Gay Rights in the 1970s - Digital Documents

Life in Seattle's Gay and Lesbian Community

• 1971 Annual Report for the Seattle Counseling Service for Homosexuals and other Sexual Minorities (1971)


• Audio recording of Seattle Gay Alliance spokesperson Tim Mayhew speaking at a City Council meeting (meeting minutes) about the potential political strength of Seattle's gay community. The subject of the meeting was to consider a proposed ordinance legalizing prostitution (April 27, 1972)


• Letter sent to the Mayor's Office detailing alleged police harassment of a gay couple


• Excerpts from an issue of the Seattle Gay News (December, 1976)


• Memorandum detailing the first meeting of a Police/Gay community task force on crime prevention (October 20, 1980)

1973: Revision of the Fair Employment Practices Ordinance

• Council Ordinance 102562 prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment (September 18, 1973)


• Office of Women's Rights overview of sexual orientation discrimination cases addressed to date (1977)


• Office of Women's Rights memorandum detailing municipal protections and procedures concerning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in employment (September, 1978)


• Letter from Mayor Royer to President Ronald Reagan in support of a national equal employment law (March 10, 1980)


• Brochure produced by the Office of Women's Rights about sexual orientation discrimination in housing and the workplace (1978/1979)

1975: Revision of the Open Housing Ordinance

• Audio recording of Seattle Gay Alliance spokesperson Tim Mayhew speaking at a City Council meeting (meeting minutes) in support of protecting gays and lesbians against housing discrimination (October 16, 1972)


• Letter written to City Council by Edwards G. Morges, attorney for the Seattle Apartment Operators Association,arguing against the addition of sexual orientation to the Open Housing Ordinance (1975)


• Letter written by Councilwoman Jeanette Williams describing the potential revision of the Open Housing Ordinance (May 22, 1975)


• Briefing on the content of the Open Housing Ordinance revision (April 14, 1975)


• Audio recording of Seattle Apartment Operators Association attorney Edwards G. Morges speaking at a City Council meeting (meeting minutes) in opposition to adding sexual orientation to the Open Housing Ordinance (July 22, 1975)


• Letter from Councilwoman Jeanette Williams soliciting the appropriate definition of sexual orientation for City Ordinances, with response by City Attorney Doug Jewett (June 20 & August 25, 1978)

1977: Gay Pride Week is Officially Proclaimed

• Letter to the Mayor from Lady Graytop, "Empress" of the "Imperial Sovereign Court of Seattle" advocating for offical proclamation of Gay Pride Week (May 4, 1976)


• Official Proclamation of Gay Pride Week issued by the Office of the Mayor (June 25, 1977)


• Anti-Pride letter with response by Mayor's Office (June 21 & July 15, 1977)


• Anti-Pride letter with response by Mayor's Office (July 20, 1977)


• Letter to Mayor Uhlman supporting the proclamation of Gay Pride Week (June 15, 1977)


• Anonymous letter to Mayor Uhlman supporting the proclamation of Gay Pride Week (June 27, 1977)


• Letter to Mayor Uhlman from Empty Space theater director M. Burke Walker in support of his proclamation of Gay Pride Week (June 30, 1977)


• Mayor Uhlman's form response to pro-Gay Pride proclamation letters (July 18, 1977)

1978: The Struggle over Initiative 13

• Promotional letter from pro-Initiative group Save Our Moral Ethics (1978)


• Promotional letter from anti-Initiative group Citizens to Retain Fair Employment (1978)


• Flyer for anti-Initiative action meeting conducted by the Washington Coalition of Sexual Minority Rights (March, 1978)


• All-department memorandum issued by Police Chief H.A. VandenWyer concerning the Initiative 13 controversy and vote (July 31, 1978)


• Office of Women's Rights memorandum outlining the potential effects of a 'yes' vote on Initiative 13 (September, 1978)


• Letter from Mayor Royer to the City Council arguing against the adoption of Initiative 13 (August 21, 1978)


• Initiative 13 talking points developed by Mayor Royer and his wife Rosanne (November 5, 1978)


• Text for the Initiative 13 petition submitted to voters (November 7, 1978)

The 1980s: The Post-13 Era

• Memorandum summarizing meeting between city officials and gay community leaders (February 14, 1983)


• Seattle-King County Department of Public Health memorandum detailing response to AIDS epidemic (April 29, 1983)


• Transcript of testimony to the City Council advocating a resolution in support of action against the AIDS epidemic (June 21, 1983)


• Cover of the quarterly AIDS surveillance report issued by the Seattle-King County Department of Public Health & Department of Social and Health Services (1987)

Images

• Councilmember Jeanette Williams on the occasion of the swearing in of Mayor Wesley Uhlman (January 14, 1974)


• Mayor Wesley Uhlman speaking at the Bumbershoot Festival '74 (September, 1974)


• Flyer for the 'Halloween against 13' fundraiser, held by the Seattle Committee Against Thirteen (1974)


• Photo of the head of the first Gay Pride Week march through Seattle (1977)


• Photo of the first Gay Pride Week march through Seattle, with counter-protest in front (1977)


• Photo of a crowd of anti-Initiative 13 protesters at a rally in Westlake Park (1978)