“If you are arrested… ‘The Pocket Lawyer’” pamphlet

The Mattachine Society was a pioneering LGBTQ rights organization that began in Los Angeles, California, in 1950 and soon spread across the nation. By the mid-1960s, the New York City chapter was one of the most active and radical in the country. It fought for the rights of gay men and lesbians to serve in the military, to be eligible for federal employment, and to openly congregate in bars. In the 1960s, homosexuality was illegal in much of the country, with different states’ penalties ranging from a few months to possible life in prison. Mattachine published this pamphlet to provide legal advice for gay men who faced arrest due to police entrapment.