On October 31, 1969, a group of protesters from the Committee for Homosexual Freedom (CHF), which had recently become the Gay Liberation Front (GLF), allied with The Society for Individual Rights (SIR), organized a protest against The San Francisco Examiner for running an inflammatory article about the Gay bars and community. The article, “The Dreary Revels of S.F. ‘Gay’ Clubs,” written by Robert Patterson on October 15, also called for increased policing and harassment of Gay spaces. However, this article was only one of many written by Patterson, and part of the practice of newspapers printing the names of Gay people arrested during bar raids, systematically outing people, and creating a culture of fear. Ever since the national attention of the Stonewall riots, socially conservative newspapers ramped up their anti-Gay rhetoric and Gay liberations across the country organized similar protests. 

Although CHF was created out of a riff between radical Gay activists and the more conservative SIR community, the groups allied together over the shared goal of changing the SF Examiner’s discriminatory practices against the Gay community. Similarly, Berkeley’s Gay Guerrilla Theater and bourgeoning Gay Liberation Front joined the protest.

Flyer reading “Protest - Examiner Bld. 110 5th Street Friday October 31st 12:00 Noon.” Above there is an image of three individuals, one person with a scarf tied around their mouth, eyes closed, and one hand over their crotch and the other hand resting on the shoulder of the middle figure. The middle figure is meant to represent the oppressive powers of both the police and the journalists at the San Fransisco examiner. They are wearing a collared shirt and tie, with a tie clip, and loafer shoes. In one hand they have a police baton and the other is a spiked weapon with a ink pen on the bottom half. The middle figure is driving the sharp point of the ink pen into the chest of a bearded and long haired person who is on the ground. The middle figure is also stepping on the crotch of the bearded figure. Next to this scene are the words “Gay Liberation Front,” and above the words are three outlines of individuals with their fists raised.

Flyer for Gay Liberation Front protest at the Examiner Building October 31, 1969. From the GLBT Historical Society. Shared in “From Stonewall to the White Horse: The Bay Area’s part in uprisings that changed the world,” Bay Area Reporter, June 26, 2019.

When the CHF attempted to have conversations with the editors of The San Francisco Examiner, they were kicked out of the building. The group organized a picket line outside of the Examiner building at 110 Fifth Street for noon on October 31, 1969. They published articles advertising the protest in underground newspapers, including the Berkeley Barb and Berkeley Tribe.  

