Atticus Circle was a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

whose mission was to educate and mobilize

straight Straight may refer to: Slang * Straight, slang for heterosexual ** Straight-acting, an LGBT person who does not exhibit the appearance or mannerisms of the gay stereotype * Straight, a member of the straight edge subculture Sport and games * Str ...

people to advance equal rights for

gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender ' is an Acronym, initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term for Sexuality and gende ...

partners, parents, and their children. With the national office located in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

, Atticus Circle focused on

straight allies An ally is a person who is associated with another as a helper; a person or group that provides assistance and support in an ongoing effort, activity or struggle. In recent years, the term has been adopted specifically to a person supporting one ...

of the

LGBT social movements Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation, as in ...

. The organization was founded and was run mostly by straight people and works to empower straight and other allies to give them a sense of ownership in this civil rights struggle.

History

Atticus Circle, named for

Atticus Finch Atticus Finch is a fictional character in Harper Lee's Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel of 1960, ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. A preliminary version of the character also appears in the novel ''Go Set a Watchman'', written in the mid-1950s but not publ ...

from ''

To Kill a Mockingbird ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' is a novel by the American author Harper Lee. It was published in 1960 and was instantly successful. In the United States, it is widely read in high schools and middle schools. ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' has become ...

'', was founded in late 2004 by Anne Wynne after 11 states passed what she considered anti-gay "Discrimination Amendments". Wynne is straight and noticed the lack of organizations catering to straight allies. Since its inception, Atticus Circle has participated in campaigns in Texas around GLBT domestic partnership benefits and "Discrimination Amendments". They have advocated against "

Don't Ask Don't Tell "Don't ask, don't tell" (DADT) was the official United States policy on military service of non-heterosexual people, instituted during the Clinton administration. The policy was issued under Department of Defense Directive 1304.26 on Decembe ...

" policies and for fair family policies. Wynne notes that most gay rights activism is done by gay people, although she finds it a natural issue for straight progressives to support: she says "we haven't gotten on their radar yet." In October 2007, the organization ran a national "Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights" event, where the straight community could show support for LGBT rights. It was one of the first such events in Austin and in the United States. The event was held again in 2008. As of late 2022 the organization's official website was offline. An image captured in February 2021 showed that no updates had been made in the previous seven years.

Projects

January–May, 2007: Atticus Circle formed the "Equality Circle", a group of straight volunteers in Austin, Texas, who paired with LGBT people to advocate for equal rights during the 2007 Texas Legislative Session. October 7–13, 2007: Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights, in partnership with Soulforce was held October 7–13, 2007 in many cities throughout the United States, including

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

;

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...

;

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

and Humboldt County, CA;

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

;

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

; Shreveport, Louisiana;

Augusta, Maine Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Kennebec County. The city's population was 18,899 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth-most populous city in Maine, and third-least populous state capital in the U ...

;

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

;

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the South ...

; Salem, Oregon;

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in P ...

;

; Houston, Texas; and

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

. Straight individuals, couples and families held overnight vigils all over the country stating their support for LGBT equal rights.

References

External links

Official Atticus Circle website
sup> rchived 25 February 2021/sup> {{LGBT in Texas 2004 establishments in Texas LGBT culture in Texas LGBT political advocacy groups in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Texas Organizations established in 2004 2014 disestablishments in_Texas

History

Projects

See also

References

External links