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Lige Clarke

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American activist (1942-1975)
Lige Clarke
Clarke in 1972
BornElijah Haydn Clarke
(1942-02-22)February 22, 1942
Knott County, Kentucky, US
DiedFebruary 10, 1975(1975-02-10) (aged 32)
Veracruz, Mexico
Cause of deathShot to death
Resting placeHicks Family Cemetery, Hindman, Kentucky
Occupation(s)Activist, author
Known forActivism within journalism.
SpouseJack Nichols (partner)

Elijah Hadyn "Lige" Clarke (February 22, 1942 − February 10, 1975) was an American activist, journalist and author. He was the author of two books with his lover, Jack Nichols.

Clarke’s early involvement in Stonewall and the first gay pride parade cemented him as an early proponent of the 1970s American LGBT movement. This, along with his handsome looks and well-known status, made him seemingly “the perfect cover boy” for the gay community at the time.

Early life

Clarke was born February 22, 1942, as the third child to James Bramlette Clarke and Corinne Hicks Clarke. Clarke had two siblings: his sister, Shelbiana Clarke, and his brother, George Clarke, who was at one point mayor of Hindman.

His family was of high social standing in the town, and were also well off economically. His grandfather, George Clarke, had founded both a Methodist church in Hindman and the Hindman Settlement School. His mother wrote for the towns local paper, and his father owned the Main Street grocery store.

He grew up in Cave Branch, an unincorporated community in Knott County, Kentucky, just outside of the town of Hindman, where he grew up and attended school. Clarke attended Knott County High School. During his teenage years, Clarke would pursue acting at Barter Theatre, in Abingdon, Virginia.

Clarke attended Alice LLoyd College, before graduating from Eastern Kentucky University. He later left Kentucky and joined the United States Army.

Career

By the early 1960s, Clarke worked for the United States Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. in the office of the Army Chief of Staff. He worked within the Pentagon, with nine separate top level security clearances. His position had allowed him to spread pamphlets regarding gay rights during his time in the army.

The access and influence from his position would aid the efforts of Jack Nichols and the Mattachine Society, which Clarke had joined after the Lavender Scare, to pressure government legislature concerned with gay rights. Clarke and Nichols created new chapters of the Mattachine Society by producing the East Coast Homophile Organization (ECHO).

Clarke and Nichols created and wrote "The Homosexual Citizen" as a continuation to their original column written for The Mattachine Review beginning around 1965. It was published in Screw magazine. It was the first regular LGBT-interest column printed in a non-LGBT publication and hosted the first use of the term “homophobia” in a printed work (Clarke and Nichols cited the term in 1969, but it was first coined in 1965 by psychologist George Weinberg). By 1972, they edited Gay (which was affiliated with Screw), the first weekly national homosexual newspaper.

Clarke and Nichols authored two books about same-sex attraction.

A black and white photo of a young man with blonde hair and striking eyes fills the cover of "Gay" newspaper, issue No. 7. The headline text overlays the bottom of the photo and announces articles titled "MY BROTHER IS GAY" and "HOLLYWOOD BEAT-OFF". A smaller "WARNING" box in the lower left corner alerts readers about adult content.
Gay: vol. 1, #7, March 1, 1970: My Brother Is Gay

Gay Newspaper

In 1972, Clarke and Nichols took the lead of Gay, one of the first weekly newspapers in the nation dedicated to homosexual news and issues. Affiliated with Screw magazine, Gay also sought to provide in-depth reporting and commentary for the LGBT community.

The newspaper featured a diverse range of content, including contributions from prominent activists and writers. It covered significant events, such as the rise of the Gay Activists Alliance, and explored issues of identity, relationships, and societal challenges relevant to LGBT individuals.

Gay sought to reach a broad audience within the LGBT community. This readership growth demonstrated the increasing demand for LGBT-focused media.

The newspaper also documented the growing gay rights movement, providing a platform for diverse voices and perspectives. It reported on discrimination against LGBT people and covered controversial topics relevant to the community.

Clarke and Nichols, through their leadership, created a publication that contributed to the expanding landscape of LGBT media. Gay was one of the early publications to specifically address the LGBT community, paving the way for future publications.

Personal life and death

Clarke met Jack Nichols in 1964 in Washington, D.C. at a local gay bar named "The Hideaway." They soon became lovers. The two separated for a time however, as Clarke felt Nichols was prioritizing his activism over the two's relationship. The two reunited, and remained together until Clarke's death.

On February 10, 1975, Clarke was shot and killed near Veracruz, Mexico, while traveling with a friend, Charlie Black. The two men were pursued while driving by four men on two motorcycles before being shot. Each motorcycle had one man as driver, and one equipped with an automatic machine gun. Clarke was shot through the chest multiple times by gunfire, while Black was only wounded.

With the help of Carl Perkins, a former U.S. Representative from Hindman, Clarke's father was able to have his remains airlifted home. Once there, Clarke's funeral was held at the family church, with Jack Nichols in attendance.

Selected works

References

  1. ^ Coleman, Jonathan (Winter 2020). ""Old Kentucky Homo": Lige Clarke's Gay Liberation". The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. 118 (1): 163–164 – via JSTOR.
  2. ^ Rolle, Elisa (2018). "Queer Places: Cocoa, FL, USA". queerplaces. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  3. ^ Byrnes, Ronald (August 6, 1972). "The 'gay' world in sunshine and in shadow". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. p. 62. Retrieved July 31, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Miles, Alyssa (2022-06-01). "Celebrating Kentuckian and LGBTQ+ Activist, Lige Clarke". The Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  5. ^ "History: Celebrating Eastern Kentucky's gay rights pioneer Lige Clarke - Queer Kentucky". 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  6. Johnson, David K. (Fall–Winter 1994). ""Homosexual Citizens": Washington's Gay Community Confronts the Civil Service". Washington History. 6 (2): 58 – via JSTOR.
  7. Herek, Gregory M. (February 2000). "The Psychology of Sexual Prejudice". Current Directions in Psychological Science. 9 (1): 22 – via JSTOR.
  8. Shockley, Jay (Dec 2022). "GAY Newspaper Offices". NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. It started as a bi-weekly, but from April 20 to September 28, 1970, was 'America's First Gay Weekly' and was called the first weekly gay American newspaper distributed by subscription and at newsstands.
  9. ^ "GAY". www.houstonlgbthistory.org. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  10. ^ "The Lesser-Known Pioneer: Lige Clarke and the queer legacy left behind - Queer Kentucky". 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  11. "GAY Newspaper Offices – NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project". www.nyclgbtsites.org. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  12. Nichols, Jack (1996). The Gay Agenda: Talking Back to the Fundamentalists. Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books. p. 191. ISBN 9781573921039. OCLC 260011378.

Further reading

External links

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