This is a Generative AI summary of this newspaper article. It may contain errors or omissions. Please note that the language in the summary is reflective of the original article and the societal attitudes of the time in which it was written.
Summary: Group Reveals ‘gay’ Advt Respondents (Press, 13 May 1987)
In May 1987, a clandestine group named the Great White Brotherhood of the Iron Fist gained notoriety in Chicago for its extreme anti-homosexual actions. The group placed advertisements in "The Reader," a local weekly newspaper, soliciting responses from homosexual men. Following this, they took a disturbing step by disclosing the sexual orientation of respondents through letters sent to their neighbours, landlords, and employers. In at least 12 documented incidents, the group mailed these letters alongside the responses, warning recipients that the individual could be a carrier of A.I.D.S. and urging them to avoid the homosexual "at all costs." Jonathan Katz from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance at the University of Chicago highlighted these activities, revealing that some of the targeted individuals were students at the university. Concerns were raised about how the group may have accessed the home addresses of these individuals, possibly through student directories. Katz noted that the group possessed three specific types of letter forms intended to incite fear and discrimination – one directed at neighbours, another at parents, and a third at employers. This advertisement campaign followed a string of incidents related to a petition signed by approximately 150 students and faculty members in support of the homosexual community. The petition appeared in the student newspaper and was a response to a series of derogatory actions that included offensive posters and telephone death threats targeting the signatories. Mary Jo Madden, the classified editor of "The Reader," commented on the unusual nature of such advertisements, stating it was the first time anything of this sort had occurred. She confirmed that the newspaper had sought legal advice regarding the matter. The advertisements appeared in two issues of the publication, dated January 23 and January 30. In response to the group's actions, Mark Grey, an inspector from the United States Postal Inspection Service, indicated that authorities would investigate the letters sent by the Great White Brotherhood. However, he noted that prosecution would be challenging unless the letters contained physical threats or claims of injury to someone's reputation coupled with a demand for payment. The incident highlighted a troubling climate of fear and hostility towards the homosexual community during that period, demonstrating the lengths to which some individuals would go to promote discrimination and hate.
Important Information
The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact
The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand