Chicago 1968: The 1968 NACHO Conference

Organized around activist Frank Kameny’s slogan of “Gay is Good,” the 1968 North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO) conference was hosted by Mattachine Midwest in Chicago, August 11-18 at The Trip.

The conference proved pivotal in shaping the gay rights movement in the years to come. Inspired by the Society for Individual Rights’ (SIR) “Homosexual Bill of Rights,” NACHO adopted a similar bill, stating:

Private consensual sex between persons over the age of consent shall not be an offense.
Solicitation for any sexual acts shall not be an offense except upon the filing of a complaint by the aggrieved party, not a police officer or agent.
A person’s sexual orientation or practice shall not be a factor in the granting or renewing of federal security clearances or visas, or in the granting of citizenship.
Service in and discharge from the Armed Forces and eligibility for veteran’s benefits shall be without reference to homosexuality.
A person’s sexual orientation or practice shall not affect his eligibility for employment with federal, state, or local governments, or private employers.

Members of Mattachine Midwest attending the conference. Bill Kelly in in the lower left and Roland Keith in the lower right.

Del Martin at the podium and Phyllis Lyon is at the far end of the table.