by Mark Segal

“What Was It Like? Stories by LGBTQ Elders” is a new program by I’m From Driftwood, in partnership with Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, and SAGE, the count1956: “SOME PEOPLE CALL THEM QUEER.” The first time that I recall ever knowing about gay people – homosexuals, “those kind of people,” queers, was when I was about 6 ye“WITHOUT GENERAL VON STEUBEN, A GAY MAN, THERE WOULD BE NO UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” One evening, I was sitting on the couch, just relaxing, watching TV. It was a typical tal“WE CREATED A MOVEMENT. THAT’S THE LEGACY OF THE GAY LIBERATION FRONT.” Just before I was supposed to graduate from high school, I left. Went to New York, that was in May of1972: ACTIVISTS HIJACK LIVE SHOW, DEMAND GAY LIBERATION Philadelphia was known for – is known for American Bandstand. It’s the birthplace of American Bandstand and all those t“[YOUR ACTIVISM] IS RUINING IT FOR THE REST OF US.” We knew the way to do what we wanted to do, which was to get our LGBT people before the mainstream of America. So we wanted“I’M PROBABLY ONE OF THE LUCKIEST GAY ACTIVISTS IN THE WORLD TO HAVE HAD [MY PARENTS].” About 1970, to further gay youth, I created the gay youth organization inside Gay LibAFTER FOUNDING LGBT-FRIENDLY SENIOR HOUSING IN PHILADELPHIA, “I’M A CRADLE-TO-GRAVE ACTIVIST.” In every part of our community since 1969, when Gay Liberation Front started, ...