A portion of the 1968 film the second largest minority, by producer and director lilli vincenz. Joining us is charles francis, the president of the Mattachine Society of washington, d. C. , which is what . Mr. Francis we are an lgbt history society. With a motto of archive activism. We find old materials that have been forgotten, sealed, or basically deleted and use those materials to talk about gay civil rights and the ongoing struggle for gay civil equality. We will show you both films in their entirety in a couple of minutes. One is seven minutes. The other is 12 minutes. Your connection to the films is what . Mr. Francis we were honored to be chosen by lilli vincenz, the creator of these films the producer, the director. She chose us to bring together her archives, some 10,000 items, including these films, and donate them to the library of congress, and that is what we did. They belong to the American People thanks to the generosity of lilli vincenz. Where is she now . Mr. Francis lilli vincenz is still with us but not well enough to do interviews like this, so im honored to pinchhit for her. You brought a prop. This is an rca 16mm projector. Millennials may say, what is that . Mr. Francis millennials may think it is a science project of some kind, but it is really an rca projector that belonged to lilli. Lilli would use this projector to show the films you are going to show today. She would show the films to groups and individuals and independent film festivals, and she would charge 15 for rental. The importance of this projector as a symbol is that it shows what a Community Operation this whole thing was. There was no cnn. There was no cable television. There were no documentary film producers. There were no friendly networks. There was nothing. There was no oprah or anderson or anybody. Lilli just said, we are going to make a movie, so she borrowed a 16mm film camera, took a film class, and she hit the streets. The first one you will see is at Independence Hall in philadelphia in 1968. The second one is the first ever pride parade in new york. No networks to help. No one there. Lilli shot them, edited them, put them together, and this projector was her distribution center. No company would distribute these films. You use the u. S. Mail, you leaned on the First Amendment of the constitution to tell your story. At that time late 1960s, early 1970s you had abc, nbc, cbs. Did any Major Networks consider covering the story . Mr. Francis oh, no, and if they did, it would be utterly hostile. I do not need to name names, but if you do your homework, you will see that the Major Networks were total anti, bordering on insulting. The great thing about what she did lilli made her own film to , tell these stories as a joyous story, cultural watershed, marching on the First Anniversary of the stonewall riot from christopher street to central park where they had a gayin. You could not have gotten that out of any media in those days. They would have treated you as aliens from a foreign planet. If not just outright perverts. You also brought along these pamphlets, the homosexual citizen. One of them states what to do if you are arrested. Mr. Francis yes, this is a time when our very lives were illegal and lilli was the editor of this publication called the homosexual citizen. It was published by the Mattachine Society. She published it under a pseudonym. In those days, you valued your privacy as an individual. , lilli hanphony name son. This is a powerful publication of ideas, but you will see it is 1966 or 1967, and they are doing a piece on what if you are arrested. It is very oldschool. Ask for an attorney, write a letter. It is not at all part of the real world of stonewall where they are throwing you into paddy wagons. It is a different era, but if you are arrested reminds us all when we had sodomy laws and simply being homosexual openly homosexual was a crime. As our viewers watch the stones, lets better understand who she was. Born in hamburg, germany, she came to the u. S. When . Mr. Francis lilli was born in germany in 1937. That was when hamburg was in nazi germany. Her parents brought her to the United States in 1949. She went to columbia to study literature. She joined the womens army corps, and in the womens army corps, in a gay purge, which they frequency had in the womens army corps, she got booted. It was one of the greatest things that ever happened to her because she was able to shed all the pretense and be who she was as an openly gay pioneer activist. Growing up in a german family, there was a word kicked around her house a lot when she was growing up, she used to say. It was life artist, someone who looks at their life as a work of art. Someone who masters the art of living and i believe she became one. That was part of her german heritage. The 1970 film titled gay and proud how did this come about . Mr. Francis gay and proud is an amazing film she decided to make on the First Anniversary of the stonewall riots documenting the first parade, and it was called the christopher street liberation day parade, from Greenwich Village to central park. Stonewall was what . Mr. Francis stonewall was in 1969, and it was a gay bar that was raided, as bars were in those days, and this was the straw that broke the camels back with the gay, lesbian, and trans patrons of this bar. They rioted. They refused to get in the paddy wagons. They refused to follow the advice of if you are arrested. Right threeday threeday riot that shook the world. Major media did not cover