The Annual Reminder, with Rebecca Fisher (episode 19)
When most people think of Philly and history, they think about the Liberty Bell. But there’s a tour company that goes way beyond that. Beyond the Bell Tours offers walking tours of women’s and queer history in Philadelphia. Rebecca Fisher, co-founder and tour guide, joins Research Hole to take us on a Pride-themed journey of the queer community’s fight for civil rights in Philadelphia. It ranges from marches of people wearing respectable suits to civil disobedience with giant witch puppets. We talk about Barbara Gittings, pre- and post-Stonewall actions, and how fights over identity politics are endless. Happy Pride, y’all!
COMPARE AND CONTRAST these images:
The Annual Reminder, 1965
Philadelphia City Council protest, 1976
SHOW NOTES:
I found a wonderful audio clip of Kiyoshi Kuromiya talking about his life of activism on Them.us.
The other “one-dress lesbian” I referred to was Anna Howard Shaw. I don’t know if she actually only owned one dress—what I meant was that she stopped wearing pants because she felt comments on her appearance was distracting from the cause. Her obituary from the New York Times in 1919 does a pretty good job of giving an overview of her complex role in the suffrage movement.
You can find a great rundown on John Fryer (Dr. Anonymous) and his historical marker sign (which you can go to 13th and Locust Street and take a pic with) on WHYY.org. The page includes a pic of Fryer with the mask on. Sadly, in the photo he is sitting and not standing at his full height.
Philly Gay News article “Philly’s First Attempt at Nondiscrimination” takes an in-depth look at the fight for Bill 1275 and the role of Dyketactics in that fight.
The Barbara Gittings Wikipedia page is a pretty thorough biography. If you want a briefer roundup of her many contributions to gay rights, you can find a sort of paragraph-long list on Legacy Project Chicago.
We don’t explain OutFest on the podcast itself, but it’s a block party in the leadup to National Coming Out Day in October.
