LGBT activist Dr. Franklin E. Kameny was honored on Thursday with a public viewing at the Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C.
Kameny, who was 86 when he died on October 11, became a pioneer in the LGBT movement when, after being fired from his government job in 1957 for being gay, he took his case before the Supreme Court in 1961. In 1965 he helped organize the first gay rights march in front of the White House.
The Advocate reports that City Council members David Catania and Jim Graham as well as Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo served as pallbearers. D.C. mayor Vincent Gray was present and spoke about Kameny's inspirational life.
The Washington Post reports that the National Museum of American History is has opened a special exhibit of "three of the most resonant picket signs" from Kameny in his honor. The exhibit will be on view through January.
The Washington Blade notes that the National Park Service announced on Wednesday that Kameny's residence is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, a place, according to an agency statement, that "served as a meeting place, archives, informal counseling center, headquarters of the Mattachine Society, and a safe haven for visiting gay and lesbian activists."
Below, see a slideshow of photos from yesterday's farewell viewing, provided by photographer Robert Dodge:
