Knights of the Clock
Encyclopedia
The Cloistered Order of Conclaved Knights of Sophisticracy, more commonly known as the Knights of the Clock, was an interracial homophile
social club based in Los Angeles, California
. The Knights were founded by Merton Bird, an African-American man, and W. Dorr Legg
, his white lover. Sources differ as to the founding date of the organization, variously citing it as 1949, 1950, and 1951. Regardless of the exact date, the Knights was one of the earliest gay organizations in the United States, with only the Society for Human Rights (established 1924), the Veterans Benevolent Association
(established 1945) and possibly the Mattachine Society
(established 1950) pre-dating it.
The Knights were primarily a social club, including people of both sexes and family members of couples. They also tried to address social problems that affected interracial couples, including employment counseling and locating integrated housing for same-sex couples. To that end, the Knights discussed the possibility of establishing communes throughout its existence, although no such communes were ever established.
Although social functions routinely attracted as many as 200 participants, at its core the Knights always remained a numerically small group and eventually disbanded in the mid-1950s. Several Knights, including Bird and Legg, went on to join ONE, Inc.
, another early homophile organization. Sociologist Laud Humphreys
cited the Knights as an example of the ability of people of different races to cross racial barriers through commonality of sexual identification.
Homophile
The word homophile is an alternative to the word for homosexual or gay. The homophile movement also refers to the gay rights movement of the 1950s and '60s....
social club based in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The Knights were founded by Merton Bird, an African-American man, and W. Dorr Legg
W. Dorr Legg
W. Dorr Legg , was a landscape architect and one of the founders of the United States gay rights movement, then called the homophile movement.The second child of Franc C. Dorr and Frank E...
, his white lover. Sources differ as to the founding date of the organization, variously citing it as 1949, 1950, and 1951. Regardless of the exact date, the Knights was one of the earliest gay organizations in the United States, with only the Society for Human Rights (established 1924), the Veterans Benevolent Association
Veterans Benevolent Association
The Veterans Benevolent Association was an organization for LGBT veterans of the United States armed forces. The VBA was founded in New York City in 1945 by four honorably discharged gay veterans....
(established 1945) and possibly the Mattachine Society
Mattachine Society
The Mattachine Society, founded in 1950, was one of the earliest homophile organizations in the United States, probably second only to Chicago’s Society for Human Rights . Harry Hay and a group of Los Angeles male friends formed the group to protect and improve the rights of homosexuals...
(established 1950) pre-dating it.
The Knights were primarily a social club, including people of both sexes and family members of couples. They also tried to address social problems that affected interracial couples, including employment counseling and locating integrated housing for same-sex couples. To that end, the Knights discussed the possibility of establishing communes throughout its existence, although no such communes were ever established.
Although social functions routinely attracted as many as 200 participants, at its core the Knights always remained a numerically small group and eventually disbanded in the mid-1950s. Several Knights, including Bird and Legg, went on to join ONE, Inc.
ONE, Inc.
ONE, Inc. was an early gay rights organization in the United States.The idea for a publication dedicated to homosexuals emerged from a Mattachine Society discussion meeting held on October 15, 1952....
, another early homophile organization. Sociologist Laud Humphreys
Laud Humphreys
Robert Allan "Laud" Humphreys, was an American sociologist and author.-Biography:Robert Allen Humphreys was born in Chickasha, Oklahoma, to Ira Denver Humphreys and Stella Bernice Humphreys.5 "Laud" was chosen as his first name when he was baptized again upon entering the Episcopal Church...
cited the Knights as an example of the ability of people of different races to cross racial barriers through commonality of sexual identification.