S3 E2"The Raid on California Hall"
Act 1
Jack Nichols ditches Kameny & the gay movement for love. Indonesian reader Ger van Braam is the first person to show her face on The Ladder, the lesbian publication now edited by Barbara Gittings & Kay Tobin. The Janus Society launches their Playboy-esque homophile magazine DRUM. Randy Wicker organizes the first march for American gay rights. A Nazi infiltrates the ECHO convention.
Act 2
San Francisco homophiles & ministers host a New Years gay ball that goes terribly wrong. Listen to this moment-by-moment historically accurate retelling of “San Francisco’s Stonewall,” the 1965 raid on California Hall.
This is your ticket to the New Year’s Mardi Gras Ball hosted by the Council on Religion and the Homosexual.
or your favorite podcast platform.
Original release: April 19, 2021
“Every month you move forward by leaps and bounds.”
Raid on California Hall 🚨
Archive Dive
Patreon is a crowdfunding platform where fans of Queer Serial can support my new LGBTQ+ history projects!
Join for research dives, bonus episodes, & rewards!
Check it all out at Patreon.com/QueerSerial
Season 3 Bonus episodes
"Nation, Government,
President, & Jenkins"
Subscribe on Patreon or Apple Podcasts to listen to this bonus episode from spin-off podcast Forgotten Fairy Tales—and many more from Mattachine Meeting, Randy Wicker Radio, Infamous Crimes: White Night Riot Interviews, and more!
Check out these free bonus pieces from season 3 & beyond:
Devlyn interviews Transparent creator Joey Soloway
March 4, 2022
SAY GAY 🍊
Anita Bryant & Ron DeSantis
March 14, 2022
Interview with Indiana LGBTQ+ historian Kelley Coures
January 18, 2023
Randy Wicker
& Marsha P. Johnson Papers
currently processing
Instagram @queerserial
the raid on california hall
January 1, 1965
APRIL 18, 2021
Tomorrow! We’re throwing a ball! 🎭
Be sure to bring your Pocket Lawyer. 🚨
🎧 S3 E2: You’re invited to a legendary ball at California Hall.
🗂 @glbt_history
APRIL 24, 2021
“Official police photographers snapped pictures of most of the 600 guests as they arrived… This flagrant harassment, surveillance, and show of force by police caused the ball to break up an hour early.” 🚨
🎧 S3 E2: The raid on the Mardi Gras ball at California Hall, 1965.
📸 Reverend Chuck Lewis’s photos, printed in The Citizens News (stay tuned for Part 2)
📸 California Hall, 2010.
📸 SF Mattachine planning, @glbt_history
APRIL 25, 2021
Evander Smith & Herb Donaldson standing right where they’ll soon be arrested, in the lobby of California Hall, where much of last week’s episode took place. 🚨 Part 2 tomorrow!
📸 Shortly before the CRH Mardi Gras Ball, January 1, 1965. @sfpubliclibrary
APRIL 24, 2021
“Dozens of police swarmed in and around California Hall in San Francisco on New Year’s Day, invading a benefit costume ball organized by the Council on Religion and the Homosexual.” 🎭
🎧S3 E2: Part 2 of the California Hall raid coming Monday
📸 Herb Donaldson (1 of the gay attorneys) arrested
📸 Evander Smith (the other attorney) arrested
📸 Guests arriving for the ball, San Francisco Examiner. I’ve seen this man noted as Hal Call somewhere before, and it definitely does look like him, but I’m not sure. Anyone know for sure who these folks are?
📸 Herb Donaldson on his way to jail
📸 ABC giving permission to throw the ball…
📸 Here’s What REALLY Happened - -
see you in the magazines
APRIL 19, 2021
“The overriding problem is invisibility. How do you organize people that you can’t see?” 🌊
🎧 S3 E2: Get ready to step up to the next rung.
🗂 @glbt_history
APRIL 21, 2021
💪🏽“I revolted against my captivity and broke free.”
🎧 S3 E2: Ger van Braam is the first woman to show her full face on the cover of The Ladder.
🗂 @glbt_history
APRIL 19, 2021
“Plead and Repeat, Plead and Repeat”
🗂 @glbt_history
APRIL 25, 2021
ONE Magazine issues published during the events of S3 E2 🗞
Slightly out of order!
🗂 @onearchives
APRIL 21, 2021
“A Voice for the Homophile Community” ➡️
🎧 S3 E2: Gay press boom.
APRIL 24, 2021
Finally, someone brings Playboy energy to the homophile magazines🔥
🎧S3 E2: The Janus Society starts their new publication, edited by Clark Polak. Stay tuned for the drama. In these clippings from the first issue you’ll see some familiar moments from recent episodes, and Kameny’s piece about his congressional hearing in season 2. Also a little piece of news from my hometown.
APRIL 28, 2021
“EVENTFUL HISTORY” 🔥
A few images from another early issue of Drum Magazine, published by the Janus Society. Swipe to peak at their coverage of the Walter Jenkins scandal in the White House (or listen to my bonus episode all about it on Patreon!), some Chicago bathhouse coverage, and the star of “The Man from A.U.N.T.I.E.,” mentioned on the podcast. 😈
AUNTIE was the first gay ongoing comic strip. It started in the second issue of Drum, moved to Queen’s Quarterly, and later moved to another hot magazine called Drummer.
Randy Wicker, Renee Cafiero, & Craig Rodwell
Homosexual League of New York & the League for Sexual Freedom
picket the Whitehall Army Induction Center
September 19, 1964
APRIL 19, 2021
We Don’t Dodge the Draft—The Draft Dodges Us! 💥
🎧 S3 E2: Randy Wicker leads the first-ever picket for gay rights — in today’s new episode.
📸 Renée Cafiero pickets the U.S. Army Induction Center on Whitehall St., New York City, September 19, 1964. @nyplpicturecollection
📸 Randy Wicker, then Craig Rodwell, leading others
📸 Jack Diether, music critic from the League for Sexual Freedom
📸 Rodwell
📸 Cafiero and Wicker
📸 Flyer by Frank Kameny, headline added by Randy Wicker
📸 Cafiero
APRIL 20, 2021
Randy Wicker in the mid-60s 🍃
One of his many causes I didn’t have time to cover on the podcast—Randy was also 1 of 5 editors of “The Marijuana Newsletter,” which included Allen Ginsberg, too. They put stickers all over the subways saying, “Smoke Pot: It’s Cheaper and Healthier than Alcohol!” Randy was ticketed on Bleeker Street for selling the newsletter, but fortunately the ticket was dismissed after the ACLU took the case.
APRIL 23, 2021
Bet you didn’t expect these filthy perverts to show up in this week’s episode 🎥
📸 Dreamlanders John Waters, Divine, Danny Mills, and Mary Vivian Pierce shooting “Hag in a Black Leather Jacket,” 1964.
📸 frame from “Hag”
📸 John Waters shooting “Pink Flamingos,” 1972.
APRIL 23, 2021
Color me gay! 🖍 Patreon gals can now look through two gay coloring books from 1964 — the year this week’s episode takes place. Get your crayolas and “do it up fruity.” 🎨
patreon.com/queerserial
✨link in bio✨