Morris Kight: Humanist, Liberationist, Fantabulist w/ Mary Ann Cherry

On this edition of Parallax Views, Morris Kight was a radical antiwar, civil rights, and labor activist, but he's probably most remembered today as a gay rights icon. "Wait," you may be saying, "I've heard of Harvey Milk. I've heard of RuPaul. But I've never heard of Morris Kight." No, folks, I'm not exagerrating. Morris Kight had a long and storied life as an activist, especially within the burgeoning LGBTQ community, on the West Coast during the 20th century. So who was Morris Kight and why isn't he more well-known? Mary Ann Cherry, a friend of Kight in his later years and the author of the Feral House publication Morris Kight: Humanist, Liberationist, Fantabulist, joins us on this edition of program to answer both those questions. Among other things we discuss:

- The charismatic, "dandy"-style of Morris Kight and it's similarities to fellow gay icon Gore Vidal
- Morris Kight's antiwar activism, specifically his actions directed against Dow Chemical during the Vietnam War
- Morris Kight's socialist tendencies and skepticism of the two-party political duopoly
- The infamous homophobic sign at Barney's Beanery in West Hollywood that Morris and other activists protested to get taken down due to its discriminatory nature
- Morris Kight's brush with the Los Angeles gangster Eddie Nash of Wonderland Avenue Murders infamy
- And much, much more!