First NYC Gay Pride

And of course Arthur Tress was there with his camera

at the very first New York City Gay Pride celebration.

 

Ernst Hildebrand

This is Article 175 by German artist Ernst Hildebrand, ca 1950.  The title refers 

to the part of the German criminal code which prohibited homosexual acts.

 

Musketeers

These Musketeers attended a Castro Street Halloween event in the late 1970s.

 

Men in Uniform

This is another 1970s San Francisco Halloween celebration.

A Boy Scout and a sailor have fallen in lust.

 

Roger Pegram and Frank Bushong

Way back in June, I posted a Gay Pride series that included a Thanksgiving dinner scene at the home of Rober Pegram and Frank Bushong.  That particular photo evoked the biggest viewer response ever to a gay history themed picture.  I promised a followup series and have been disgracefully tardy in getting it on, but today is the day.  Roger and Frank were a romantic couple from about 1949 to 1964, but I think they had an enduring love as they remained very close lifelong friends.We start with Frank's birthday party in June 1955.  

Everyone seems to be having a good time.

 

Nantucket, August 1955

We have quite a few photos of Roger and Frank on beach vacations.

This one is Brant Point, Nantucket in August of 1955.

 

Intriguing caption

This photo is one that I find quite intriguing.  My source listed the men as (l-r) "Member," Roger Pegram, and Bill Happ at Andover in October of 1956.  Member of what?  Circle of friends?  Some nascent gay rights group? Literary society?  I really want to know more.

 

Frank and Fred

Here we see Frank with Fred Brahms (right), a close friend of the couple.

No date or location was given, but they're having a good time.

 

1949 Fixer-upper

Although my source did not give the location, I like to think that like many young couples, Frank and Roger bought a fixer-upper as their first home.  That's Roger working on the screen door in 1949.

 

Provincetown

Provincetown was already a gay mecca when Roger was

 photographed there at Race Point on August 28, 1953

 

Kitchen

It was January 29, 1956 when this kitchen conference took place at Frank and Roger's 

Andover home.  Frank has his back to the camera while Roger expounds on something.  

Maybe he's trying to figure out who's going to wash all the dishes.

 

Professional

The only photo listed as professionally taken in my collection of Roger Pegram and Frank Bushong images is this one of Frank presumably at a beach.  I think it is beautiful.

 

Sense of Humor

Never let it be said that these guys didn't have a sense of humor.  Frank took 

this snapshot of Roger at the Burlington, Vermont city limits on August 15, 1954.

 

Central Park

I'm closing out the series with this 1951 photo of Roger and Frank in Central Park.  It is said  to have been taken by their friend Fred Brahms who appears with them in many photos.  When I look at these pictures, I get emotional.  They lived in a world where their love could have cost them everything, yet they manifest a quite comfort and confidence when together and when with their friends.  Their love was enduring and eternal. They were fearless and blazed a trail for us to follow.  The best thing we can do to honor their memory is to keep moving forward no matter what.

 

Gay Life before Liberation

It's Pride Month, so today I'm posting some images of gay life before liberation.  Most of these are well documented as gay, but some like this one are not to my knowledge.  However, it doesn't take a genius to look at this picture and get the drift.  Not a woman in sight, but plenty of fine beef.

 

1959

I don't have any authentication, but this couple from 1959 pretty much had to be gay.

 

Basement Bar

This was supposed to have been made at a holiday party in a basement bar that had dancing.

Unfortunately the location and date are unknown.

 

Rhode Island

This 1957 photograph by Theodore Newman called Peter and Two Pauls

 in Rhode Island shows Peter Harvey, Paul Fisher and Paul Thek,

three gay men from Little Rhody.

 

Dinner Party

This is my favorite photo of the set.  It shows a good sized group of gay men enjoying a meal together at a time when they faced what seemed like insurmountable obstacles to ever being able to freely be who they were.  Even if they didn't know it, they were opening a path to liberation.

And I have to say that the man at lower right is incredibly handsome.

Edited to add:  I did some research and found that this photo is just one of many preserved by the estates of a gay couple, Frank Bushong at the head of the table and Roger Pegram in glasses.  It was made at Thanksgiving of 1963, and I think we are the ones who should be thankful.

Frank and Roger will get their own series in the future.

 

Domestic Scene

The collie seems a bit confused in this little domestic scene.