The lady speaking is Phyllis Lyon and her partner/wife founded The Daughter of Billitis. Unfortunately she just died on April 9th of this year. May they both RIP!.❤

It took balls ( no pun intended ) to come out in the 50s . Getting murdered was very prevalent for being gay . God bless these ballsy pioneers !

You did an excellent job with this video! I am not gay, but grew up in the 1950's and it was a taboo or should I say a "God Forbid" Moment to learn your child was gay. Thankfully, not so today. Such young people who are so very bright and interested in the world!

I was out in 1976 when I was 16. As I was unafraid and I had a very accurate perception of who I was I wouldn't be lying if I said that I was never in the closet. I was very outspoken and did not put up with bullying/ bullshit of any kind and that was valid inside my family as well. I left home two years later to go to college, became economically independent and so I have lived in relative Tranquility ever since. I am sure that this kind of attitude depended mostly on myself for there was a lot of prejudice everywhere. I had a very close gay friend since the age of 12 we were inseparable best friends and to this day we keep contact. he helped me a lot with my self-esteem and sense of self-worth.

The young people that conducted these interview did such an amazing job. Well done! And of course amazing respect to the people who came out in the 1950s. Like one of the young people said, I thought I had it hard in the 80s/90s. Wow! Thank you for this video.

Believe me, it wasn't a picnic, when I came out on 1968 either. Then, it still isn't for a lot of people. Still, if at all possible and if you are safe, by all means, COME OUT! Young people, you are a light onto this world and deserve happiness.

"Acceptance, not tolerance." He's absolutely right. I love this, thank you!

In retrospect, I think I was fortunate to be out when I graduated in 1964. Unlike the very repressed and scary 1950's, the 1960's was on the cusp of liberation/ And then came the 1970's when we were all over the place. Those times were great but immediately followed by the AIDS outbreak around 1982. I lost many friends and family. I met my partner in 1976. Although we didn't know it then, out committment saved our lives. We are now retired in New Mexico and still very happy!

