Raymond Broshears (February 14, 1935 – January 10, 1982) was a gay Pentecostal Evangelist preacher and activist who founded the Lavender Panthers, an armed self-defense group for the LGBT community in San Francisco, active from the summer of 1973 until the spring of 1974. He also helped organize the first gay pride march in San Francisco in June 1972[1][2][3][4] and founded the Orthodox Episcopal Church of God.[5]
Reverend Raymond Broshears | |
|---|---|
| Born | Earl Raymond Allen[1] February 14, 1935 |
| Died | January 10, 1982 (aged 46) San Francisco |
| Alma mater | Lee Bible College |
| Political party | Peace and Freedom Party, Lavender Panther Party |
Background
editAfter enlisting in the Navy in the 1950s, Raymond Broshears was discharged for a head injury.[6] He enrolled in the Pentecostal Robert E. Lee Bible College in Cleveland, Tennessee in the mid fifties, and became a travelling preacher in the early 1960s.[7] His advocacy efforts included fronts such as gay rights and civil rights.
Broshears moved west to Long Beach, California, and established a ministry and community centre on Skid Row designed to improve the quality of life for people living below the poverty line.
The late 60s and early 70s were a dangerous time politically for queer people, and Broshears picked up on a lack of protection from local law enforcement. He created the Lavender Panthers in response. The organisation was formed in July 1973, following a violent attack outside of Broshears’ community centre, Helping Hands, that left him unconscious.[8]
Controversy
editBroshears' go-to response to violence and the threatening letters he constantly received was to report the actions to either the San Francisco Police Department, or the FBI; the latter of which has a file of three hundred pages of reports and documents on him; communications between Broshears and various special agents, as well as a large volume of threats he received. Newspaper articles flanked by hate speech and explicit threats were regularly mailed to Broshears.
Other gay rights organizations, however, saw the aggressive tactics that the Lavender Panthers were using, and were threatened.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b Markowitz, Eric (January 25, 2018). "The most dangerous gay man in America fought violence with violence". Newsweek.
- ^ "The Sexes: The Lavender Panthers". Time. October 8, 1973.
- ^ Calhoun, Bob (June 16, 2016). "Yesterday's Crimes: The Lavender Panthers, San Francisco's LGBT Vigilantes". SFWeekly.
- ^ Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society (2014). "Raymond Broshears papers". Online Archive of California.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Chapman, Mark D.; Janes, Dominic (15 February 2018). New Approaches in History and Theology to Same-Sex Love and Desire. ISBN 9783319702117.
- ^ Federal Bureau of Investigation. Raymond Broshears.
- ^ Litwin, Fred (2022-04-02). "Exclusive: Raymond Broshears on the Stan Bohrman Show, July 1968". On The Trail of Delu. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ "Interview with Rev. Ray Broshears - Bay Area Television Archive". diva.sfsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
- ^ "Press Conference About The Lavender Panthers - Bay Area Television Archive". diva.sfsu.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-13.
External links
edit- "Rev. Ray Broshears". Art Gallery of Mulleian Oil Paintings and Drawings.DEAD LINK
- "Rev. Raymond Broshears Channels Lee Harvey Oswald". Off The Deep End. January 30, 2017.