Gay Activist Alliance
University of Houston

U of H

1975-1978

Doonesbury in Houston queer history

In the Doonesbury comic strip in February 1976, Andy Lippincott, a classmate of
law school student Joanie Caucus, told her that he was gay. Dozens of papers opted
not to publish the storyline, with Miami Herald editor Larry Jinks saying, "We just decided
we weren't ready for homosexuality in a comic strip."

When the Houston Post opted not to run the series, activist Fred Páez sent press
releases announcing that the Gay Activists Alliance would make it available. The
controversy was covered every day for two weeks by television and radio news,
helping Doonesbury to reach an even broader audience than ever before.

Click for much more on one of our heroes, Fred Páez, as shown in The Banner Project.

***

The GAA organized a March in 1976, for June, recognized here
as the first "gay pride parade" in Houston, See More

Similar to the surveys Houston's GLF sent out in 1972
to Texas congressmen and other officials,
the GAA revisted this practice and was even bold enough
to ask the FBI of it's policies regarding homosexuals!

Sheri Cohen (Darbonne) signed the request.
Much later, she wrote for many Houston gay publications
and was selected Female Pride Grand Marshal in 1992.
Below, 1992 photo.

1977

For 1977 another parade was planned, but there was no funding and it was overtaken by need for
the huge Rally held downtown on June 16th to protest Anita Bryant

Below, two images from the U of H yearbook, The Houstonian, 1977,
the second with Ray Hill and Tony Biffle dancing

from the 1994 yearbook, summary of organization changes...
from Gay Liberation Front (1971), to Gay Activist Alliance (1973),
to Gay & Lesbian Student Association (GLSA) in 1985;
and in 1994 G.L.O.B.A.L., Gay Lesbian or Bisexual Alliance

Note, the 1978 clipping from LXIX publication above mentions Gay Resource Services
"forming in the early 80's"....it was obviously already in existence in 1978,
with the implication of forming even earlier