We owe their generation everything we now take for granted! Just imagine living in constant terror of loosing everything if the came out, not to mention the constant threat of physical violence and/or being killed, with no way to do nothing about it? I’m 49, I met my husband when I was 20, through a dating agency I found in the back page of the newspaper (there was no internet back then). Back then, we still faced major discrimination, violence, being denied housing and/or employment, couldn’t get married, have kids...basically we had zero rights. While the people in this videos generation laid the ground work, and were beyond brave, my generation were the ones that literally put our lives on the line to fight like hell for every right we now enjoy. I can’t even count the number of protests/sit in’s we attended, we were arrested many times, just for sticking up for our rights, but, they’d always drop the charges after, they just did everything possible within the confines of Canadian law (we’re in Toronto) to break up, and/or discourage us from fighting for our rights. But after years of bitter political battles, and court challenges (cost us a fortune in lawyers fee, which we fund raised for), slowly, we finally turned things around, and got what we deserved......NOT special rights, as the at the time media then so often touted, but, our HUMAN rights! I’ll NEVER forget the day we won our court case against the police and government, making discrimination against our community illegal. From that point on, our political momentum picked up speed, and as the years past, so did many new laws allowing us to legally adopt and get married. You would NOT believe the fight we went through, but we won!! For any ignorant moron who stereotypes us a girly wimps, cowards, etc....they only wish they had the courage we did to go up against centuries of church dogma, and a societal assumption and acceptance of gays being sexual deviants and perverted freaks! I think, at least for Canadian/American LGTBQ, Stonewall was the defining moment that put the gay rights movement in full motion. It was a declaration of war against the “establishment’ that we were not going to take anymore shit from brain dead straight hicks. One more event that is etched in my mind that began the gay rights battle in Toronto (and all of Canada for that matter), was the infamous bathhouse raids of 1981, by the Toronto police, who invaded a bathhouse, broke down the doors, beat, and arrested every man they could find, publishing their names in the newspaper the following day. As we all know, many who frequent bath houses are married men with children, who were either unable, or unwilling, to come out.....in the days that followed, after their names were published, several took their own lives because they couldn’t face the shame they felt....NO ONE has the right to do this to us, or to anyone. My partner Freddy and I co-founded “safety zone’, a nonprofit anti-gay bashing organization, in the late 80’s and early 90’s, as the number of gay bashing’s were in the rise, and as usual, the police did nothing about it, so we did. It took us a while, but we finally found 2 gay cops who were brave enough to put their lives, and careers, on the line, to help us arrest and jail as many gay baskets as possible. PC Judy Noseworthy and her partner (sorry, forgot his name) were are liaison to the police. Safety Zone, our group, would patrol the community from 11pm - 3am every Friday, and Saturday night (the two nights when most attacks on gay men happened). We’d travel in groups of 5 or more, wore highly visible neon green or pink arm bands, so the public knew we were there, and who we were, and armed with only a camera, video camera, note pads, binoculars, whistles (we use to use whistles to get anyone with in earshot attention) and two way radios to keep in touch. Remember, this all happened before the cell phone was in public use! We’d patrol area that were popular with gay bashers, and would record all relevant information, give that information to the police, and they’d look up, and usually find who it was by their licence plate numbers. Most times, these cowardly punks would take off if they saw us, word spread fast that we were watching, and I’m proud to say, within only one year of our groups existence, attacks on the LGBTQ community plummeted a staggering 80%. Most gay bashing’s were committed by stupid punk ass kids from the burbs, driving their mothers car, downtown, to beat on what they thought was an easy target. In one year we had over 100 arrests made, cars seized and licences revoked. We were so thrilled to be able to make such a difference....and according to Judy, there were many furious parents who’s cars were now impounded because little jimmy drove downtown with 4 or 5 of his punk ass ignorant friends to attack and assault gays, GOOD!!! We were funded at first, by a man, who’s son had been killed by gay bashers, who tied the poor guy to a fence, took turns beating and cutting him with a hunting knife, doused him with gasoline, set him on fire and walked away. This man was a famous Toronto lawyer, but even he had a difficult time getting a jury to find every single one of the 8 cowards that ganged up against him, and tortured him to death...BUT, he won the case, and had all 8 tried as adults (they were 16 and 17 year olds at the time of their evil actions), ensure they all faced life in prison, with no parole. He was only too happy to help us, and we, only to happy to help him, and honour his sons memory by catching as many as these cowardly bastards as possible. Sadly, he himself passed away a year later, from a massive heart attack...his family maintains he died of a broken heart, and I believe it. After his passing, we’d hold fund raising events in local bars, but our treasurer suddenly vanished one day, with the over $15000 we had raised. He forged a signature (to withdraw any money from that account, at least two members had to sign), and that put a quick end to the group. BUT, they did catch him, and nailed him for 5 years, but the money was never returned, and by that point, we had established such good community relations with our police, and bashing’s were down so much, we were no longer necessary, thank god! So to all the young members of our community, please make an effort to realize the struggles, and sacrifice of those who came before you, made, so you could have all the rights you just take for granted now, in the same way I honour the generation in this video, they paved the way for us, and us, for you...now, at least in Toronto, nobody cares if your gay, and to see a gay coupe holding hands walking downtown isn’t even really noticed anymore, it’s just part of our culture now, and I’m so happy to say I was lucky enough to play a small part in it all, it will only get better from here.

By the time I came out in the late 1970s and early 1980s, things had changed for the better substantially. For me, it helped that I grew up in a major metropolitan area (Los Angeles) that had a fairly visible gay community. And my mom was a positive influence because she had two or three friends back then who were gay, but it wasn't spoken about too openly. The big change occurred for me when I went away to college in San Francisco in the fall of 1980, that was truly liberating.

I came out in '89. I wish I could have come out years before. It was so hard to come out in the place I lived and at that time. No one in high school was out. I could have saved myself a lot of years of trying to convince myself I was heterosexual, and that I did not really have a crush on any girls, I just thought were pretty. I wish I could have at least been out with myself.

this is great - i love how the woman keeps using the word "friendly" - she's precious :)

We acknowledge what a great job the Veterans did keeping us free and in my 53 years I've never seen anything as profound as what these wonderful people did to keep homosexuals free and to protect their civil rights. Most excellent piece of work that you have produced. I also hope to see more.

Even in the 90s, it was a big deal to be out. I'm amazed and encouraged by the way things have changed in my lifetime. I'm not even that old, but I'm amazed by how much better someone just 10 years younger than me will have it. I hope I'll live to see the first generation in maybe a thousand years to have no shame whatsoever about being true to themselves. They're coming and I welcome and envy them.

