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The Lavender Panthers: A Predecessor to Queer Mutual Aid Movements
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- In 1973, gay preacher Ray Broshears founded the Lavender Panthers in San Francisco to protect the LGBTQ+ community in the Tenderloin from violence.
- Despite his controversial methods, the group exemplified queer mutual aid in a homophobic society and predated later movements.
- Broshears actively sought publicity, which helped preserve information about the group, unlike many other discreet queer defense organizations.
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In 1973, gay preacher Ray Broshears founded the Lavender Panthers in San Francisco to protect the LGBTQ+ community in the Tenderloin from violence. Despite his controversial methods, the group exemplified queer mutual aid in a homophobic society and predated later movements. Broshears actively sought publicity, which helped preserve information about the group, unlike many other discreet queer defense organizations.
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