OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — History books say that the Stonewall riots started the LGBTQ+ rights movement, but Kansas City historians have a different idea of what sparked the movement. In 1966, KC hosted the first national gay rights conference.
It was put on by a group called the Phoenix Society. People from all over the country came to discuss gay rights activism. The meeting was kept small, even though Kansas City was known to be a mostly safe place for the queer community. KC was a city filled with bars and clubs with a vibrant drag scene.
“Whatever the reason, they weren't raided like they were in other bigger cities. People could dance together at clubs here, which they couldn't do in other cities. So, there was, I think, a stronger sense of safety on the part of the patrons of these establishments,” said Stuart Hinds, UMKC library curator.
Throughout the 1960s, LGBTQ+ groups used fashion to challenge gender roles and express identity, including 60's protests against the standard for workplace clothes. Johnson County Museum’s “Free to Be” exhibit highlights that evolution.
The meeting of the Phoenix sparked real change in our community, although it wasn’t widely publicized work.
“They partnered with the Kansas City Public Health Department to create a brochure about venereal disease in the gay community, they partnered with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department, as that office was trying to do outreach to minority communities and build better relationships. So, there was stuff going on. It just wasn't very publicized,” said Hinds.
Hinds said that even though the Phoenix met here just once in 1966, advocacy groups from around the U.S. chose print shops in Kansas City to print and distribute their messages for years after.
“These organizations from across the country would send their masters essentially to Kansas City to be printed and distributed. And so, Kansas City really is the hub of distribution of information about the evolution of the homophile movement during the latter half of the 1960s,” said Hinds.
There’s much more to learn about how KC and 1960s fashion helped the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Hinds is giving a presentation at the Johnson County Museum on June 27, or you can visit the museum anytime to learn more.
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