Photojournalist Jerry Pritikin now calls Chicago home again, although he resided in San Francisco from the early 1960s through the 1980s, with a front row seat during the country’s gay rights movement currently documented in the movie Milk. In the early 1970s as a freelance photographer and publicist, Jerry was somewhat of a pioneer, specializing in photography for gay clients and businesses. As a result, he became involved in the gay rights movement, including politics and the first gay sports leagues. His images have appeared in books, including Randy Shilts’ The Mayor of Castro Street, as well as documentaries and numerous photo exhibits. His images of Harvey Milk and San Francisco will be featured in UK’s Wonderland Magazine this month. Jerry’s stories and images of his days in San Francisco also can be found here.
Having recently completed an exhibit at Chicago’s Center on Halsted and preparing to show his works in January at the city’s Gerber/Hart Library, Jerry took time to reflect on his career and his connection to gay movement icon Harvey Milk.
Steve:You were working as a photojournalist in San Francisco during the start of the gay rights movement. Did you have any idea that your photos at the time would become a sort of documentation of that movement?
Jerry: I never thought that I was recording history in the making, in fact , most of us were only interested in the “now” and changing the status quo. By osmosis, I became involved in gay politics and sports league movement at a time when it was not yet fashionable to be openly gay, even in San Francisco.
Steve:How has gay and lesbian-produced media changed from the 1970s to now?
Jerry: The early gay magazines and newspapers were back room operations that seldom paid their workers. I found that being a freelancer usually meant that publishers expected story and photo submissions to be given to them free. Today, especially for gay journalists, there are unions and professional organizations to represent their work and worth. Today, with the Internet, it is easier to get your story out now, through blogs and syndication services.
Steve: How do you see mainstream media’s portrayals different than 35 years ago?
Jerry: Today, there are fewer closet doors, literally and figuratively. TV, news and movies now show many segments of our diverse community, including the ordinary mainstream segments or people in our community who were often overshadowed in the past. Just as it has changed with black characters and representations in media, the news and entertainment industries have become much friendlier, and even honest in their portrayals of gays and lesbians in the news and tv programming. Still, as far as we’ve come in recent decades, there is still room for improvement.
Steve: You have been involved in several exhibits of your work and now have your images appearing in several publications focusing on the gay marriage debate as well as the theatrical debut of “Milk.” How does if feel to see your images have a resurgence in the public eye?
J
erry: I started “exposing” my images in a bakery shop window, just a short distance from today’s Harvey Milk Plaza in San Francisco. That’s how I met Harvey (Milk) he had seen my work in that shop. Like any artist, I am always looking for ways to exhibit my photographs, to inform and education people about the changes that have taken place first in San Francisco and now around the world these last 30 years. Our history is important—and it’s impressive. I’m glad that people are seeing my images and hearing the stories of our struggle as we continue the momentum forward in society today.
More of Jerry’s archival and current photos can be found on Flickr.
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