[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16742-16743]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           LGBT HISTORY MONTH

  (Mr. QUIGLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, as LGBT History Month draws to a close, I 
rise today to recognize Chicago LGBT activist Henry Gerber, a man well 
ahead of his time.
  Mr. Gerber founded the Society for Human Rights in 1924. It was the 
first chartered gay rights organization in the United States. His home 
in Chicago's north side, my district, served as the society's 
headquarters, and from there he published the first-known gay interest 
periodical in the U.S.
  Unfortunately, his activism carried risks. Less than a year after he 
founded the society, police raided his home, arrested him, and 
confiscated his possessions. He was put on trial three times. Although 
he was never convicted of a crime, he lost his life savings, his 
reputation, and his job.
  Thankfully, our country has come a long way in the fight for 
equality, but we can all learn from Henry Gerber's struggle for human 
rights in the face of overwhelming adversity.

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