Artifact #7: Image from the FREE protests (1970)
Fight Repression of Erotic Expression, or FREE, was the first gathering of LGBTQA+ groups from all over the United States. At the time, it was called “the First National Gay Lib Convention.” The conference was held in Minneapolis and ran from October 9-11, 1970.
Groups came from all over. There were groups from San Francisco, Milwaukee, New York City, Chicago, Iowa City, Iowa; Lawrence, Kansas; Washington, DC; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Philadelphia, and St. Louis.
According to Ken Bronson’s Quest for Equality, the convention fell apart because “the delegates spent the weekend trying to ‘outradical’ one another.” This fighting about whose oppression was worse — women, people of color, gender nonconforming, or economically disadvantaged people — caused the conference to fracture.
Despite its unfortunate ending, the conference was still a landmark event for the city and the nation, as it acknowledged the existence of LGBTQA+ people and allowed groups from diverse areas to lean on each other for support.