Changing Times

Three years before NYC's 1969 Stonewall Riots, the modern gay liberation movement formalized in Kansas City when 40 representatives from nearly 15 organizations met on February 19-21, 1966, at Kansas City's State Hotel-formerly located at the northeast corner of 12th and Wyandotte. It was the first-ever national gathering of lesbian and gay rights activists. Missourian Harold Leland "Hal" Call spearheaded the event attended by Kansas Citians Drew Shafer, Al Greathouse, and Larry Hungerford. Other national equality visionaries Barbara Gittings, Forest Gunnison Jr, Frank Kameny, Phyllis Lyon, Del Martin, and Don Slater joined; they soon formed the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO).

This third edition of Changing Times marks the 55th anniversary of Kansas City's pivotal role in the early struggle for equal rights for LGBTQ+ individuals. In addition to a two-volume timeline almanac that chronicles Kansas City's LGBTQ+ history from 1821 through 2021, a third volume provides a digest of feature articles, plus David W. Jackson's updated, comprehensive census of 175 Kansas City gay and lesbian bars-and other significant sites-from the 1930s to present.