping ourselves and others, through struggle, to move toward total redress and change."<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mattachine_Society Mattachine Society - Wikipedia]</ref>

Harry and his lover would peruse gay beaches in Malibu and the Pacific Palisades to look for potential Mattachine Society members. They brought copies of a the Stockholm Peace petition, which called for a withdrawal of troops from Korea. They thought the radicalism of the petition would make the gay organization seem mild. They were exceptionally wrong as 500 signed the petition, but none signed up for Mattachine. Later, their efforts would finally prove justified as they gained members.<ref name=Harry>[https://progressive.org/magazine/meet-pioneer-gay-rights-harry-hay/ Interview With Harry Hay]</ref>

The Mattachine Society would eventually have several branches in other cities and by 1961 would form into regional groups. In 1965, the Mattachine Society would eventually be moved to organize protests at the United Nations and Whitehouse due to news of Cuban prison camps for gays. '''Frank Kameny''' and '''Jack Nichols''' would form the Washington, D.C., branch of the Mattachine Society. This chapter would eventually begin protests outside Independence Hall and the White House in demands of civil rights, such as the right to fair employment, to military service, and to teach. Later, inspired by the black civil rights movement, the Mattachine Society would organize a sip-in during 1966 at Greenwich Village.<ref name=Wiki /><ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/fidel-castros-horrific-record-on-gay-rights "Fidel Castro's Horrific Record on Gay Rights"]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.ru/books?id=jA8l8EYcnHsC&pg=PA76&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false Rethinking the Gay and Lesbian Movement]</ref><ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/homophiles-stonewall-there-was-growing-gay-rights-movement-n1015331 "'Homophiles': THE LGBTQ rights movement began long before Stonewall]</ref>

Though most the founding members were communists, the radicalism of the organization would decline over time. As the organization grew, some became concerned over the leftism of the Society and wished to change its constitution to oppose "subversive elements" and present itself as loyal to the United States. Hay would state that he was kicked out because "I stood for us being a national minority. They didn't want that. All they wanted was to march up to Sacramento and change the law just a tiny bit."<ref name=Harry />

=== Radical Faeries ===

The Radical Faeries are a network and countercultural movement without a definitive definition, perhaps due to it's anarchist inspirations. This movement was founded in 1769 by Hay in conjunction with Don Kilhefner and had its first "Spiritual Conference for Radical Fairies" in Arizona in September, 1979. The movement contains elements of anarchism, environmentalism, feminism, as well as Paganism. The movement is largely spiritual in nature. <ref>[http://www.radfae.org/about Radfae About page]</ref><ref name=Faeries>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_Faeries#Philosophy_and_ritual Radical Faeries - Wikipedia]</ref>

The movement can be seen as a solution to the emptiness gay men saw both in heterosexual society and in assimilationist gay communities.<ref name=Faeries /><ref>[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781555831110/page/n11/mode/2up "The Trouble With Harry Hay" by Timmons Stuart]</ref>

=== Support of NAMBLA ===

Though not a [[boylover]] or a member, Harry Hay was nevertheless a staunch supporter of NAMBLA. During a 1986 Los Angeles Pride, he wore a sign to protest the banning of NAMBLA from the march. He also boycotted the New York Pride in 1994 for their refusal to include NAMBLA. He spoke several times throughout the 80s and 90s at NAMBLA conferences.<ref name=NAMBLA /><ref>[https://bostonphoenix.com/boston/news_features/other_stories/documents/02511115.htm "The real Harry Hay" by Boston Phoenix]</ref>

At these NAMBLA conferences, he would sometimes speak on his experiences as a boy, such as on February 22, 1983. At this conference, he would recount his pursuit both of knowledge and of a man named Matt. At the 1983 conference he would dedicate his statements as being "in memory of that fourteen-year-old boy who was handled by Matt so long ago. And in memorial to Matt, I offer you my love." At a forum on October 7, 1984, in reference to his boyhood, he would be recorded as saying "I would like very much to contribute the experiences that I had at that time and give honor to the men who were there when I needed them so very desparately, and who reached out in love, and who reached out in trust, and who gave me the opportunity to learn love and trust at a very early age." <ref name=NAMBLA />

Harry Hay would be remembered by [[David Thorstad]] in his writing entitled "Harry Hay on Man/Boy Love," wherein he would state, "I considered him a friend. I was lucky to have spent more time with him than I could have hoped for, yet far less than I would have liked. . ." He would also write that "Harry stood for much more than the comments published here. But these views were also important to him, as his moving expressions of love for Matt, the man in his life as a boy, make clear. Wherever he is, I thank him for them, and offer them to posterity."<ref>[https://www.nambla.org/hayonmanboylove.html Harry Hay on Man/Boy Love]</ref>

