Pack rat that I am, I have saved lots of buttons from the 70s and the gay groups I was in. The three buttons in the top row are all from Gay Youth New York, the first one, top left was designed by Mark Segal (publisher of Philadelphia Gay News) and it was the first GY button, from 1970. The button in the top row far right was designed by John Chiafalo, who was chair after me (and after Bill Agress who left quickly so that when John arrived there was no one in charge). I don't know when the button in the middle was used.
Row two starts with a button from GLF, then the classic lambda button from Gay Activists Aliiance, as well as another GAA button which quotes the Declaration of Independence.
Row three has 3 buttons from the pride parades in the 70s, which was sponsored by the Christoper Street Liberation Day Committee, CSLDC, pronounced, I kid you not, Sizzle-Dick. I believe that the button on the far right was designed by gay artist Ralph Hall.
Below that is a button from the Columbia University gay group, which picked up the lambda symbol. A button from the year of the bicentennial, which shows the liberty bell with a crack that has the shape of the lamda. And a button that was either from GLF, or from the Red Butterfly — a gay communist cell that seemed to have about 5 people in it at any given time.
Bottom row are a couple of more pride march buttons from other years. And in the middle, between rows is a button not associated with any group, but one I loved, with the slogan: Not With My Life You Don't.
Have any buttons from those days yourself? I'd love to see others, since I remember lots of great buttons from that time.
Comments