Fred Cherry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Fred Cherry (15 April 1926 – 30 July 2003) was an American activist for greater rights for johns (clients of prostitutes). He gained some measure of fame as self-styled "elector of homophobia" in his fight against (in his own words) "the Organized Homosexual Conspiracy of America", who he said opposed his own fight to get his freedom to patronize prostitutes recognized as being a matter of civil rights.

In 1985, Cherry, and Margo St. James, filed a lawsuit against Ed Koch, then mayor of New York City, seeking to overturn New York's laws banning prostitution on the grounds that Cherry's disability would make it impossible for him to find sexual companionship other than prostitutes, thereby violating the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The lawsuit was dismissed.

Cherry, not known for taking kindly to criticism of his views, became known as a Usenet personality for his frequently unsubstantiated accusations of North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) membership and of literal support for the Nazi party (going far beyond the issue raised by Godwin's Law). His invective was directed against those opposed to his cause, especially gays, who opposed NAMBLA and supported the legalization of prostitution.^{[dubious – discuss]} These accusations were often included in massively crossposted articles. Since this was a violation of the Terms of Service at most Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cherry had to change ISPs frequently during most of his career.