LGBTQ Culture and Community grew through the 70s, 80s, and 90s, becoming more conscious of the multiple levels of sexual and gender identity and variety.

Here’s a list of topics in Austin’s LGBTQ community history. These were events, organizations, and people who were important in the heyday of Gay/Lesbian Austin from the 1970s to the 90s. These are grouped loosely by topic but are listed in no particular order.

UT purge of gay teachers in the 40s and 50s;
The Chateau, 1959: Old mansion, now on UT campus, home of Arthur Pope Watson & Robert Garrett, flamboyant homosexuals who threw fabulous parties for Austin “socialites.”
UT rejecting Randy Wicker, an openly gay candidate, for Student President in 1960;
Purge of gay students at UT in 1962;
Gay Liberation Front forms at UT in 1969 in the wake of the Stonewall Riots in New York City;
The first national Gay Liberation Conference here in 1970; Dennis Paddie, Jim Denny

Hippie Hollow as a gay nude beach;
Gay-themed plays at Chicago House Theater (playwright Dennis Paddie)
First black lesbian Student Body President at UT, Toni Luckett, in 1990

Modern Gay liberation first spread nationally in the wake of events in New York City, L.A. and San Francisco (like Stonewall, the Black Cat, and Compton’s Cafeteria) as peer-support organizations formed that allowed gay and lesbian people to talk openly about their consciousness of themselves as differently sexed — some organizations, like GLF, especially in the context of the anti-war, youth rebellion of the late 60s & early 70s, had activist/political/protest as their organizing principle; many others had peer-counseling/self-help/ psychological growth as theirs.

Because one of the first great successes of the gay rights movement was the American Psychiatric Association removing homosexuality from the list of mental disorders, gay/lesbian groups all had “psychotherapy” and “consciousness raising” as a component and openly gay therapists began to surface offering variations of “gay-oriented psychotherapy.” And early gay groups, almost like “neighborhood associations” within the bars and self-help “rap-groups” began health-related projects, like VD testing in the bars and peer-counseling, long before AIDS. (The National Gay/Lesbian Health Conferences began in 78 or 79.)

Gay-oriented psychotherapy developed in Austin with several openly gay therapists; several of them had offices in the complex of restored old Victorian houses off Bee Caves Road at Montebello.

Setting the theme for the great efflorence of gay and lesbian culture during the 70s (before AIDS), gay-oriented psychotherapy sought to emphasize the positive aspects of homosexuality and downplay (or dismiss) the negative ideas and misunderstandings in mainstream society of what it meant to be gay. “Gay is a gift.” “Being gay means being special.”

In 1983 one of these gay-oriented therapists, Paul Clover, started Waterloo Counseling Center with its Waterloo Counseling Halloween Balls (major fundraising events); When AIDS appears in the early 80s, WCC added The AIDS Project component;

In 1987 AIDS Services of Austin spun off; The Octopus Club developed as a fundraiser for ASA (with annual events ArtsErotica, OctoTea Dance, Viva Las Vegas; Dining Out for Life, and Oscar Parties); Lew Aldridge, Jim Lomorri; Janna Zumbrum

AIDS Walk;
Hill Country Ride for AIDS; David Smith

Informe-SIDA was an AIDS service organization focusing on the Hispanic population and welcoming all people of color;

Care Communities and The Central Texas AIDS Interfaith Network;

Project Transitions;
Top Drawer Resale Shop for Project Transitions;
Christopher House Hospice;
The Sansing Dental Clinic;
AIDS Quilt;

The Advocate Experience in Austin;
The Body Electric in Austin;
Shaman’s Circle (Michael Ganther & John Dulworth);
PFLAG Austin;
Gay Olympics — became Gay Games — several Austinites participated (Clifford Ueshley sp?)