== Death and Legacy ==

Harry Hay died at 90 years old of lung cancer on October 24th, 2002. He has been honored in several ways. He is included on the Rainbow Honor Walk in San Francisco's Castro district as well as the National LBGTQ Wall of Honor in New York City's Stonewall Inn. In 2012, the Cove Avenue Staircase was officially renamed the Mattachine Steps in honor of Harry Hay. <ref>[http://rainbowhonorwalk.org/?page_id=77 Rainbow Honor Walk list]</ref><ref>[https://www.thetaskforce.org/nationallgbtqwallofhonortobeunveiled/ LGBTQ Wall of Honor]</ref><ref>[https://la.curbed.com/2016/6/1/11836978/silver-lake-mattachine-society-steps-hay Mattachine Steps]</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/25/us/harry-hay-early-proponent-of-gay-rights-dies-at-90.html NY Times Report on Harry Hay's Death]</ref><ref>[https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/harry-hay Harry Hay - Legacy Project]</ref>

== References ==

File:HarryHay.jpg.jpg

Patroclus:

Alan Turing was an english Mathematician, computer scientist, cryptanalyst, and theoretical biologist who lived from 1912 to 1954. Turing is most known for his feats of code-breaking during World War 2, for being a forefather of modern computing with the Turing machine, and for his conviction under the UK's anti-homosexual laws at the time.

Alan Turing is presumed by some to have been a boylover based off historical records described later below.

== Notable Accomplishments ==
* Designing the first model of the british "Bombe" which was used to crack German "Enigma Machine" messages
* Creating the Turing machine which many attribute to helping lead to the creation of modern computing
* Initially leading and playing an integral role in the "Hut 8" section of the "Government Code and Cypher School" and solving german naval messages

== Legacy and Acknowledgement in Gay History ==

Alan Turing is now considered by many to be a notable figure in gay history. Prime Minister Gordon Brown would make an official apology for the unjust conviction and chemical castration of Alan Turing in 2009. A law pardoning past victims of anti-homosexual 'gross indecency' laws would later be named after him ("Alan Turing Law.")

== Status as a Boylover ==

There are numerous accounts which hint towards and make obvious Alan Turing's feelings for boys. In 1927, he would become enamored with a boy named Christopher Morcom who was small and looked younger than his age despite being older. Turing would later sponsor a 14 year old refugee named Robert Augenfeld and wait till the boy was 16 before trying to sexually approach him.

While attempting to borrow an Eisenhart book Alan Turing own, Robin Gandy would witness a newspaper photo of the young princes Michael of Kent (5 years old) and William of Gloucester (6 years old) slip out of his book. Turing then said "you'll find nice pages like that in my books," and say to Gandy the next morning, "We know each other quite well now... I might as well tell you that I am a homosexual."

Turing also appeared to have seked sex with young males in Manchester who would give neither their name nor age. He seemed to have an eye for the youth's at the London YMCA at the swimming pool as well. Turing also tended to largely describe himself as being attracted to boys, although he would be reported at least once as descibing a partner as a "young man" in the case of 19 year old Arnold Murray.

== Conviction of Homosexual Activity with Arnold Murray ==

Alan turing would begin a relationship with Arnold Murray at the age of 39. This laison would go undiscovered from December 17th of 1951 to February 2nd of 1952. He would admit to sex with Arnold Murray after a youth who knew Murray to break into his home and thus bring attention to the relationship.

Alan Turing would agree to chemical castration and probation through a guilty plea, choosing it over imprisonment. Murray would be let off far more lightly and be given a "conditional discharge."

== Death ==

Alan Turing would be found dead of presumed suicide from Cyanide poisoning. A half-eaten apple was found nearby yet it was not tested for cyanide. Some have speculated that his death was a recreation of a scene from a film he was fond of: Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs.

== External Links ==

* [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/turing-machine/#:~:text=Turing%20machines%2C%20first%20described%20by,the%20computing%20of%20real%20numbers. "Turing Machines (Standford Encyclopedia)"]
* [https://www.tnmoc.org/bombe "The Turing-Welchman Bombe"]
* [https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-alan-turing-cracked-the-enigma-code "How Alan Turing Cracked the Enigma Code"]
* [https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/23526 Petition for the pardon of Alan Turing]
* [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/11/pm-apology-to-alan-turing "PM's apology to codebreaker Alan Turing: we were inhumane"]
* [https://greek-love.com/modern-europe/great-britain/alan-turing-1912-54 Alan Turing's Boylove (Greek Love)]
* [https://royalsociety.org/blog/2017/03/alan-turings-law/ "Alan Turing's Law | Royal Society"]
* [https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/05/obituaries/alan-turing-overlooked.html News article describing the conviction of Alan Turing and later response to his unjust treatment]

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Alan Turing

2022-04-14T23:08:22Z

Patroclus: Created page with "Alan Turing was an english Mathematician, computer scientist, cryptanalyst, and theoretical biologist who lived from 1912 to 1954. Turing is most known for his feats of code-b..."