Barbara Gittings - Legacy

Legacy

Gittings appeared in the documentary films Gay Pioneers, Before Stonewall, After Stonewall, Out of the Past, and Pride Divide. In 1991 she remembered her decisions to be as open as she was throughout her life when she said, "Every time I had to make a decision to put myself forward or to stay back, to use my real name or not, to go on television or decline, to get out on some of the earliest picket lines or remain behind. I usually took the public position because there weren't many of us yet that could afford the risk."

Gittings was renowned for her "ferocious dedication to the cause with a cock-eyed optimism, kindness, and gentle sense of humor." As recognition for Gittings' contributions to the promotion of gay and lesbian literature, in 2002 the Round Table of the ALA renamed their book award the Stonewall Book Award: Barbara Gittings Literature Award for Fiction. In 2001, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation honored her by bestowing her the first Barbara Gittings Award, highlighting dedication to activism. The same year, the Free Library of Philadelphia announced its Barbara Gittings Collection of books dedicated to gay and lesbian issues. There are over 2,000 items in the collection, the second largest gay and lesbian collection of books in the US outside the San Francisco Public Library's. In 2003, the American Library Association rewarded her with its highest tribute, lifetime honorary membership. She also earned the first John E. Fryer Award from the American Psychiatric Association in 2006 with Frank Kameny. The award goes to people who have made a significant impact on the mental health of gays and lesbians. In October 2006, The Smithsonian Institution acquired a sign she carried in her picketing in 1965, donated by Frank Kameny. In 2007, readers of The Advocate included Gittings on a list of their 40 favorite gay and lesbian heroes.

On October 1, 2012, the city of Philadelphia named a section of Locust Street "Barbara Gittings Way" in Gittings' honor.