The Henry Gerber House (by Elizabeth Davis)

 

For the LGBTQ community, The Henry Gerber House has had and continues to have great significance in regards to the advancement of their rights. Located at 1710 North Crilly Court, Chicago, Illinois, the Henry Gerber House is where the first gay rights organization was founded (1).

 

Henry Gerber, a German immigrant, formed the Society of Human Rights in 1924, which focused on bringing about advocacy for gay individuals and creating a supportive community in the process. While Gerber’s efforts were short-lived, this house memorializes the efforts made by him and his compatriots to this day. The Gerber House is nestled in a row of apartments on a quaint street in the heart of Chicago near the shore of Lake Michigan. The apartment complex currently has a light grey stone exterior, with black accents. Visitors can see the Henry Gerber House as they pass by; however, it is not open to the public, but still maintains its great significance for the gay community (2). 

Henry Gerber was born in 1892 in Bavaria, Germany. Originally named Josef Henry Dittmar, he changed his name upon entry into the U.S in 1913 (3). He was one of many homosexuals who were institutionalized in his youth, likely sparking his later passion for advancing gay rights. During World War I, Gerber had to choose whether to be seen as a threat to the U.S because of his German origins or to enlist in the military and fight against Germany. He chose the military and served for about three years. While stationed in Germany, he found a thriving gay subculture in Berlin and found that Germany was more culturally integrated than the U.S (4). Furthermore, he became fascinated with a man named Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld founded the Scientific Humanitarian Committee, which advocated for gay rights in Germany and attempted to fight against Paragraph 175 in the German Code which made sexual acts between two males illegal (5). The mission of the organization was to find “Justice Through Science” (6). Despite Hirschfeld’s inability to overturn the law due to the rise of antisemitism and homophobia following the rise of Adolf Hitler, he inspired Henry Gerber, who brought his philosophies back to the United States. Gerber sought to make a foundation in the U.S. that advocated for gay rights and educated the public on homosexuality. Upon his return, Gerber was hired by the U.S. Postal Service and moved into his Chicago residence. He soon started his charter for the Society of Human Rights in 1924 (7). 

The organization’s mission was to “promote and protect the interests of people who… are abused and hindered in the legal pursuit of happiness, which is guaranteed them by the Declaration of Independence, and to combat the public prejudices against them…” (8). This statement insinuated that it was unlawful for the government to repress human sexuality, which was a daring and new concept in that era. Furthermore, Gerber was ahead of his time in enlisting multi-cultural support within his group. For instance, he hired an African American Minister named John T. Graves to be the President of his organization (9). In a time where racial disparity and segregation were rampant, Gerber pushed societal boundaries by incorporating help from Graves. The goals of his organization were to create public awareness of the realities of being homosexual by sending out newsletters and creating a large community for people to connect with each other. He created a newsletter called “Friendship and Freedom” (10) which unfortunately only lasted for two editions.  A member’s wife discovered the goals behind the group, and she reported them to the police. Gerber’s house was raided, and all of the Society for Human Rights material was confiscated. Gerber was luckily not arrested because the police entered his house without a warrant; however, he was fired from his Post Office job (11). Defeated, Gerber went to serve in the military for seventeen more years. While his organization did not last for long, he still offered support for other gay rights organizations and created a model for other gay organizations to follow. 

While Gerber’s efforts towards the organization were short-lived, it left a lasting impact for future generations. Many early gay rights groups like the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis followed Gerber’s format by making newsletters and attempting to inform the public. Moreover, by creating the argument that laws making homosexuality illegal are against the rights of citizens, it provided another path for gay rights activists to forge. Gerber’s group did not last because there was not enough support, and the views of the general public were not lenient towards homosexuality. Being gay was regarded as a mental illness, socially stigmatizing, and a crime. Society in the 1920s was not quite ready for the implications behind Gerber’s organization, but it paved the way for other activists to build a strong foundation for future advocacy. 

When learning about LGBTQ history, people should know about Henry Gerber and his efforts to make living as a homosexual more tolerable. When people visit Chicago, this site should be featured so that the public can learn about the history of oppression towards gay individuals. Moreover, the fact that an immigrant sought to make the lives of other gay citizens better by creating the first organization defending gay rights in the United States demonstrates how the U.S. is truly a nation of immigrants. Unfortunately, in learning about history, people often glaze over the importance of immigrants in the United States and rather focus on nationalistic ideals. Gerber further served our country by enlisting in the military when the government did not support who he was. While his organization did not enjoy longevity, he made a significant impact. Henry Gerber demonstrates that failure does not guarantee an unsuccessful outcome, but instead, that success requires more work and the help of others.

Notes

(1) “Henry Gerber House (U.S. National Park Service),” National Parks Service (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2020), https://www.nps.gov/places/henry-gerber-house.htm.(2) Ibid.
(3) PGN Staff, “LGBT History Month: Henry Gerber: Ahead of His Time,” Philadelphia Gay News (Philadelphia Gay News, October 3, 2013), https://epgn.com/2013/10/03/23756801-lgbt-history-month-henry-gerber-ahead-of-his-time/.
(4) Ibid. 
(5) Victor Salvo, “The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee,” Legacy Project Chicago (Legacy Project Chicago), accessed November 28, 2020, https://legacyprojectchicago.org/milestone/scientific-humanitarian-committee.
(6) Adrian Brooks, The Right Side of History: 100 Years of LGBTQI Activism (NY, NY: Cleis Press, 2015), 12.
(7) Victor Salvo, “Henry Gerber,” Legacy Project Chicago (Legacy Project Chicago, 2020), https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/henry-gerber.
(8) Adrian Brooks, 12
(9) Adrian Brooks, 13
(10) “Meet Henry and Pearl...,” Gerber/Hart Library and Archives (Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, November 7, 2014), https://www.gerberhart.org/meet-henry-and-pearl.
(11) Ibid.

Bibliography

Brooks, Adrian. The Right Side of History: 100 Years of LGBTQI Activism. NY, NY: Cleis Press, 2015.

“Henry Gerber House (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service. U.S. Department of the Interior, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/places/henry-gerber-house.htm.

“Meet Henry and Pearl...” Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, November 7, 2014. https://www.gerberhart.org/meet-henry-and-pearl.

PGN Staff. “LGBT History Month: Henry Gerber: Ahead of His Time.” Philadelphia Gay News. Philadelphia Gay News, October 3, 2013. https://epgn.com/2013/10/03/23756801-lgbt-history-month-henry-gerber-ahead-of-his-time/.

Salvo, Victor. “Henry Gerber.” Legacy Project Chicago. Legacy Project Chicago, 2020. https://legacyprojectchicago.org/person/henry-gerber.

Salvo, Victor. “The Scientific-Humanitarian Committee.” Legacy Project Chicago. Legacy Project Chicago. Accessed November 28, 2020. https://legacyprojectchicago.org/milestone/scientific-humanitarian-committee.