Barbara Gittings was not a librarian.

APRIL 5, 2007 TAGS: BOOKS, GAY/ LESBIAN, CIVIL RIGHTS, PIONEER ADD A COMMENT

Barbara Gittings was not a librarian, nor was she a psychiatrist.

Ms. Gittings was, however, highly regarded by both groups. Ms. Gittings, known as the "Founding Mother" as of the gay, lesbian, and bi-sexual movement, died at 74 in Delaware on February 18th.

The revered American Psychiatric Association acknowledged Ms. Gittings in 2006 for her work helping change the definition of homosexuality, which was once thought to be a psychiatric disease.

Ms. Gittings understood that the literature of a nation is as important as its rhetoric. She amassed a collection of writing, both her own and other's, about homosexuality. The works live on in libraries across the country " most notably in the New York Public Library, which will house her complete papers. Ms. Gittings, like so many other activists, is remembered by her demonstrations in public spaces, but she knew that "public' space includes both town squares and public libraries. Ms. Gittings was honored by the American Library Association in 2003.

Ms. Gittings' brave activism in the 50's, before the Stonewall Rebellion, demonstrated her courageousness in pioneering the movement toward equal rights that continues today.

Bibliography from GLBT History Month

Barbara Gittings, Wikipedia

Library Journal's Obit