Gay Activists Alliance Headquarters (by Hunter Halterman)
The Gay Activist Alliance (GAA) was an influential gay rights organization that emerged following the Stonewall Uprising of 1969. Their most notable meeting place was the organizations’ original headquarters on 99 Wooster Street. The building itself was built in lower Manhattan, New York, in the SoHo area in 1881. Before it became the GAA headquarters, the building was a firehouse as well as a headquarters for Engine Company 13 (1). In 1971, it became the headquarters for the Gay Activists Alliance.
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| GAA Firehouse |
When the Gay Activists Alliance had control over the Firehouse, the building became a sort of social and political community center for gay and lesbian people. The building held many events throughout its time and was used in its entirety. “The basement had space for committee meetings; general membership meetings and dances were held on the first floor; the second floor had a snack bar and committee meetings space; and the third floor had offices and additional committee meetings space” (2). Not only was the space used in its entirety, but it was used consistently. Dances were frequently held among other community events and a variety of other activities.
In order to understand the significance of this site, we first must know the significance of the people associated with it. “The founders of the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) were members of the Gay Liberation Front who had become dissatisfied with the direction that the organization had taken” (3). The founders included such activists as Arthur Evans, Jim Owles, and Marty Robinson. In essence, they saw the approach of the Gay Liberation Front as too radical. So, in 1969, they and several others founded the GAA to bring about a different plan to solving discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community.
The style of the Gay Activist Alliance differed to that of the Gay Liberation Front considerably. For starters, the GAA was more organized than the GLF. They focused on one problem at a time and did so in an orderly fashion. This contrasted to the GLF’s style in which it seemed that all of its members were “involved in all kinds of activities: communal living, “consciousness raising”, demonstrations, writing, and more” (4). Soon after the creation of the GAA, the Gay Liberation Front slowly collapsed, and in 1971, the Gay Activists Alliance took over the GLF’s role. With its newfound power, the GAA went on to target their own issues in their own way.
Their plans were dedicated solely to gay and lesbian rights and attempts to bring attention to those issues. The ultimate goal of the group was to “abolish discriminatory sex laws, promote gay and lesbian civil rights, and challenge politicians and candidates to state their views on gay rights issues” (5). They often went about this through organizing “zaps”: direct confrontations with public figures that were designed to gain media attention (6). These demonstrations were usually a success, as they would grab the media’s attention in addition to the police, bystanders, and other politicians.
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| GAA "Zap" |
Perhaps the biggest “zap” led by the GAA were those held at the Saul Sharison residence. The reason was to jumpstart the progress on the passing of their Intro 475 bill which would essentially “prohibit discrimination in housing, public accommodation, or employment based on sexual orientation”—a major goal of the group when they originally came together (7). The intention of the first “zap” was to send a message to Councilman Sharison and everyone else on his team. Once there was a group outside consisting of other tenants, the police, and the media, the GAA began their protest (8). The second and third “zaps” resulted in conflict with the police, and in the end, Intro 475 was released and died in Sharison’s committee.
Besides the various protests that the GAA held, they organized many activities for gay and lesbian people to engage in. Their most notable set of events were the many dances that they held, which had upwards of 1000 people in attendance. “Not only did the dances provide a significant source of income for the GAA, but they also attracted new members” (9). In addition to holding many dances for the LGBTQ community, the GAA also held movie nights organized by fellow activist and film scholar, Vito Russo. Whatever someone was into though, it was unarguable that the Firehouse “offered a safe space for LGBT people at the time to have some fun without fear of persecution” (10). These sorts of activities were held consistently, and the GAA Firehouse became a community center where gay and lesbian people could be themselves.
The Firehouse did not last forever, though, as it was put out of commission in 1974. From 1971 to 1974, the GAA used the Firehouse as their headquarters, but in October of 1974, it was set ablaze in most likely an attack of arson. The GAA were forced to move their location elsewhere (11). An icon of community and political involvement was lost, but its legacy was not diminished .After moving a few blocks away for about a year, the GAA then moved into the West Side Discussion Group Center where they continued to hold the activities originally held in the Firehouse (12). Even though the original base of the GAA did not last, their message of empowerment did.
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| West Side Discussion Group Center |
Even though the headquarters ended up elsewhere, the Firehouse remains important to learn about. It was the most notable headquarters of the Gay Activists Alliance, and was an icon of not only the group, but for community and political involvement as well. More importantly, when someone learns the history of this site, they also learn about the GAA, what they stood for, and their impact on LGBTQ history.
Notes
(1) “The GAA Firehouse: A SoHo Historic Landmark.”(2) “Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse.”
(3) Rapp, Linda. “Gay Activists Alliance,” 1
(4) Lauritsen, John. “The Rise and Fall of the GLF.”
(5) Rapp, Linda. “Gay Activists Alliance,” 1
(6) “Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse.”
(7) “Gay Activists Alliance Zaps at Saul Sharison Residence.”
(8) Ibid.
(9) Rapp, Linda. “Gay Activists Alliance,” 2
(10) “The GAA Firehouse: A SoHo Historic Landmark.”
(11) Ibid.
(12) “West Side Discussion Group Center.”
Bibliography
“Gay Activists Alliance Firehouse.” NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. Accessed November 28,
2020. https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/gay-activists-alliance-firehouse/.
“Gay Activists Alliance Zaps at Saul Sharison Residence.” NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project.
Accessed November 28, 2020. https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/gay-activists-alliance-zaps-at-saul-sharison-residence/.
Lauritsen, John. “The Rise and Fall of the GLF.” Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 26, no. 3
(May 2019): 21. http://search.ebscohost.com.dbsearch.fredonia.edu:2048/login.aspx?direct=true&db=qth&AN=136197016&site=ehost-live.
Rapp, Linda. 2011. “Gay Activists Alliance.” GLBTQ Social Sciences, January, 1–3.
“The GAA Firehouse: A SoHo Historic Landmark: SoHo Memory Project.,” The GAA
Firehouse: A SoHo Historic Landmark | SoHo Memory Project., 2016, https://sohomemory.org/index.php/the-gaa-firehouse-a-soho-historic-landmark.
“West Side Discussion Group Center.” NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. Accessed November
28, 2020. https://www.nyclgbtsites.org/site/west-side-discussion-group-center/.
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