It was a huge oversight that I didn't create a post about this man when a friend first made me aware of him 12 days ago, on the 50th Anniversary of his speech...
'I am a homosexual. I am a psychiatrist': How Dr. Anonymous changed history
At a 1972 meeting of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. John Fryer disguised himself and delivered a speech that changed the course of LGBTQ history.
Introduced to the room as Dr. Henry Anonymous, wearing a wig and a tuxedo three sizes too big, and speaking through a microphone that distorted his voice, Dr. John Fryer stood in front of a crowd of psychiatrists at their annual meeting donning a garish Richard M. Nixon mask he and his lover had modified.
It was 1972, and he masked himself in order to say the following words: “I am a homosexual. I am a psychiatrist.” His declaration changed the world.
It has been 50 years since Fryer’s speech, a moment that was central to removing homosexuality from the list of mental disorders, the impact of which contributed to the progression of LGBTQ rights through the next several decades.
“Once you have public conversations, you’re discussing what’s possible, you’re changing the rules of what is possible to talk about, and then more people start speaking up,” he said.
The article is a bit long, but it's very informative.
Which brings me to today...
So many phobias.
I had never heard of him, but fascinating.
ReplyDeleteBut that mask is creepy. Can you say Leatherface?
Thank you for posting this, Rick. I’d never heard of Dr. Fryer. I recognized Barbara Gittings in the photo, alongside Frank Kameny, two other pioneers that are our heroes. Great to read about Dr. John Fryer.
ReplyDeleteSo, which phobia describes being afraid of anything that isn't exactly like you? That phobia (disease) seems to be running rampant through this country.
ReplyDeleteAnon@6:15am - He was a brave man.
ReplyDeletePat - It's really out of control.
He surely was. ❤️🙏👍
DeleteWhen I first saw this article, I was tempted to write to the New York Times with my take.
ReplyDeleteWhile John Fryer’s contributions to the movement were invaluable, there was another side to him. I first met John when I was young and cute. He came onto me at an AIDS volunteer function in the early 1980s. He asked me where I was from, and I told him the name of my hometown. He asked me if I knew a certain guy my age who grew up there. I told him I knew that fellow, and that he was in my graduating class in high school. He then proceeded to tell me that he’d had sex with that classmate of mine WHILE my classmate was seeing Mr Fryer as his patient. I couldn’t get away from him fast enough after hearing that.
I later learned from my doctor, that John had kept a large house where he rented rooms to local college students, all living in communally. My doctor was one of his boarders. My doctor was also molested by John in the middle of the night. He went on to tell me — so were a number of other young male students from Drexel, Temple and the University of Pennsylvania.
From my observations in life as an older man now in his 70s, I’ve learned that most people are neither entirely good nor entirely bad, but rather a blending of both. For whatever heroic things John Fryer is known for, he had a dark, unacceptable side that one might justify as generational, or pre-gay liberation. But John Fryer was also the textbook definition of a “creep” and a mental health physician who repeatedly broke faith with his oath of confidentiality, not to mention common sense and basic decency.
it's not phobia but hate
ReplyDeleteWinnieToons - Your comment is really an eye-opener. I know the type; I was young and cute once, too. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteYou should remember that there were three pillars against being gay. You were sick if you were gay, you were a criminal if you were gay, and you were a sinner if you were gay. This event was critical in the fight for gay rights by knocking down the idea that you were sick if you were gay. The US Supreme Court knocked down the second. I fear the third will never go away. So long as you are an identifiable group the is different you will always face prejudice whether for the color of you skin, your religion or your sexual orientation of gender presentation.
ReplyDeleteAnon@7:57pm - We are always singled out at some point.
ReplyDelete