A significant figure in the gay rights movement both in the District and nationally has died.
Frank Kameny became a leader in the movement after the federal government fired him from his job as an astronomer because he was gay.
He co-founded the Mattachine Society of Washington and fought for gay and lesbian rights.
In 2009 the federal government formally apologized for his firing and presented him with the prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Award.
Last year, a section of 17th Street in Dupont Circle was named in his honor.
Kameny died at his home Tuesday. He was 86 years old.
