On our 40th anniversary, a brief early history

The first national Dignity convention in 1973 in Los Angeles.

The 40th anniversary seems a good time to provide more information about Dignity/Chicago's beginnings for the chapter's records before it is lost for good.

In November 1971 five people --Jim Hogan, Steve Ryan, John Sattlmeier, Frank Surge and Jim Voepel --met with Father Max, Cardinal Cody's liaison to Chicago's gay and lesbian community to discuss the possibility of forming a Chicago chapter of a new national organization of gay and lesbian Catholics called Dignity. (The inclusive "LGBT" had not yet come into use.) They contacted the Dignity national office in Los Angeles and learned that one of the original Dignity/National board members, Fred Fisher, was then living in the Chicago area. They got in touch with Fred, and he became their contact person with the national office.

In February 1972 they called a meeting of anyone interested in forming a local chapter of Dignity. 24 people attended, 10 of whom volunteered to serve as a committee to lay the groundwork for the organization, with Fred Fisher as chairman.

In May 1972 Father Max called a meeting of participants in the mass for the gay and lesbian community to announce that he was turning the management of the mass over to Dignity/Chicago. Until that time it had been under the control of Mary Houlihan, who had originated it in 1970 under the auspices of the Legion of Mary, a Catholic outreach. Father Max believed it was the Legion of Mary's duty to step aside when those it was helping were ready to manage their own affairs. He believed the advent of Dignity provided a group of capable gay and lesbian people who could assume the responsibility. Mrs. Houlihan's strenuous objections to this decision offended many, who voted with their feet by joining Dignity. The chapter's numbers grew and the members were united in solidarity in the face of the continuing hostility of those who resented Father Max's move in spite of an open invitation to participate. Because these events were of great importance in the chapter's early history, the month of May was chosen as the appropriate time to celebrate Dignity/Chicago's anniversary.

In September 1972 the first election of officers was held. The plan was to elect a nine member board that would serve as a collective presidency, administered by a chairman. Frank Surge was elected chairman. In practice the duties and responsibilities of president fell to the chairman and in time the members recognized this reality by creating the office of president and choosing to refer to past chairmen as presidents. During the year following the first election, besides writing a constitution, the chapter focused on addressing the spiritual, social, and educational needs of the members and educating priests and theologians about the lives of gay and lesbian Catholics. At that time the atmosphere in the church seemed more conducive to hope for the possibility of change than it became during later papacies.

In September 1973 a sizeable contingent of Chicagoans attended the first Dignity/National convention in Los Angeles.

In October 1973 Dignity/Chicago had 100 members.