Berl Boykin, who organized the first gay pride march in Atlanta in 1971 — attracting 125 participants despite not being able to secure a permit — has died at 74. Boykin was expelled from Emory University in 1963 for “hosting a man in his dorm room.” He founded the Gay Liberation Front of Atlanta in 1969.
He lobbied Governor Jimmy Carter to advance gay rights to no avail in the early 1970s, but got Carter on board on LGBTQ issues in later years.
Boykin, who died on October 6, worked as a poet and journalist.
