https://veteranstories.kennesaw.edu/files/original/22783be815fcf13f63422f02b52cf311.jpg 969dba4431533465eec9658d9412fa11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Chuck Rowland Description An account of the resource Portrait of Chuck Rowland when he was a high school teacher in Orange City, Iowa. ID: A color portrait of a white man with glasses and flat-top haircut, wearing a brown suit with a white shirt and blue tie. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource John Callahan Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Making Gay History Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource ca. 1960s Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All Rights Reserved https://veteranstories.kennesaw.edu/files/original/abf69d620897127239176fab23394350.jpg a456a921365d62c2542b0c463202b7f0 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Staff Sergeant Chuck Rowland, U.S. Army Description An account of the resource ID: Black and white portrait of a white man with glasses, wearing an Army uniform and cap. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource U.S. Army Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Tangent Group, Making Gay History Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1943 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All Rights Reserved https://veteranstories.kennesaw.edu/files/original/7e0c2180d9372d8f320f5d9abe0b54d8.jpg e4f21a9ce0e45b52f6a63797dd0450f9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The first Mattachine Christmas Party Description An account of the resource Chuck Rowland in glasses. From left to right: Konrad Stevens (back of head), Dale Jennings (in profile), Harry Hay, Rudi Gernreich, Stan Witt, Bob Hull, Chuck Rowland, and Paul Bernhard. ID: A black and white group portrait of eight white men of various ages, dressed in shirts and ties, seated in front of an evergreen Christmas tree draped in tinsel. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource John Gruber Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Making Gay History Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1951 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All Rights Reserved https://veteranstories.kennesaw.edu/files/original/fa11eb0f1c919830dc409d4d49e1157b.jpg 4c995bdf3b374b2a8edd94cf9be9a7f6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Flyer from the Mattachine Society Inc. of New York Description An account of the resource Flyer depicting a zebra with spots while two zebras with stripes look on from the background. The text reads: Homosexuals are different... but... we believe they have the right to be. We believe that the civil rights and human dignity of homosexuals are as precious as those of any other citizen... we believe that the homosexual has the right to live, work, and participate in a free society. Mattachine defends the rights of homosexuals and tries to create a climate of understanding and acceptance. Write or Call: Mattachines Society Inc. of New York. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mattachines Society of New York Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived New York Public Library, Manuscripts and Archives Division Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 196 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All Rights Reserved Curatescape Story A narrative body of text being sent to Curatescape mobile applications or being displayed using Curatescape themes. Please use relevant Dublin Core fields for Title, Creator, and other key elements as needed. Subtitle A subtitle or alternate title for the entry. World War II Veteran, Organizer, Gay Rights Activist Lede A brief introductory section that is intended to entice the reader to read the full entry. “As soon as I read that there were millions of us, I said to myself, well, it’s perfectly obvious that what we have to do is organize, and why don’t we identify with other minorities, such as the blacks and the Jews? I had never known a black, but I did know one Jew in our town. Obviously, it had to be an organization that worked with other minorities, so we would wield tremendous strength.” “In the Army I met a lot of sweet guys, many who weren't gay and a lot who were.” ~Chuck Rowland, Interviewed by Eric Marcus, Making Gay History, 2002 Sponsor The name of a person or organization that has sponsored the research for this specific entry. Use HTML to create an active link. Kennesaw State University Department of Museums, Archives, and Rare Books Factoid One or more facts or pieces of information related to the entry, often presented as a list. Examples include architectural metadata, preservation status, FAQs, pieces of trivia, etc. Use HTML to create bullet lists and headings. 1917 - 1990 Related Resources The name of or link to a related resource, often used for citation information. https://lanetwork.facinghistory.org/chuck-rowland https://makinggayhistory.com/podcast/episode-1-7/ https://qualityofmercy.com/hull/rowland_outhistory.html https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/cold-war-lavender-scare-and-lgbtq-activism.htm Story The primary full-text for the entry. Born in Gary, South Dakota, in 1917, Chuck Rowland knew that he was homosexual by the time he was ten years old. He felt from a young age that there should be a gay rights movement just like there were civil rights movements for other identity groups. After the U.S. entered World War II, Rowland was drafted into the Army and served until 1946. He never served overseas but stayed stateside, and although Army official policy did not admit gay people, Rowland met many other servicemen who were gay. After the war, Rowland became an organizer, first with the American Veterans Committee and then, briefly, with the Communist Party. In 1950, he formed the Mattachine Foundation (which later became the Mattachine Society) with a small group of homosexual men including his then-boyfriend Bob Hull. The society attempted to stay small and diffuse at first, out of fear of McCarthy era anti-Communist politics, but it had grown to over 2000 members by 1953 thanks, in part, to active support of a man named Dale Jenning's when he was accused of soliciting a public officer. During the 1950s, the society fractured along political lines, with some members wanting it to be less "activist" and more fraternal while others wanted it to take a more active role in advocacy for Homosexuals as a minority group deserving of public recognition and civil rights. Speaking on behalf of the "activist" contingent, Rowland said, "“The time will come when we will march arm in arm, ten abreast down Hollywood Boulevard proclaiming our pride in our homosexuality.” Many members found that idea shocking. Following his evection from the society due to his Communist background, Rowland went through a difficult period in the 1960s, but he ultimately became a high school teacher and earned a masters's degree in theater from the University of Minnesota in 1968. He spent the 1970s and 1980s devoted to theater, founding the Celebration Theatre in Los Angeles in 1982 dedicated to the production of gay and lesbian plays. Rowland died in Duluth, Minnesota, on December 20, 1990 before he could see his dream of a gay rights movement rooted in pride and openness fully realized. Nevertheless, he is considered an inspiration by many who advocate on behalf of civil rights for the LGBTQ+ community. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Chuck Rowland Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Museum of History and Holocaust Education Subject The topic of the resource World War II 1942 - 1946 American Veterans Committee Communist Party Gay LGBTQ Mattachine Society Progressive Party U.S. Army World War II