The Cleveland Gay Activist Alliance (GAA), a local chapter of the national Gay Activist Alliance organization, formed in Cleveland in 1970. The Cleveland Gay Activist Alliance was a student political organization led by Ann Weld-Harrington. In 1972, members of the Cleveland Gay Activist Alliance organized Cleveland’s first gay pride march.
The Cleveland GAA met and operated at Case Western Reserve University. Though the GAA was officially recognized as a student group by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), it faced ongoing pushback from the university when attempting to organize a variety of LGBT+ political meetings, events, and conferences on the CWRU campus, including its 1974 All-Gay Ohio Pride event.
Though the Cleveland GAA was organized and co-chaired by lesbian Ann Weld-Harrington, a lesbian, the group faced organizational difficulties to frequent infighting and disagreements regarding political priorities between its gay and lesbian members. The GAA was purportedly a “male-dominated group,” and as such often neglected the concerns and priorities of lesbians. These conflicts coincided with the expansion of lesbian separatism and the growth of Cleveland’s separatist lesbian feminist communities and political organizations in the 1970s. The Cleveland GAA disbanded in 1974.
Additional information coming soon.
Resources
- “All-Gay Ohio Pride A Well-Kept Secret.” High Gear. September 1974. Page 1.
- Barnum, George. “Gay Community.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
- “Gay Parley Set; CWRU Objects.” Plain Dealer.
- “John Nosek and Leon Stevens Interview, 15 August 2023.” Cleveland Voices.
- Nosek, John, and Leon Stevens. “Gay Community 1970s.” Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
- Scott, Jane. “Gay Lib Promoter Sees Priority for Movement.” Plain Dealer. March 11, 1972.
- Stevens, Leon. “Whither GAA?” High Gear. May 1975. Pages 3, 10.
- Weld-Harrington, Ann. “Gay Women’s News.” What She Wants. July 1974. Page 9.