Homosexuals Picket White House

May 29, 1965 - Nine men and three women picketed the White House today to protest what they called government discrimination against homosexuals.

The demonstration was organized by the Mattachine Society of Washington, which said it was acting on behalf of “the nation’s second largest minority” — 15 million homosexuals.

The pickets said they were protesting the treatment of homosexuals in the military services, particularly the fact that they are given less than honorable discharges; refusal of the government to hire homosexuals, and the fact that government officials have ignored their requests to discuss the situation.

The local Mattachine group had hoped for a higher number of pickets, but a contingent from New York failed to appear.

The Washington society has 60 members. The New York chapter lists 400 members.

A spokesman said that two of the women who picketed were married. He said the society accepted members without regard to race, religion, sex, or “sexual orientation.”

The society derives its name from the court jesters of the Middle Ages, who were permitted to utter frank social commentary from behind masks.

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