Henry+Gerber

=__**Henry Gerber**__=

__EARLY LIFE__ • Henry Gerber was born in Bavaria. • He moved to Chicago because that was a large German population.

__WORK LIFE__ • After briefly working at Montgomery Ward he was interred as an alien during World War 1. • From 1920 to 1923 he served with the United States army of occupations in Germany and during this time he came into contact with the German homosexual emancipation movement. • He sent in articles to German homophile magazines and was in contact with Magnus Hirschfeld's Scientific Humanitarian Community in Berlin. • In 1924 Gerber went back to Chicago and was hired to work at the post office.

__GAY RIGHTS WORK__ • When Gerber went to Chicago the emerging of gay subculture started. • Gerber thought he needed to establish an organization which was to protect the rights of gays and lesbians. • Later on Gerber formed an organization which was The society of Human Rights. • The organization who published a newsletter, “Friendship and Freedom” which was sent to small memberships. • In July, 1925, the society came to an end. The wife of one of the cofounders of the corporation reported her husband, a reputed bisexual, to her social worker who contacted the police. • Many people think of the Stonewall riots of 1969 in New York was the beginning of the gay and lesbian civil rights in the United States but as you know from earlier in the text he worked as a mailman and started “The society for Human Rights” • After having created and distributed a newsletter called "Friends and Freedom", Gerber was arrested and held for 3 days without a warrant or being charged with any infractions. Because he was using his postal privileges wrong. • He was a big help for the gay civil rights.

__DEATH__ • Unfortunately he died on December 31, 1972 at the age of 80. He lived to see the StoneWall and gay and lesbian organizations and that is what he wanted, he made a big different by starting "The Society for Human Rights" ]