Description
Richard “Dick” Gayer was a prominent LGBTQ+ attorney and activist. Born in 1938, Gayer was a trailblazer in the fight for LGBTQ+ legal rights, challenging discrimination with courage and tenacity even before graduating from UC Law San Francisco in 1975. Notably, he sued the California Department of Motor Vehicles for denying his request for a personalized license plate reading “GAY LIB,” asserting that his message was a political statement protected by the First Amendment. Gayer also challenged the Department of Defense after his security clearance was revoked due to his sexual orientation, taking his case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Although he lost the case, he regained his clearance in 1975 after answering personal and intimate questions about his private life that he had previously refused to answer.
Randy Shilts (1951–1994) was a pioneering journalist, author, and one of the first openly gay reporters at a major American newspaper. He is best known for his groundbreaking books on LGBTQ+ history, particularly this title as well as And the Band Played On and Conduct Unbecoming. His work was instrumental in bringing LGBTQ+ issues into mainstream journalism and shaping public discourse around AIDS, civil rights, and military discrimination.
Given Gayer’s significant contributions to LGBTQ+ rights and his prominence in legal battles against discrimination, as well as Shilts’ work and its continuing influence to LGBTQ+ journalism, activism, and policy debates, makes this book an important association copy. And again, condition noted.
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