More about Dr. Kameny

Dr. Kameny was arguably the most important gay rights figure in America. A veteran of WWII, in 1957 he was fired from his position as an astronomer with the US Army for being gay. As a result he filed the first US legal challenge to sexual orientation discrimination, was the first openly gay candidate for federal office, and successfully lobbied the American Psychological Association to delist homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973.

Dr. Kameny received his PhD from Harvard in astronomy in 1956 for his work on photoelectric light curves of RV Tau and yellow semiregular variables.

The nomination letter contains many more details about Dr. Kameny's biography. Other resources:

• Dr. Kameny's papers have been collected by the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian, and you can browse some highlights at kamenypapers.org 
• Washington's Metro Weekly has an insightful interview with Dr. Kameny in which he briefly mentions some of the roles the Society played in his career and life.
• AARP radio has detailed interview with Dr. Kameny worth listening to in full.
  
• Read a detailed account of Dr. Kameny's groundbreaking petition to the Supreme Court here