Bronx United Gays Zap at Councilman Michael DeMarco Residence

History

On January 27, 1972, the Committee on General Welfare of the New York City Council voted (7-5) against the passage of Intro 475, the gay civil rights bill proposed to prohibit discrimination in housing, accommodation, and employment, championed by the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) at City Hall. As reported in the February-March 1972 issue of the Mattachine Times, Michael DeMarco—a Democratic councilman from the Bronx and the chief opponent of the bill—cited the organization’s commitment to “gay liberation instead of civil rights” as the rationale behind both his opposition and the bill’s failure to pass through committee to the New York City Council. In response, GAA members quickly organized a zap to target the councilman.

Coinciding with outreach efforts initiated by Kevin Gillespie, chair of GAA’s community relations committee, to expand the group’s presence beyond its Firehouse headquarters in Soho, Bronx United Gays (BUG) formed as a GAA affiliate chapter in 1972. BUG organized its second zap, on February 19, 1972, at the 1242 Pinchot Place home of Councilman DeMarco. (BUG’s first zap occurred just two weeks earlier, on February 4, protesting a production of The Boys in the Band at Lehman College.)

Equipped with picket signs, leaflets, chants, and songs, the group engaged in a spirited demonstration with a two-fold intent—directly confronting Councilman DeMarco about his opposition to this bill and as a consciousness-raising effort to engage the councilman’s neighbors in conversations about gay liberation and the anti-discrimination bill. Following the zap, Councilman DeMarco remained a central target of Bronx United Gay’s political advocacy work, appearing atop a list of “Bronx Bigots” the group used in their outreach materials.

BUG was one of several GAA chapters outside lower Manhattan, formed following the founding of chapters on the Upper East Side (Eastside Gay Organization) and in Brooklyn (Gay Alliance of Brooklyn), also initiated by the community relations committee. It held its first meeting on January 17, 1972. By the group’s second meeting, they had adopted the name “Bronx United Gays.” Hal Offen, a Bronxite who served as the GAA delegate-at-large in 1972, was critical in chairing the group’s early meetings and orchestrating zaps in the borough. Alongside Offen, founding members included Audrey Snitkin and her partner Joan Moore, and Lewis Levinson.

By the fall of 1972, Bronx United Gays had established a meeting space, the BUG Storefront, at 2763 Webster Ave (demolished), and elected a slate of officers. Snitkin was voted president and Levinson as secretary. They were joined by new members John Ferra (vice president) and Bill Wolff (treasurer). Joan Moore continued to support the work of BUG, designing the organization’s logo—a lambda with butterfly wings, meant to symbolize “a butterfly coming out”—and serving as the editor of the Flypaper, the BUG newsletter.

Beyond the zaps at the residence of Councilman DeMarco and at Lehman College, Bronx United Gays participated in the occupation of New York State Senate Majority Leader Earl Brydges’ office on April 25, 1972. Led by a coalition of New York State-based gay liberation organizations, the zap targeted Brydges for his failure to expedite the repeal of sodomy laws.

BUG later helped coordinate the second annual Gay Pride street fair in June 1972 and co-sponsored dances and gatherings at the GAA Firehouse in SoHo. It also hosted events with other borough-based gay organizations like the Gay Alliance of Brooklyn.

Separate from BUG’s activities, the GAA agitprop committee, known for its educational outreach, organized to initiate speaking engagements at educational institutions around the Bronx. As reported in the first issue of the BUG Flypaper, the group had “as many as five engagements a week at local high schools and colleges.” Notably, Bronx High School of Science was among the first high schools to accept a GAA speaking engagement offer.

The last directory listing for Bronx United Gays appeared in the April 1975 issue of Gay Scene, and by the mid-1970s, the group had become inactive.

Entry by Cecelia Halle, project consultant (August 2024).

NOTE: Names above in bold indicate LGBT people.