it at all or very slightly. A column was written in the post called the faggot riots, but lilli did this film. The film is epic because there is nothing like it, because she was the only one. Here is a portion from 1970, gay and proud. At first, i was very guilty, and then i realized, of all the things that are taught you not only by society, but by psychiatrists are just to fit you in the mold. I just rejected the mold and when i rejected the mold, i was happier. These are mostly independent organizations across the country. There is somewhere between 60 and 75 independent groups across the United States. Maybe more now because they have been growing overnight. This is a unified effort on the part of somewhere between 20 and 30 organizations on the east coast. That is from the film gay and proud. Why was this a Tipping Point for the Gay Rights Movement . Mr. Francis it was a generational change, from the old school mattachine, where , theyhey would picket would wear jackets and ties and skirts and dresses, to the new era that happened almost overnight after stonewall in 1969. She caught that change. The explosion of a cultural change from old mattachine. I feel that spirit welling up today with new interest in this movie. One of the marshals of the coming pride parade in new york, billy porter, he said, this is not going to be an effing parade. Its going to be a march. I feel that he and that comment captured the spirit of that first christopher street parade. Explain the significance of what our viewers are about to see. Mr. Francis the significance is seeing actually the texture of history. The joy in the streets, the youth, the new spirit of we are not going to take this anymore. And then it is a lot of fun. They will enjoy the whole 1960s gayin moment, which you see so clearly in central park. Charles francis, thank you for joining us from the Mattachine Society in washington, d. C. From lilli vincenz, two films. The first titled the second largest minority. The second is titled gay and proud. [indiscernible] basically, what we are trying to impress upon people are two similar things. We are homosexual human beings and homosexual american citizens. Everybody always members the both word in both of those phrases. And very conveniently overlooks the second and third words in each of those phrases american citizens and human beings. We want the full rights and dignity and all that goes with being a human being and an american citizen. Any minority well, any group, any classification, i dont care if it is foreigner or what have you you cannot lump them together in one group. You have to take them as individuals. We are seeking Human Dignity, our equality and acceptance as the homosexuals we are and have a right to be. Who is denying you this Human Dignity . [indiscernible] say that again. I did not hear it. If homosexuals had the visibility that the negro does, there would be 15 million unemployed homosexuals. Dr. That is the only way to get problems settled. Is the only way to get problems settled. If you dont bring things out in the open, how is anyone going to know anything about it . This way they can live their life in society like everyone else. Everyone should have the chance to live their life the way they wish. It is gathering momentum. A movement such as this takes time. Unless it started somewhere and it had been started and they are going forward. I have lived for eight months on . 20 a day. This is a time when people in my profession were in higher demand than in all of Human History and i could not get a job. Specifically because i am not alone. I know many people who have felt the same. I have seen careers ruined, lives destroyed for no other reason. People have a great deal to offer for society. Society is prejudiced against them and will not allow them equality of opportunity. Your government will not give a job to a homosexual, regardless of how well you have served in a military, he will give a less than honorable discharge. You wont be taken in. Although the next situation is changing rapidly, it is still a valid situation today that a person known to be a homosexual cannot get an education in this country. Schools will not accept them at any level. [indiscernible] this is all they are asking, that very same right, not to be interfered with with what they do in private. You will find disparate and diverse groups that will add richness to society. [indiscernible] with regards to the negro, it is taking time. It will be a while until it happens unfortunately. It is evolving in the same direction. Diversity doesnt have to imply race. Diversity doesnt have to imply threat. Having to lie, i feel, is the saddest and the ugliest part of being a homosexual. When you have your first bad love experience, for instance, and you cannot go to your brother or sister and say im , hurting. At first, i was very guilty. And then i realized that all the things that are taught you not only by society but by psychiatrists are just to fit you in a mold. I just rejected the mold and when i rejected the mold, i was happier. These are mostly independent organizations across the country. There are somewhere between 60 and 75 independent groups. Maybe more now because theyve been growing overnight. This is a unified effort of somewhere between 20 and 30 organizations across the east coast. There are different there are different is primarily through approach and tactics. Certain groups tend to emphasize very militant confrontation tactics. Other groups will