Houston Gay Political Caucus
aka: Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus (1987)
GLBT Political Caucus (July 1999)

1977

Above, not GPC but relevant

Download 4-page document on the Principles of the Caucus

Other viewpoints...

from the Pointblank Times, August and November issues

*****

Below, Depository II Newsletter from August 1977, with mention that the GPC was meeting there

Below, Mort Scwab's resignation as Board Chair, 9/7/77
Download
from the Mort Schwab Collection at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center
(retrieved by Wesley Phelps)

This is the only reference I have seen to Jim Cotton as President. I believe Don Hrachovy (the second
President) had to resign for workload/travel reasons (some time between August and November 1977) and
Cotton took his place until the April 1978 Election. Also I have been told that Cotton was African-American
and was therefore the first Black person to serve as Caucus President. A few years later Larry Bagneris, of
Creole descent was president, and not until 2016 was an African-American woman elected President, Fran Watson.

December 2019. Below, I believe I have located two photos containing Jim Cotton. This has been verified by those who knew
him at the time...but, admitedly this was 40 year ago, hard to remember. In the first photo, from Town Meeting I, in June 1978,
Jim is next to Steve Shiflett (on the far left) and wearing a beige jacket. Below, at a 1979 Caucus meeting he is third from right,
next to Larry Bagneris, who is wearing a tie.

December 2020. Amended conclusions...I now believe the man in the suit next to Steve Shiflett is Dr Charles Law. They worked
closely together and were friends. The man in the black & white photo could still be Jim Cotton, can not confirm.