A historical marker honoring gay rights pioneer Richard Schlegel was removed after a Pennsylvania state senator raised concerns over a 1993 interview where Schlegel recounts an early sexual encounter with a younger boy.
In this photo provided by the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project Collection at the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections, Richard Schlegel is seen in his office at the Pennsylvania Department of Highways. Pennsylvania's historic preservation agency has removed a roadside marker that was installed in 2021 to honor Schlegel, a gay rights pioneer, after a state senator raised concerns about his 30-year-old remarks sympathetic to pedophilia.
The decision came about six months after state Sen. John DiSanto, R-Dauphin, wrote to say Schlegel’s remarks in a lengthy piece about his life were “reprehensible and would be considered criminal, regardless of sexual orientation.”Schlegel, who died in 2006 at age 79, is a former state highway department official who founded the Harrisburg region’s first LGBTQ group. His unsuccessful effort to overturn his firing from an earlier federal job based on his sexual identity ended when the U.S.
Schlegel was fired in July 1961 from a civilian job with the Army’s transportation office in Hawaii after his sexual activities surfaced during an investigation to qualify for a top secret clearance. The marker called Schlegel a trail-blazing activist whose job discrimination case produced key arguments that were valuable in later decisions.
“Young, young, young,” he told Stein. “Of course, there wasn’t this national or international obsession with molesting kids at that point.”
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pennsylvania Pulls Gay Pioneer's Marker Over 1993 CommentsA roadside historical marker installed less than a year ago to honor a gay rights pioneer has been removed after a Pennsylvania senator complained about an online history describing the man’s memories of his early sexual encounter with a younger boy. The marker in honor of Richard Schlegel was taken down June 3 from its location outside his former home in Harrisburg. The decision was in response to Republican state Sen. John DiSanto’s charge that Schlegel’s remarks were “reprehensible and would be considered criminal, regardless of sexual orientation.” Schlegel was fired in July 1961 from a civilian job with the Army after his adult sexual activities surfaced. He appealed but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case.
Read more »
Retired truck driver charged with 1993 murder of Tulare mother found off Interstate 10 in Riverside CountyARREST IN COLD CASE MURDER: A truck driver has been charged with the murder of a Tulare woman whose body was found off Interstate 10 in Riverside County nearly 30 years ago.
Read more »
Pennsylvania Pulls Gay Pioneer's Marker Over 1993 CommentsA roadside historical marker installed less than a year ago to honor a gay rights pioneer has been removed after a Pennsylvania senator complained about an online history describing the man’s memories of his early sexual encounter with a younger boy. The marker in honor of Richard Schlegel was taken down June 3 from its location outside his former home in Harrisburg. The decision was in response to Republican state Sen. John DiSanto’s charge that Schlegel’s remarks were “reprehensible and would be considered criminal, regardless of sexual orientation.” Schlegel was fired in July 1961 from a civilian job with the Army after his adult sexual activities surfaced. He appealed but the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take the case.
Read more »
Angelina Jolie Through the Years: From Movie Vixen to Mom of 6Angelina Jolie has become one of the most recognized and accomplished names in Hollywood since she made her movie debut in 1993 — photos
Read more »
29 Years Ago, Steven Spielberg’s ‘Jurassic Park’ Reinvented the Blockbuster and Stomped Its Way to Box Office DominationThanks to stunning CGI advancements and quality storytelling to match, JurassicPark became a sensation that changed cinema by revealing the potential of digital imagery. If Spielberg could bring a T-rex back from extinction… what else was possible?
Read more »
Reach Cyber Charter School graduates 635 students: PhotosReach Cyber Charter School has nearly 8,000 K-12 students enrolled from across Pennsylvania.
Read more »