Please join us at BRCSJ HQ as we proudly host Martha Shelley & Perry Brass, two original members of the Gay Liberation Front whose activism stems from the early days of Stonewall, in intimate conversation with Frank Mahood, one of the founders of Gay People Princeton, this community’s first local gay rights organization, moderated by our own Chief Activist Robt Seda-Schreiber.
Continuing the thread from our Pride Parade- Princeton's Fabulous First Ever!
This event continues the Bayard Rustin Center for Social Justice's dedication to recognizing, respecting, & preserving our history to inform our present & inspire our future!
Martha Shelley organized the first gay protest march that took place one month after Stonewall, & was one of the founders of the Gay Liberation Front. She worked on & wrote for GLF’s newspaper, Come Out!, & RAT Newspaper after the women’s takeover, as well as producing the first lesbian radio show in NYC, Lesbian Nation. After leaving New York, she joined the Women's Press Collective in Oakland, CA. She is the author of three poetry collections & a trilogy of historical fiction about the life of Jezebel, Queen of Israel.
Activist, poet, playwright, & author Perry Brass has published 19 books, was a member of the Gay Liberation Front & co-editor of Come Out!, the world’s first gay liberation newspaper; & co-founded the Gay Men’s Health Project Clinic, the first clinic for gay men on the East Coast, now operating as Callen-Lorde Community Health Services. He is also a co-founder of the New York Rainbow Book Fair, the largest LGBT book event in the U.S, which will take place this year on October 12 at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Community Services Center in Greenwich Village.
Frank Mahood began his 50 year career as an artist, typographer, & book designer at several publishers across the country before joining Princeton University Press. Many of his book designs have won awards at regional & national book shows. He was one of the original members of the Gay Alliance of Princeton, representing the university staff in the student organization. As a member, he was one of five local delegates to the First International Gay Rights Conference in Edinburgh Scotland in 1974. He was a founding member of Gay People Princeton, serving on its executive board & as its first vice-president. His graphic designs were used by GAP, GPP, & the New Jersey Lesbian & Gay Coalition.