Prime Timers; Woody Baldwin
OutYouth;
ALLGO; (Saul Gonzalez, Dennis Medina)
Ebony Connection; (Boyd Vance)
The UT Gay Students Association;
Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT)
Gamma Mu (“Gay Millionaires” club)

Austin L/G Political Caucus (ALGPC); Pat  Cramer
Texas Human Rights Foundation;
Lesbian Gay Rights Lobby;
Paid Gay/Lesbian Community Lobbyist started in mid-80s;
(Bettie Naylor was lobbyist for the milk industry and for the Texas Tavern Guild—of gay bars; before LGRL she was the defacto, and volunteer, lobbyist on LGBT issues.)
the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) dinners;
Austin ACT UP;
Glenn Maxey, Texas State Representative

The several attempts to form Community Centers, including the building on Red River which lasted several years;

Metropolitan Community Church (in 3 locations with moves being major events in financing and fundraising);
Dignity (Gay Catholic);
Integrity (Gay Episopalian);
Gay Lutherans;
Protestant churches beginning to welcome LGBT;
UT Catholic Student Center;
Austin Lambda (AA);
Gay Community Services;

The American Family Association (Rev Mark Weaver) crashing AIDS-education events and trying to pass legislation that would have outlawed gay/lesbian businesses anywhere near a church or church-owned property;
Travis County granting Partner Benefits, then the religious reaction and referendum which revoked the benefits but left the  Domestic Partnership registry in place, the first such recognition of same sex relationships in Texas;

The Capitol City Men’s Chorus; Mark Weigle
Gay Bowling Leagues;
Gay Square Dancing Club;
The Gay and Lesbian Business Association (which evolved into the LGBTQ Chamber); the business association was first organized from the Liberty Books bulletin board by Curt Foulkes.
Gay Rodeo in Austin;
the HOWDY Parties; Kerry O’Quinn
Gay Pride festival at Fiesta Gardens beginning in 1990 which became Austin Gay Pride with occasional parades in addition to the Fiesta Gardens Festival; Diane Russell, Pete Robles, Kip Dollar
Queerbomb; first as protest, then as popular street party marching up 6th St.; PJ Raval, Curran Nault, Paul Soileau (Christeene Havermeyer)
Outsiderfest;
Gay by GayGay (at SxSW);  partly protest that SxSW doesn’t have much LGBTQ content.
AGLIFF Gay/lesbian Film Festival;
The “I Pass for Straight” gay activist musical/comedy review in 89 and again in early 90s; Doug Dyer
Cleigh Nease’s Waterloo Compound, gay housing complex off Red River;

Gay Bars of Austin (this is a bigger topic, all of its own, as the bars have opened and closed and moved over the years);
The “United Court of Austin” with Emperor and Empress;
Bars opening on 4th St and rise of Boystown, a few blocks from the 6th Street Nightlife district;
First and Last Splash at Lake Travis/Hippie Hollow sponsored by the bars
Gay Baths on West 16th;
Gay Baths on Airport Blvd;

The businesses (beyond the gay bars and lesbian bars) around which the community coalesced:
Liberty Books (1986-1996) (Tom Doyal; Toby Johnson & Kip Dollar) and BookWoman (1975-present) (Susan Post) (both with bulletin boards that gave identity to the community), and later Lobo (1994-2003??), making gay genre literature available;
the Texas Triangle Newspaper; 
later L Style G Style Magazine;
the lesbian-owned Eastside Cafe on Manor Rd and G/L popular Las Mañitas Cafe on Congress;
Lesbian-owned Celebration gift & card shop on 43rd St;
Gay-owned Sparks gift & card shop on Guadalupe; Flint Sparks
Chances Bar on Red River as a “community center” (owner Sandra Martinez);
Mexicarte as gay-welcoming community center;
Alma de Mujeres Retreat Center(s) for women at the lake and outside San Marcos;
Lesbian printers Mcgillicuddy Press and Kestrel Printing;
The gay doctors (Phil Richardson & Tom Smith) & dentists (Ralph Branch & Chris Fabre).