At
its 219th semiannual meeting last week in Austin, Texas, the American Astronomical Society (AAS) presented a certificate of appreciation
commemorating Dr. Frank Kameny's lifetime efforts to secure equal
employment rights for all. In 1957 Dr. Kameny, a Ph.D. astronomer and
member of the AAS, was unjustly fired from his position with the U.S.
government because he was gay. His subsequent efforts to advance the
cause of gay rights included organizing some of the first public
protests for homosexual rights in America, running as the first openly
gay candidate for Congress, and writing the first petition to the
Supreme Court to argue that discrimination based on sexual orientation
violates constitutional civil-rights protections.
Dr.
Kameny's achievements included a successful campaign to remove
homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association's Manual of
Mental Disorders in 1973 and the repeal of the District of Columbia's
law regulating private sexual matters between consenting adults. Dr.
Kameny's efforts on the national level to promote diversity and equality
for all are in alignment with the mission of the AAS to promote
diversity and equality within its membership and have enabled many AAS
members to pursue their calling without the fear of the professional
discrimination due to sexual orientation that Dr. Kameny suffered.
In
2009 the federal government issued a formal apology to Dr. Kameny for
his firing solely on the basis of sexual orientation. Sadly, Dr. Kameny
died in October 2011, before the AAS could honor him in person. At the
Austin meeting Mr. Charles Francis, cofounder of the Kameny Papers
Project, accepted the certificate of appreciation from AAS president Dr.
Debra M. Elmegreen (Vassar College). Mr. Francis and fellow co-founder
Mr. Bob Witeck organized Dr. Kameny's papers for incorporation into the
U.S. Library of Congress.
The following wording appears on the certificate:
"The
American Astronomical Society, in light of its commitment to diversity
and equality, hereby honors the memory of the astronomer Dr. Franklin
Edward Kameny for his exemplary lifelong commitment to promoting equal
rights for homosexual men and women. Dr. Kameny's activism removed
discriminatory barriers that had cut short many careers. Dr. Kameny
tirelessly advocated against policies that banned gays from working for
the federal government, holding security clearances, or serving openly
in the military."
"The
presentation was an emotionally charged moment for our community," says
Elmegreen. "By honoring Dr. Kameny, the AAS has helped to right a
previous national wrong." In addition, the AAS recently established the
Working Group on LGBTIQ Equality to promote equality for lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning individuals within the
profession.
