title: Gay activism behind the magnolia curtain: the Memphis Gay Coalition, 1979-1991.
abstract: In 1979, a full decade after the burgeoning and rapid expansion of the gay liberation movement, a handful of gay men organized the Memphis Gay Coalition and Tennessee's largest city entered the activist mainstream. The Memphis Gay Coalition remained active for over a decade sponsoring political, educational, and social events. After twelve years the Coalition disbanded amid accusations of racism, sexism, and elitism, having achieved some of its original purposes in providing services to the Memphis gay community. Documentary sources and community interviews reveal that personality conflicts, organizational problems, and the forces of Southern culture played a role in the disintegration of the Memphis Gay Coalition, which left the city and its neighboring region without a broad gay activist alliance.
authors.affiliation: University of Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buring
mesh_terms: D002961:Civil Rights / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000266:history*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009938:Organizations / Q000266:history*; D013714:Tennessee; D014481:United States