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John E. Fryer, M.D. (1937-2003)

John E. Fryer, M.D. (1937-2003) is a Pennsylvania historical marker in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, dedicated 2017.

13th St. at Locust, Philadelphia

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Temple professor and psychiatrist Fryer, disguised as "Dr. Anonymous," spoke against the American Psychiatric Association's classification of homosexuality as a mental illness at the APA's 1972 annual meeting. Fryer's testimony persuaded the APA to declassify homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1973, ending treatments such as chemical castration, electric shock therapy, and lobotomy and paving the way for advances in LGBT civil rights.

TodayHistorical map

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Penn State University Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1836 · Philadelphia. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1872 · Delaware, Montgomery, Bucks counties. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1979 · Important farmlands, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (Penn State University Libraries)
1995 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)
[Philadelphia and neighborhood]. (Library of Congress)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1995, covering the location of John E. Fryer, M.D. (1937-2003), with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1995, covering this location. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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Marker data: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission via data.pa.gov

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On the National Register nearby

Places within about 300 feet of this marker that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A nearby listing is not always the marker's own subject.