Shoulders to Stand On

From Bob Osborne to John Altieri, Gay Alliance Leadership Remains Strong

By Evelyn Bailey

In 1970, Bob Osborne, Larry Fine, Patti Evans, RJ Alcala, Karen Hagberg, Marshall Goldman, Rosanne Leipzeig, Debbie Lestz and others came together around LGBT issues and our community.

These individuals were the movers and shakers of the Gay Liberation Front at the University of Rochester. In 1973, Whitey LeBlanc (first President of the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley), Jay Baker (first editor of The Empty Closet), Mark Hull (owner of the Brown Street property), and the Coordinating Council oversaw the transition of the organization from the U of R Campus to Brown Street. In 1974, the first elected officers of the GAGV were installed: Michael Robertson, Robert Crystal, William Glave, Vince DiSchino, Phil Garbus, John Cook, Howard Cullen, and Tim Mains.

The Beginning of the Gay Alliance

The Gay Liberation Front

Interviewed: Patti Evans and Whitey LeBlanc

Rochester Chamber of Commerce Discriminates Against GAGV - In 1983

By Jackie Nudd

During the summer of 1983, the Board of Directors of GAGV decided to hold their Tenth Anniversary Dinner at the Rochester Chamber of Commerce. There was a lengthy debate as to whether the application would be approved, but it was decided to go forth with the plan. The Board consisted of members with strong convictions that it was way beyond time to move the Alliance into the mainstream Rochester Community,

To the astonishment and relief of all, the approved application was received within a very short time. Committees were formed and plans moved quickly to get tickets printed and flyers made announcing the Tenth Anniversary Dinner along with the named location where it was to be held. The whole Gay Community was abuzz that the Alliance’s Tenth Anniversary Dinner was going to be held in the ballroom of the prestigious Chamber of Commerce.

March Is Women's History Month

by Evelyn Bailey

Shoulders To Stand On is proud to recognize the women who were Vicki Cup Honorees and Past Presidents (or Co-Presidents) of the Gay Alliance. Vicki Cup Awards were begun by Arnie Pegish in 1979 in honor of Vicki Russo. The award is given to a woman who has made a significant contribution to the Rochester gay community. These are only a few of the shoulders of the women in our community that we stand on.

Help Preserve Rochester LGBT History

The Gay Alliance of Genesee Valley, through a grant from the NYS Documentary Heritage Program (DHP), is seeking records from organizations and individuals that will help to preserve the history of the LGBT community in the Rochester, NY area. The DHP is a statewide program established by law to provide financial support and guidance to not-for-profit organizations.

DHP Grants are designed to encourage more comprehensive documentation of New York State’s history and culture by supporting projects that identify, survey, collect, and make available important records relating to groups and topics traditionally under-represented in the historical record. DHP is administered by the New York State Archives, a unit of the New York State Education Department.

Read the brochure to find out more about the project and how you can help.

LGBT Records Are Disappearing

Records are no longer accessible or avaialble due to individuals dying; organizations, agencies and groups relocating; and not having a repository to preserve records. The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley in conjunction with the Documetary Heritage Programs wants to be sure that LGBT records survives as part of New York State's rich cultural, political, social and economic history. Individuals and organizations are invited to contact us. Download dhp_flier.pdf (139.8K)

Tim Mains: New York State's First Openly Gay Elected Official

by Evelyn Bailey

It is November.  What comes to my mind?   November 3, Election Day and Thanksgiving.  These two occasions are linked very closely.  Our OUT Politicians give us a great deal to be thankful for.  The Shoulders that our Rochester GLBT community identifies as the first openly gay candidate to run for political office is Tim Mains.

When Tim Mains began his career in public education, he believed that the word “gay” and “teacher” didn’t belong in the same sentence, let alone the same classroom. He assumed that he would keep his private life and his professional life strictly separated. After all, such beliefs and practices were common in 1971, when Mains graduated from Ball State University and left his home in Indiana to teach high school social studies in a suburb of Rochester, New York. 

The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley's Coming Out Journey

by Evelyn Bailey

Imagine a fall October day.  The sun is shining, the trees glisten with color.  You are standing outside of Todd Union on the University of Rochester campus in the quadrangle.  You are listening to Bob Osborne and Larry Fine, both students at the U of R, discuss the meeting to be held that night to hear the invited speakers from Ithaca and Buffalo.   The conversation went something like this:

“Hopefully we will have a few people who will come to listen.  I really don’t expect more that a dozen or so” said Bob. 

“I know.  I have invited everyone I know. But people are afraid to be open and associated with any public activity involving homosexuality.  I just hope that we won’t be embarrassed by the poor turnout.” said Larry. 

“We did pass out flyers to the bars and coffee houses in the city – maybe some people from the city will come”  said Bob.  “I hope so – I’ve got to get to class – see you tonight” said Larry.

Gay Liberation in Rochester, New York

Excerpts from an article by Michael Robertson in the Empty Closet, June 1975

“We have fled from blackmailing cops, from families who disowned or ‘tolerated’ us; we have been drummed out of the armed services, thrown out of schools, fired from jobs, and beaten by punks and policemen.  Straight cops patrol us, straight legislators govern us, straight employers keep us in line, straight money exploits us.  We have pretended everything is OK because we haven't been able to see how to change it - - we've been afraid.”

Out of this intolerable reality and the struggle of all peoples to be treated as human beings was born the gay liberation movement. In this article I want to focus on the event that catapulted gay liberation into the 20th century full-blown, and specifically its effect on Rochester, New York.

It was this month 39 years ago that some thing unremarkable happened. On June 27, an event which had occurred a thousand times before across the United States over the decades took place. THE POLICE RAIDED A GAY BAR! The very first public response to overt harassment was demonstrated. The Stonewall Riots mark the conscious organized beginning of the gay liberation movement. They also mark the beginning of Gay Pride.

The Making of a Gay President

The March, 1974 issue of the Empty Closet, contains a front page article, written by Michael Robertson We have reprinted it below.

The Making of a Gay President by Michael Robertson

A month has passed since you elected as president of the Gay Alliance for 1974.  Since then, I have wanted to share some thoughts with you and share the growth I've experienced since meeting some of the beautiful people involved with the gay liberation movement in Rochester.