GOONS GANG GAY GUERILLAS San Francisco cops violently attacked and broke up a demonstration of the Committee for Homosexual Freedom last Friday, arresting 13. The confrontation took place in front of the San Francisco Examiner Building where the gay group gathered to protest an article which slandered the city’s homosexuals. The demonstration began at noon and consisted of peaceful picketing until about 12:40. At that time two plastic bags of dark blue printers’ ink were thrown from an upper window of the Examiner Building. One bag landed in the street just off the curb, the other in front of the large glass door of the building. The demonstrators responded by tracking their feet through it, leaving blue footprints on the sidewalk. Stevens McClave, 24 years old, who many consider the Abbie Hoffman of the Gay Liberation Movement, put his hands in the ink and raised it in full sight of those present. Others complied, then they began putting indigo hand prints on the glass door and stone wall of the building. Again his example was followed, and soon the walls and windows were covered with ink. At that time there were only three uniformed cops at the scene, only flabby policemen. One of them entered the Examiner lobby to point out individual protesters. It can be assumed that he was fingering people for later arrest, for about five minutes later a police van arrived, parking in an alley next door. A squad of police exited and burst into the crowd, seizing McClave. A tug-of-war followed when his fellow demonstrators held him to prevent arrest. Suddenly, the cops struck wildly at heads, and with special incentive, at crotches with their three foot long nite sticks. When McClave was finally dragged off into the waiting paddy wagon, he screamed to the Pig, "Kill a queer for Christ.” The fighting continued, however. After Karen Hurrick shouted that she had been maced, police knocked her to the ground, beat her, and dragged her off to the van. Cops arrested several others, and tried to move the crowd further down the street. The protest was declared an “unlawful assembly” and the order was given to disperse.Then the cops attacked again, bloodying heads and arresting several other people. The captured were frisked with something approaching sensual appreciation. The rest of the demonstrators were chased down 5th to Howard Street. Gay Liberation decided to disperse and later regroup at the Glide Methodist Church, were the problems of legal help, bail, and future tactics were discussed. They decided to take a picket line to City Hall and send a delegation to speak to Mayor Alioto at his office. CASUALTIES. Those arrested were Stevens McClave, 24, Dave Brower, 19, Darwin Diaz 35, Nick Cheshire, 26, Jack Ransom, 26, Al Alvarez, 27, Marcus Overseth, 25, Leo Laurence, 36, Paul Nies, 19 Mishia Da Brinski, Michael Carboni, 25, Mike Cooke, 30, and Karen Hurrick 21. Michael Carboni suffered a broken rib from the confrontation, and Darwin Diaz had a dental plate knocked out. Charges against the demonstrators arrested ranged from “malicious mischief” — a misdemeanor — or to “battery on an officer” — a felony. By Tuesday, all felony charges have been dropped, except against Nick Cheshire. Sergeant Sol Weiner claims that his hand was bitten by Cheshire. Cheshire says that Weiner swung at him back-handed, and hit him in the mouth. BACKGROUND. In an interview before his arrest, Stevens McClave called the Examiner article which led to the demonstration, “totally sensational, scandalous yellow journalism. … malicious and irresponsible.” He referred to a story by Robert Patterson on gay bars in the Saturday, October 15th Examiner. Supposedly an expose, Patterson used terms like “fags”, “queers”, “semi-males”, and “women who aren’t exactly women.” He lamented the lack of police power to “clean up” the situation. McClave said that representatives his groups were “physically ejected and verbally abused” in an earlier attempt to speak to Examiner editors about Patterson’s article. “We all know violence — we all know repression in isolated circumstances,” McClave said. He went on to say, “Too many homosexuals are hidden and can’t counter the oppression. We use the word ‘Gay’, capitalized, to instill group identity and pride. COUNTER-ATTACK. When the group arrived at City Hall, less than two hours after the initial confrontation at the Examiner, they began picketing again. Three guerrillas left the body of demonstrators to see the Mayor, only to find that he was conveniently out of town. Once CBS cameras arrived, the entire picket line filed inside City Hall, mounting the long marble stairs to Alioto’s office. They walked inside, immediately occupying the floor. A string of three cops struggled to accompany the protestors. Once inside the Mayor’s office, one of the cops went straight to a phone and called headquarters: “We are now in the Mayor’s office,” he said, “and now we have a sit-in.” Assistant to the Mayor, Mike McCone refused to listen to the protest, demanding that they put all grievances in writing. Once a list was drawn up it was presented to him. No comment was made, and McCone left the room. Three of the original group remained after the office closed at 5:00 p.m. They were handcuffed and taken away to join their brothers in jail. Arrested at the Mayor’s office were Jim Connoly, 29, Stephen Matthews, 24, and Larry Clarkson, 19. When the charges were read Matthews shouted “Power to the People”, before he was escorted from the office by police. By Tuesday night all those arrested on Friday were out of jail. Initial hearings were scheduled for Wednesday. Most of the demonstrators plan to plead “not guilty.”

An article in the Berkeley Barb recounting the events at the San Francisco Examiner Protest.

Around 12:40 pm, Employees from the newspaper dumped bags of ink onto the protesters. The protesters responded by coating their hands in the purple ink and marking the walls and glass of the front of the building. They were led by Stevens McClave, a leader in the Gay Liberation Movement. 

“We all know violence — we all know repression in isolated circumstances,” [Stevens] McClave said. He went on to say, “Too many homosexuals are hidden and can’t counter the oppression. We use the word ‘Gay’, capitalized, to instill group identity and pride.” (1)

Police began harassing and arresting the protesters, seriously injuring some. In total, they arrested thirteen protesters, (including Berkeley Gay liberationist and journalist Leo E. Laurence), so the CHF left to regroup at the Glide Church. They began organizing a counter-protest at City Hall against the arrests. The initial plan was to send a small delegation to speak to San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto, but when the CHF learned that he was out of town, they entered the building up to the Mayor’s office. 