Kudos to Del and Phyllis, both of whom I met whilst living in SFO in the late 1970's.

"coming out in the 1950's"....you don't.

I'm so thankful to all the generations that came before me and pioneered gay rights activism so that I could come out in a safe environment!

This was very touching. As an older gay man i mostly feel invisible in the gay community. It was nice that you listened and said kind things and rather than just snubbing these people.

Thank you, young Americans, for teaching the future about our past. I came out in San Jose. I was absolutely unaware that I was gay until college. Your project has shed some light on a long hidden subject. Thanks for your bravery. Tom

I was going to gay bars and gay parties in 1954. I was 14. NYC. Read my book, "I Already Am," or "A Gamut of Poems." Better yet, study my activist cousin, Vito Russo. I knew people from Bilitis, One and the Mattachine Society but I was too busy dancing to participate. Plus, in 1964, I opened a gay bar in South Hollywood, CA. Great fun. Good to see Phyllis. We met a few times.

Thanks for this video. I had no idea the LGBT community faced these types of discriminations back then. Great video

It's so important for our LGBT Youth to connect to our older community there is so much we can offer you. Life was different in our times. But we are the cornerstone for the freedom the younger LGBT youth enjoy today. By coming out, speaking up, and demanding change. We now have the freedom to love who we wish. Life is better but we still have a long way to go. And we must must never go back to the dark closets of shame, & fear!

thank you so much for making this, it brought tears

Can you believe it, we now have military same sex weddings! My how far we have come. Never thought in my life time I'd see same sex weddings or have one of my own. let alone have kids! My husband is 79 I'm 54 kids aren't in our future but to know that the younger generation has that opportunity is mind blowing! To all those who paved the way Thank you doesn't seem enough! One of the things I love is when someone sees my wedding ring and asked about my wife and I say, I don't have a wife I have a husband. we've been together 28 yrs! When you accept yourself people tend to accept you. Tok a life time to learn that. Love yourself or no one else will.

“Nothing can be loved or hated unless it is first understood.”― Leonardo da Vinci

what's funny to me is that there are so many hateful bigots who go out of their way to look up videos they dont agree with so they can spend time writing their dumb comments. go get some lives!!!

Y'all should interview my partner of 22 years......he'll shortly be 92 years old and could tell you about being gay in the 30s and 40s. His stories about being a young American GI in France and England during WWII are shocking, funny and amazing, all at the same time!

I'm taking History of Major issues in Sexuality at USF. It's basically a History of LGBTQ. Great class and this video was definitely helpful with my research paper. Thanks!

It's fantastic to be able to hear about the lives of gay people from different generations.

Great job on this video. These stories need to be preserved.

I am so glad younger people are intreasted in the past of the Gay community . There is so much to learn . Its not just the bars and parting.

God bless the children for remembering and emphasising that THERE WERE poeple like us yeeeears before and they still lived to talk about it !!!!! God bless you my little firends !

This is wonderful. How far we've come, thanks to those who struggled before us!

I'm straight and have no problem with anyone being gay.

I quit a Chicago high school in 1953, because I had "those" tendencies, and then it was taboo just to know some one gay, let a lone be gay. Many kids today have no idea of the problems we faced back then. I was involved in the early S.F. gay rights movement in the 60s and 70s, and knew Harvey Milk and played softball in the 1st gay league in the USA, Today over 50 cities have gay sport leagues. Judging from this video, gay youth are being informed, and the future looks bright! Thank you.

I feel bad for them coz the had to go throght the hardships and also thank them for making the world better for us today. THANK YOU!

I have so much respect for them because they are the one of the beginners of the long fight for gay civil rights. I hope one day I get to tell my grandchildren my stories of my fighting against discrimination and bullying.

It doesn't matter if you are BORN that way. Sexual identity is formed by about age 5, and THERE IS NOTHING TO DO ABOUT IT. Gawd, do you really think its a choice, like what color socks to put on in the morning?

OMG You got to interview one of the founders of Daughters of Billitis??? WHAT AN HONOR! I didn't even know the founders were still ALIVE! That is walking HISTORY right there! How is Phyllis Lyon not more famous???

