On this day, July 20, in 1951

The Mattachine Society ratified its statement of “Missions and Purposes.” The Mattachine Society was the first sustained Gay Liberation Organization in the United States committed to encouraging public acceptance of homosexuality. Members saw gays, lesbians, and bisexuals as a minority group and tried to align themselves with the struggles of other subordinated groups. The organization’s five founders, who were white men, began secretly meeting in 1950 to discuss their shared vision of a unified and socially conscious homosexual community in America. Despite the danger of associating with a homosexual group, the idea quickly spread and similar organizations began appearing.