The group of protesters organized their sit-in for three hours, until the building closed at 5:00pm, after which the police threatened arrest. Three individuals continued with the sit-in past closing, and they were arrested. Groups across the San Francisco Bay area organized for legal aid for the individuals arrested. John James wrote the next week in the San Fransisco Good Times about the efforts to help those arrested, demonstrating the power of the Committee for Homosexual Freedom.

“But the organization’s unusual decentralized structure had given it outstanding depth of leadership, and by Monday morning friendly contacts had been established with three candidates for Supervisor, top defense lawyers including Terence Hallinan who appeared in court Monday morning, several well-known clergymen, a friendly bondsman, and most of the straight and underground media in the Bay Area. Also over the weekend hundreds of dollars were raised and thousands of leaflets produced and distributed in gay bars in San Francisco and Oakland.” (2) 

Months later, eight of the individuals arrested and charged with misdemeanors pleaded no-contest and were given six months probation.  

Gay activists saw an opportunity to change the way the Gay community was represented in the dominant media of the period, which they saw as an important step towards liberation. Although there were some underground publications that offered a liberated Queer persepective and conservative Gay publications from SIR and the Daughters of Bilitis, radicals Gays wanted control over a publication of their own. Although the protest demonstrated solidarity between these movements, the divide between the more radical Gays and the “old order” continued.

“Within the organizations are strong factions supporting Marxian socialism, armed self-defense, and nonviolence. The issue of nonviolence vs. self-defense is an emotional one which could split CHF. By contrast, the older homosexual organizations, such as Society for Individual Rights (SIR), Mattachine Society, Tavern Guild, and Daughters of Bilitis, are non-political associations including conservatives, liberals, and many nonpolitical as well as radicals. They seldom if ever take part as organizations in demonstrations and they maintain a style of middle-class respectability, often calling themselves “homophile” instead of “homosexual” organizations (“homophile,” meaning working for equal rights for homosexuals, is avoided by CHF as not direct and open enough). A conflict developed between SIR and the new organizations over SIR’s tactical refusal to give organizational support to CIIF’s drive to place on next June’s ballot a proposition which if passed would officially commit the city of San Francisco to oppose discrimination against homosexuals. CHF also sent colorful picketers to oppose the annual Halloween Beaux Arts drag ball sponsored by the Tavern Guild. In the festive spirit of that occasion everyone was friendly, even the police. And there is little doubt that the old and new organizations can cooperate concerning what happened in the last week, despite all previous disagreements. Although members of CHF have called gay bars “walk-in closets,” referring to “closet queens” or homosexuals who hide their homosexuality, the picketing of the Examiner was protesting an article attacking gay bars and breakfast clubs.” (3)

However, this protest was a turning point for many involved in the Gay liberation movement, demonstrating the targeted violence of the police and the need for radical change.

 

(1) “Goons Gang Gay Guerrillas,” Berkeley Barb, November 7-13, 1969, 6.
(2) John James, “Out of the Bars and Into the Streets,” San Francisco Good Times, Volume 2, issue 43, 11/6/1969, 6, 7. 
(3) John James, “Out of the Bars and Into the Streets,” San Francisco Good Times, Volume 2, issue 43, 11/6/1969, 6, 7. 
Sources also consulted.
Sarah Hotchkiss, “Armed with Ink, 1960s Activists ‘Struck Back’ Against Homophobic Media,” KQED, July 13, 2019, https://www.kqed.org/arts/13859570/friday-purple-hand-gay-liberation-1969.
Tommi Avicolli Mecca, “Sometimes You Work With the Democrats, and Sometimes You Riot,” in Ten Years That Shook the City: San Francisco 1968-78, edited by Chris Carlsson (San Francisco: City Lights Foundation: 2011)
Marc Stein, “Guest Opinion: Recalling Purple Hands Protests of 1969,” The Bay Area Reporter, October 30, 2019, https://www.ebar.com/news/news//283715.