Thanks for your post. This was very interesting and very well done~! Kuddos~! Long overdue. I would love to see more interviews from elders around the country. It would be nice to here from how the stigma impacted the community nationally.

Good work, youngsters. It's nice to see respect being shown to seniors, regardless of the topic or their sexuality. I came out in the early 80s and it's worth noting that I was never part of a "gay community". Sure, I have a couple gay friends but most of my "community" was and is made up of "straight" people, and all of them have been part of my life since I was a kid. I suppose it's simply a matter of who I enjoy spending time with.....their sexuality never enters the equation.

We are so much luckier nowadays. but there is a loss of gay culture. A lot of sense of family and camaraderie and support is lost as well. The internet had a lot to do with that too I suppose.

My Mother gave me really good advice many years ago, “Health is WEALTH!” Invest in yourself; the dividends will payoff for many years to come not only to you, but to those around you whom you love the most!!! As an older Gay man who lived through the AIDS epidemic, I find that this is especially important even today in our society. So VERY HAPPY that my Gay generation is able to share their life experiences with the younger generation!!!

LGBTQIA's today can truly say that we all stand on the shoulders of giants. Thank you to all who stood their ground when it came to defending our civil rights in those awefully dark times. Your sacrifice will not be taken lightly.

To everyone involved in making this video. Thank you for your work; and thank you for making this video informative and brief.

I really wish I can see more of this documentary with more elderly LGBT people talking about there experiences. The more stories the better for our generation.

Thank you for documenting important history!

Thanks a lot for sharing these stories with us.

we both went.. "oh" SAME

would've been funny if the video was just some guy saying "you didn't" and it ended right there

It was a hard topic to discuss in the gay 50s...

There is a difference between orientation and behavior. Why insist on the "choice" idea when every gay person will tell you they did NOT choose sexual orientation? The whole premise is annoying because it is rooted in the assumption that everyone is born heterosexual, but SOMETHING happens that leads people astray and people switch from gay to straight orientation. Yet even the reparative treatment people have admitted their schtick was a sham and sexual orientation is not changeable ie a choice

God is so kind that gives gaydars to gay people !!!

That sucks so much ... I feel bad about the people who had to deal with this ... my parents grew up in this time

I’m glad that older LGBTQ+ people are open to talking about their lives in earlier decades. The secrecy that had to surround most LGBTQ+ people must have been so stressful. I once worked for a city parks department in the late 70s. One of our parks had a lot of woods. Men would leave notes in the restroom about meeting in the woods. Every day we would see the same cars cruising through the park with just one man inside. I remember thinking how sad it must be to have to resort to behavior like this to meet other men. Also, the fear they must have felt if they got caught.

Being gay was like taboo back then, like a secret underground movement, they had secret signs and communicated to each other that way to know who was gay or not.

i love you guys for doing this

I hope one day, we can all say, "This is family" about everyone whether LGBT or straight.

I suppose that you already know this but there is a library in Hollywood that was put together by the Mattachine Society that is all about Gay History. I don't know if it is still there but you could look into it if it is there. Thanks for doing this. Us old Aunties do have stories of pre Stonewall times and the crap that we had to live with. Thanks for the interest.

These people are heroes. To come out in the conservative 50s takes true courage. One of my heroes did that - Allen Ginsberg.

Absolutelty beautiful, I have nothing but respect for those people.

Amazing stories, very privileged to be living in this more accepting generation right now

People have tried doing that, but we grow stronger every year. Not including ALL the straight people who are in support.

Great job! Please continue this.

Sounds like they had it hard grateful for how far we've come

i am a gay born in 1950. why do u want to know what it was like then. it was fucking hell.

I am not longer Christian but most Christians will agree that Mosaic law is no longer required to be followed. Jesus undid the Mosaic laws all but the moral laws such as the 10 commandments.

GREAT Project - GREAT JOB!!!

1950s+ Excellent! Thank you for reminding me to look back. My life in Los Angeles during High School years was the beginning of DISCOVERY and the revealing of the whole of my personal character that would be experienced thru hands-on living of my life from college daze/days at San Jose State until right this very minute at the foot of the Fuego Volcano, my new hometown for almost 20 years, in Guatemala....becoming PART OF (or simply a very focused/sensitive/pushy or passive/observer sometimes) every changing moment-version of my life adventure is WONDERFUL and survivable. I am a single Gay Man, English American (Los Angeles and San Francisco/San Jose), ....full of thanksgiving for my life, my Gay life, the life I was born into naturally, grown to understandand adjust to and developed some talent into how to DO IT, ...the 1950 s into//thru 1960's were FASCINATING (and so are the years beyond). My best wishes to all of YOU, hang on when the going gets a little rough around the edges (or even when your heart seems broken)! Len C.

