NATIONAL GAY TASK FORCE HOLDS NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS CONFERENCE AT CAPITOL
(from Prime Time, August, 1977, p. 37.)
As part of the National Gay Task Force campaign for gay civil rights, NGTF sponsored a one-day conference on Monday, July 11, with national leaders of the major civil rights and civil liberties organizations. The purpose of the meeting was to draw upon the decades of experience of these leaders in developing the long-range and short-term goals of the gay rights movement.
The conference was held in the office of U.S. Senator Alan Cranston, Senate Democratic Whip. Participants incuded:
- Hon. Alan Cranston, United States Senate
- Ruth Hinerfeld, First Vice President, League of Women Voters
- Ruth Abrams, Executive Director, Women’s Action Alliance
- Ellie Smeal, President, National Organization for Women
- Aryeh Meier, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union
- Jane McMichaels, Executive Director, National Women’s Political Caucus
- Jean O’Leary, Co-Executuve Director, National Gay Task Force
- Bruce Voeller, Co-Executuve Director, National Gay Task Force
Major issues before the conference were: dealing with coalition of right wing extremist groups opposing human and civil rights: voter registration drives; congressional and state legislation; public education campaigns; cooperation among and common goals of the various civil rights movements; and federal and state courts in relation to minority groups.
NGTF Co-Executive Directors Jean O'Leary and Bruce Voeller hailed the conference as a major step towards aligning and uniting civil rights organizations in the United States, and applauded the other participants for their willingness to share ideas, resources and experience with a younger civil rights organization, representing the gay-rights movement.
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