By Chelsea Bailey, CNN

(CNN) — At 83, Paul Kuntzler, a pioneering LGBTQ rights activist, vividly recalls joining a picket line outside the White House that would change the course of American history.

“I was just 20 and was the only minor in a tiny gay rights movement consisting of about 150 people in five American cities,” Kuntzler recalled to CNN.

At the time, five decades ago, publicly declaring oneself to be gay could cost someone their job, their family, and even their home. But Kuntzler said he felt proud of who he was.

“I’ve always had a very positive idea about being gay, so I try to radiate that attitude towards other people,” he said.

He overcame his fear and joined the picket line. In doing so, he would become one the first Americans to bring the fight for gay rights to the

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