I know it's still a long way from how it should be. But it's gotten so much better and easier even in our lifetimes.

I notice this video was published 12 years ago. Very touching video. I know, I was there and lived through it. And the 1960s was just a continuation of the 1950s. Things didn't start to improve until around 1970. I was born in 1948 and later in the 1960s and through the next few decades I was forced to live a double life. It was nerve wrecking, but it had to be done in order to survive.

Well done, kudos to all the participants.

This is awesome, guys. Thanks for bringing us a taste of this important part of LGBT history. I hope that these stories and struggles are recorded for posterity and that we soon have more LGBT historical awareness.

Thank you for your courage and strength.

God is so good that give us gaydars !

Biy time flew. I was 30 in the eighties and nineties It wasn't that bad to be gay then but even back then we had people that hated us. We had to put up with the AIDS crisis and alit of were still getting badly beaten and worse. I'm glad you guys now...you young guys....don't have to go through the tings we do. Appreciate it.

I've never understood why the govt. felt it necessary to hunt down and make gays and lesbians' lives a living hell. What did they do to deserve to be treated so cruelly by them and society in general.

Homophobes should be informed that Gay people are born that way. Period. No explanation required.

It's nice to know someone can think for himself.

Why do i read comments???

thank you for making this its very meaningful

I am 75. I lived all of this. We were homosexuals. Attracted to our own kind. People who hated us called us queer. When I hear young people call themselves queer I do not feel any connection since I know they lack any sensitivity to our history.

Wow, who are you to say that? You're not a gay man. I am though, and I can tell you I have never had "natural" relations with women to give up. I was gay since birth...naturally.

That's debatable, neither side of this argument has fully been proven.

Congratulations for this original initiative! I was a toddler when they were moving out into the world. Yet, I find it educational & inspiring! Besides, in our time & age, we're fundamentally ungrateful for many privileges we've got! We always want more! Just imagine that in other parts of the world they're experiencing what those good folks experienced over half a century ago! With worse social & professional consequences! Sad indeed!

As long as he has a mom like you he'll be alright :) It is important for a young homosexual human being to have someone on his side, someone close to him. I can only imagine how hard must life be for those young people who's families refuse to accept their children for what they are. How hard it is to a young person to go through unfamiliar life without any support, as there is absolutely no education towards homosexuality in schooling, in many countries.

11:04 Acceptance, not tolerance, but acceptance of each other. Indeed! ;-)

I don't understand why the question of orientation has to be an issue. It just doesn't make sense to me that anyone should think they have the right to tell anyone else who they're allowed to build a life with.

This is so good. WELL DONE;

This real history. You can't get that on the history Chanel any more. Some kids are showing more history than the Chanel named after it. Sad. Oh and that gay discrimination thing is sad to I just miss the real history Chanel:(

Feel free to listen to my short coming out story from the 1970s

I'm not sure if you're trolling...but even if you are, I agree with your point. A lot of gay communities aren't accepting as they claim to be. I don't think that many of us understand the fact that gay men are just like everyone else, that we come from different backgrounds, different interests, and different etc....Gay people are as diverse straights and a lot of gay communities are willing to judge you.

The man at 2:31 looks fantastic! Thanks for this wonderful video!

thts so true.....we can all go through the gay era of the 1950's, all we have to do is go to some muslim country!

well done !!! nice video

YOU are the last person I would want feeling sorry for me for something I consider a gift. You are unbelievably close-minded. :)

millions on millions of new born die every year all the world and your god cares who people sleep with and fall in love with he needs to get his priories in order don't you think

super video. anyone who doesnt like the content, go play bingo or something. geez

Amazing, very well done!

@alinkyng This is why we are making this movie...to let the world know that WE should create the dialogue about our lives. It is not for others to tell us who we are. If you are not a "promiscuous queen" or an "insensitive self hater", I am sure you will one day find others who are wonderful, happy, well-adjusted and living an out and open live.