Jim Owles, Marty Robinson, Arthur Evans, and others disenchanted by the lack of structure and focus of the Gay Liberation Front and the rigid hierarchical structure of the Mattachine Society of New York formed the Gay Activists Alliance, GAA. The founders sought to avoid conflicts that had plagued other civil rights organizations by democratically electing an executive committee, holding regular membership meetings, observing parliamentary procedure, and focusing on a single issue, gay and lesbian rights. In December 1969, Owles, Robinson, Evans, Arthur Bell, and eight others (which according to some sources included Kay Tobin, Vito Russo, and Morty Manford) gathered in Bell's apartment to begin the process of forming a new organization. The GAA focused on exclusively on gay and lesbian rights issues, such as the end of discriminatory practices in housing and employment, the repeal of the consensual sodomy statue, and the end of police harassment. The group specialized in direct confrontational actions, "zaps," challenging homophobic comments and politicians to take a stand on issues concerning gays and lesbians. The leadership of GAA attempted to plan their "zaps" to leverage the power of the gay and straight media. What little media coverage GAA received provided some protection against police abuses, increased awareness of gay and lesbian rights issues, and fueled the expansion of the GAA organizational model to other cities across the United States and Canada.

Beginning in 1971, weekly dances held at the organization's headquarters, a rented firehouse on Wooster Street in SoHo, a neighborhood in Manhattan, attracted new members and provided a regular source of income until an arsonist struck in 1974. While the group contributed to the successful campaign of Bella Abzug to the United States Congress and Mayor Lindsay's executive order to end discrimination in city hiring, the passage of a bill to end discriminatory practices in housing and employment in the city would not pass until the 1986. Overtime people splintered from GAA, many women left to form Lesbian Feminist Liberation in 1972 and in the next year, others formed what would become the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. GAA members would also contribute to the organization of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, PFLAG and Lambda Legal. While the group continued its "zaps" membership dwindled. In 1977, Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign spurred membership. However by 1981, there had not been a regular meeting in years, and unauthorized letters on the organization's stationery began appearing. The veterans and the last remaining active members called a meeting to pass the necessary resolutions to dissolve GAA.

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