Who were the people who started ONE?

how ONE began

On a Wednesday evening October 15, 1952, between sixty and seventy men and women had gathered in the high-ceiling rooms of one of Los Angeles' older homes for another of the "Discussion Group Meetings" devoted to socio-sexual problems, and especially to homosexuality in modern society. These meetings convened at various times and in various parts of the city as a part of the activities of the Mattachine movement.

On this particular evening the debate had been lively, with a wide range of views expressed when someone said, "There ought to be some way of letting more people know these things." Why not a magazine?

So active was the discussion of this idea that the chairman invited those most interested to adjourn to the kitchen for further discussion. This done it was agreed to meet again the following week to mull over the proposal more fully.

The following Wednesday an ardent handful of vaguely enthusiastic people assembled just a stone's throw from Hollywood's Sunset Strip. They decided that a mimeographed newsletter with exposes of local police methods, general articles and some news items might be tried. There was much desultory talk about Art, Oppression and The Partisan Review.

The following day the host for the evening, whose chance remark it was that had set off the whole chain reaction, resigned. He found, on reflection, that the whole idea was unintelligent, philosophically untenable and useless! This is just a little sidelight on the history of ONE, illustrating a type of the problems encountered.

Quite undaunted, the remaining few met with an attorney a few nights later. They asked some floundering questions that now look rather absurd but then seemed important. And during the rest of 1952 they continued meeting every few days, right on through the holidays as well. Supporters resigned, or just plain "fell by the wayside". New faces appeared, and then were seen no more. Time was wasted on trivia, even frivolity. Yet, through it all their leitmotif, "There MUST be a magazine," somehow persisted.

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