For More Information Call: Will Roscoe 415/563-7277 Stuart Timmons 213/656-3109 For Immediate Release GAY MOVEMENT FOUNDER BURNED OUT OF HOME IN LA On Saturday, May 15, Harry Hay, one of the founders of the modern gay and lesbian movement, and his long-time partner John Burnside were burned out of their house in Los Angeles. The fire started while the couple were at home. Both escaped without injuries, but the house has been severely damaged. Harry Hay is well-known for his role in founding the Mattachine Foundation in 1950, the first grassroots gay organization in the United States. Hay has appeared in the documentaries "Word is Out" and "Before Stonewall," and his life is the subject of the biography by Stuart Timmons, "The Trouble With Harry Hay." Now 81, Hay and his lover have lived in their rented home in Los Angeles for 15 years, where Hay spends his time pursuing research, writing, and participating in gay and progressive causes. According to Stuart Timmons, who has been helping in the clean-up, most of Hay's irreplaceable files from the early Mattachine movement, as well as his extensive book, record and art collections, were spared from the flames, although the extent of water damage has not been determined. The entire rear portion of the house, including a workshop used by John Burnside to make his Symmetricons, the projecting kaleidoscope device that has delighted thousands, were completely destroyed. Hay and Burnside are staying with friends. According to San Francisco writer Will Roscoe, who is editing a collection of Hay's writings, Hay and Burnside live solely on their social security. "It's hard to believe that one of the founders of our movement is, for all practical purposes, homeless today," Roscoe said, "but after a lifetime devoted to political organizing and fighting for the rights of lesbians and gay men, Harry Hay and John Burnside live like church mice." The prospects for the couple's future housing are uncertain. Individuals who would like to help Harry and John (and two roommates who have also been dislocated), and convey any messages of support, can send checks payable to Harry Hay to Friends of Harry, c/o Vortex, P.O. Box 15154, San Francisco, CA 94115-0154. All donations will be forwarded directly to Hay to help meet immediate needs and expenses. To: LCREW@ANDROMEDA.RUTGERS.EDU