40 years ago in PGN: July 1-7, 2016

Philadelphia hosts gay Catholic conference

Adapted from reporting by Michael Clark 

Four workshops exploring justice within the interactions of gay people and the Catholic Church took place Memorial Day weekend 1976 in Philadelphia.

It was part of the East Coast Conference of Dignity, a gay Catholic organization with about 5,000 members from 48 chapters. The East Coast conference took place simultaneously with a West Coast conference in San Francisco.

About 150 people participated in the Philadelphia event on the University of Pennsylvania campus.

Barbara Ferraro, co-chaplain of Dignity Merrimack Valley in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, delivered the opening address. She covered the rights and responsibilities of gay people in the church, saying it’s important for religion to be an integral part of one’s life. 

The four workshops that followed included:

•          “Gay Justice within the Catholic Community,” moderated by Father C. Robert Nugent and John Willig from Dignity Washington, D.C.

•          “Gay Civil Justice,” presented by Tony Silvestre, chairperson of the Governor’s Council for Sexual Minorities

•          “Justice within the Gay Community,” led by Barbara Gittings, a prominent Philadelphia activist

•          “Justice Within Gay Lover Relationships,” given by Susan Vasbinder, administrator of the Philadelphia Eromin Center, a professional counseling center for sexual minorities

Hundreds descend on Center City for Pride

Adapted from reporting by Ed Barnard

Beginning and ending at Rittenhouse Square, hundreds of gay men and lesbians marched June 12, 1976, for Gay Pride Day.

Several cars were decorated for the occasion and drove with notables like the Rev. Freda Smith of the Metropolitan Community Church and former Air Force Sgt. Leonard Matlovich, who was discharged from the military for being gay. 

A Mummers band led the parade through its route and garnered much applause.

The parade was not marred by any major incidents. Some protestors shouted, “God is with us,” to which Dyketactics members chanted, “2-4-6-8, gay is just as good as straight.” At another point, an elderly woman threw pebbles at the car carrying Matlovich. 

In a rally after the parade, the mother of gay activist Bill Haught said, “It’s time that the parents of gays came out of the closet and supported their children.”

The event concluded with PGN publisher Mark Segal reading Gov. Milton Shapp’s proclamation that June 12-19, 1976, was Gay Pride Week across Pennsylvania. 

— compiled by Paige Cooperstein

Newsletter Sign-up