On Veterans Day in 1950, a small group of homosexual men met on a hillside in what was then known as Eden Dale, Los Angeles. That meeting was the start of the Mattachine Society that ignited the movement for LGBTQIA cultural and political freedoms in the U.S. and helped birth the community.

On Thursday, November 13, historians and others will gather at the San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin Street, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the organization. The event takes place in the Koret Auditorium from 6 to 7:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public.

“They Lit the Fuse!” will explore the how, why, and whom of the first Mattachine Society, a news release stated. It will also look at the lasting influence of the actions and ideas of this radical group of activists.

Speakers include

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