Howard Junior Brown

1924-1975; grew up in Ravenna, Ohio

After graduating from Hiram College and receiving his medical degree from Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Dr. Howard J. Brown came to New York City in 1954. He became the first commissioner of the NYC Health Services Administration. Brown became a media sensation in 1973 when he came out at a medical conference. He went on to found the National Gay Task Force (now NGLTF). Thanks to Brown’s efforts, the American Psychological Association (APA) changed no longer classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder. In Brown’s posthumously published autobiography, Familiar Faces, Hidden Lives: The Story of Homosexual Men in America Today (1976), he details his thoughts about homosexuality and his experiences as a gay man. The Premier GLBTQ health center in the Midwest (Chicago) is named after him.

SOURCES:
“Biographical Note: Howard J. Brown. Papers.” 22 September 1983. The New York Public Library Rare Books and Manuscripts Division Accession Sheet. http://www.nypl.org, 18 October 2009.

Neumann, Caryn E. “Brown, Howard (1924-1975).” 26 February 2004. glbtq: The Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture. http://www.glbtq.com, 18 October 2009.

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