Mattachine Hearings Set, Evening Star (Article, August 1963)
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Mattachine Hearings Set
A congressional committee will hold hearings Thursday on a bill designed to weaken operations of the Mattachine Society of Washington, a group formed to protect homosexuals from discrimination.
The measure would revoke the organization's permit to solicit funds in Washington.
The hearing will be held by a House District subcommittee headed by Representative Dowdy, Democrat of Texas. The bill to take away the group's District certificate t o solicit money was introduced by Mr. Dowdy.
The Mattachine Society has notified the House District Committee that it plans to send a representative to testify at the hearing.
One section of Mr. Dowdy's bill specifically calls for the revocation of the organization's fund-raising permit, which was issued by city licensing officials last August under the Charitable Solicitations Act.
Another section of the measure would provide that no such permits would be issued unless the District Commissioners decide that the "solicitation which would be authorized by such certificate will benefit or assist in promoting the health, welfare, and the morals of the District..."
City officials had said they had no authority under the present law to deny a solicitation permit to any group whose representatives permit application questions.
That Mattachine Society reportedly was founded in San Francisco 10 or 12 years ago. The organization took its names from the Mattachines, court jesters in the Middle Ages who were permitted to make barbed social comments not tolerated from others.