emphasize a more educational approach, going into areas with people who do not know much about sexuality. Most groups provide help for people in need. This is a minor part of the effort. Today is tofort change the social institutions that make life difficult. Gay and proud gay and proud gay and proud [chanting] gay power gay power gay power say aloud say it loud. Gay and proud. [chanting] what is the worst incident that has happened to you since you have been gay as far as being gay . I guess my parents finding out was the worst. [indiscernible] you have to be recognized as a human being and as a woman. [indiscernible] the two communities come together and have their common denominators. Most of their beliefs are the same. Gay and proud gay and proud if nothing else, we are good for the population explosion. Gay and proud gay and proud can you tell me what you think about the Homophile Movement . I think its great. I think it is dynamite. I think the only way to achieve force and marches like this. [chanting] can you tell me what you thought about charlie brown, the sodom and gomorrah guy . Hes a closet queen and you can find him at Howard Johnson any night. What color underwear does he wear . Pink. Thank you. [indiscernible] do you recommend it . Absolutely. Thats where i think its at. Gay and proud [chanting] what do you think . I think its great. Do your thing, man. [chanting] what he think . . It is a communist plot. They did it with the black movement. They done it with the italian movement. They done it with the jewish movement. Now they are doing it with the gay movement, so to speak. This is what hitlers did in germany that is what hitlers did in germany. They use all the frustrated homosexuals as the gestapo. Gay, gay, all the way since you are not homosexual obviously well, im taking it for granted why are you in the parade today . What is your motivation . I knew some people here and they convinced me to go. Do you think homosexuality should be legalized completely . Definitely. Would you ever marry a girl who had been a homosexual . You know, i think it would be more interesting. Gay, gay, all the way gay, gay, all the way gay, gay, all the way do you think the added stress of being a homosexual in a heterosexual society causes a lot of torment in the homosexual relationships of women . Yes, it does. A lot of women seem to think that they are with women because they have rejected men in that sense, but they come to realize they are with women because they want to be and they are rejecting a role, then they would not be guilty. [indiscernible] as far as this thing today is concerned, its all right to say what you feel as long as you keep it at an intellectual level. All of this orgy stuff and all that i think it is kind of , ridiculous. If straight people can do it, why cant we . It straight people can hold hands and kiss in the park, why cant we do it . They aint no better than i and. Than i am . Im not talking about kissing and Holding Hands in the park. Im talking about some guy dropping his pants, all right . Women and men. That doesnt mean we have to do it. That gives us a bad name. If they can do it, we should be able to do it if we want to. We are going to get a bad name for ourselves. It means that heterosexual we are going to attempt to break the record for the homosexual couple beating the time. Say something. How you feel about being here today . Beautiful. Its fantastic. Have any year so you been homosexual . I was born homosexual. Has this given you added incentive . I was sorry not to see there was not some politician or something here with us today. I think lindsay should have made it a point to be here today, as well as possibly some of the gay Movement Organizers themselves. They might have been here but they did not speak out to us and they should have. I think there shouldve been the United States flag at the beginning of the parade, which i did not see. The people were very well behaved. The police respected us. I think it was a showing we are making it. [indiscernible] homosexuals can live together and thrive rather than destructive to each other themselves without legal bonds, without children, without the sanction of the Great Society then they can demonstrate to heterosexuals they need not be concerned with their property and their marriage and divorce laws. You think you are happier now you realized exactly where your feelings lie . Indeed. Im sorry it took so long. Im sorry i spent so many years in the closet. [indiscernible] it is finally coming down to finding one other person to love and be loved by and you serve each others needs. [chanting] American History tv is on social media. Cspanhistory. Ralph ellison published invisible man in 1952. He never released another book but continued writing until his death in 1994. Adam bradley and John Callahan talk about his unfinished second novel, three days before the shooting, published 16 years after the author died. They talked about piecing the books together from over 3000 pages of unreleased work. This was recorded in new york city in 2010. My friendship with ralph ellison, indeed, my getting to meet him and know him is very much an american story. It goes back to 1977, 1978. Well, as ellison, invisible man, goes way back behind that i suppose. I read invisible man when i was in college, actually the same age as i was the same age as adam bradley would be when he read invisible man and when i showed him the boxes from the second novel, the boxes of analysts computer printouts,