Mattachine Midwest

Mattachine Midwest (/ˈmætəʃiːn/ MA-tə-sheen) was a gay rights organization active in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It was established in 1965 during the homophile movement and for several years operated as Chicago's major gay rights group. However, it lost this status during the gay liberation movement in the early 1970s and shifted its aims away from political activism and towards offering social services. At its peak in 1979, it had 150 members. However, in 1986, the group dissolved due to a declining membership and lack of leadership.

The organization stemmed from earlier efforts in the 1950s and early 1960s to sustain a local presence of the national Mattachine Society in Chicago. However, the failure of these efforts led local activists to believe that the formation of an independent organization was necessary. Additionally, activists believed that a local organization could help to address the recent uptick in police harassment, as the police in the early 1960s had been conducting an increased number of police raids on gay venues. In particular, several historians point to the 1964 Fun Lounge police raid as the main impetus for the formation of this new organization.

The organization was officially established in 1965, with activists Bob Basker, Pearl M. Hart, and Valerie Taylor among the founding members and William B. Kelley and Marie J. Kuda joining early on. In addition to monthly meetings, the organization published a newsletter and hosted a helpline that members of the community could call for things such as legal aid or religious assistance. Regarding legal aid, the organization had several attorneys that helped represent gay men in legal affairs and engaged in political activism against police harassment. Following the 1969 Stonewall riots and the emergence of the gay liberation movement, the organization lost its standing as Chicago's premier gay rights organization and began to shift away from political activism and towards social services. This included, among other things, the creation of discussion groups for gay alcoholics and for parents and friends of gay men. However, by the mid-1980s, the group was experiencing a dwindling membership and a lack of direction regarding the role it played in the gay community, and in 1986, it was dissolved.

Multiple historians cite the organization as one of the first successful gay rights groups in Chicago, and in 2002, it was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame. Additionally, in 2005, Chicago History published its first article on the LGBTQ history of Chicago, with the focus being on the history of Mattachine Midwest. Historians have also noted the importance of the newsletter in documenting the gay history of Chicago, with journalist Tracy Baim calling it a "treasure trove" of information on the topic. Much of the organization's records are housed in the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives.