David McReynolds

David McReynolds served on the staff of WRL for nearly 40 years and was chair of War Resisters’ International.

My Favorite Issue: The One on Gay Liberation, 1969

Allen Ginsberg collage, WIN 1969

I was asked for this final issue of WIN to comment on the Gay Liberation issue of 1969, which had an article by Paul Goodman and a long one by me (“Notes for a more coherent article”). The irony is that I cannot claim to have been an activist in the Gay Liberation movement, yet this article of mine, and this issue of WIN were important. Let me take readers back to that “homosexual world” as I knew it (and as I had known it since becoming aware in 1949 that I was homosexual).

Picturing Our History

Taken from the convention floor of the civil rights rally.  The banner reads “Protect Your Freedom… Support Civil Rights Legislation.”

Photographs by David McReynolds
Text by Jay Cassano

This series of previously unpublished photographs was taken by David McReynolds from1956 - 1971.  They portray the people at the center of vibrant and turbulent times in movements for social justice.  In many cases, these photographs also highlight the ways in which the War Resisters League has ben ahead of the curve and pushing the limits of what issues the broader Left addresses.

Election 2000: Campaigning for Real Change

Twenty years ago, in 1980, I ran for the presidency as the candidate of the Socialist Party USA, sharing the ticket with Sister Diane Drufenbrock. It was the first time an openly gay candidate had run for president, and certainly the first time a Catholic nun had run for vice president. I enjoyed a vigorous campaign that garnered not so many votes (about 10,000). I never expected to do it again.