Billy Mencer Ackerly

Billy Mencer Ackerly is a retired mental health worker and gay rights activist. He is one of the group that organized and participated in the first R.I. Pride parade in 1976. Topics discussed include his difficult childhood, coming out in the 1960s, gay bars in Boston and Providence, organizing the first Gay Pride march in Rhode Island, and more.

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Date of Interview: 2024-01
Interview Length: 1:56:46
Tags: Gay pride parades, Coming out (Sexual orientation), Bullying, Gay bars, Communal living, Gay activists, LGBTQ people, Gay men, Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
Interviewer: Madeline Montgomery