On May 2, 1972, , a professor of psychiatry at Temple University, at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association calling for the organization to remove homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in the APA's (DSM). Fryer, a closeted homosexual who risked discrimination, harassment, and professional ostracism for speaking out on this subject, concealed his identity, delivering his talk while wearing a rubber mask and using a voice modulator under the pseudonym "Dr. H. Anonymous." Thanks to his efforts, the APA declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder in April 1974.
On April 19, 2017, the College of Physicians of Philadelphia will of Guy Frederick Glass' play on Fryer's speech: simply titled Doctor Anonymous. Glass's play explores gay conversion therapy and the events leading up to the the APA's removal of homosexuality from the DSM. It is the first time selections from his performance have been read in Philadelphia.
is a psychiatrist, playwright, and Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. He attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and completed his residency in psychiatry at the Institute of Pennsylvania Hospital. He held a private practice in New York where he specialized in treating LGBT patients and also edited the newsletter for the . Later in his career, he branched into performance art, earning an MFA in theater from Stony Brook University. His play first appeared in Los Angeles in 2014.
The dramatic reading will take place from 6-8 PM here at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. . General admission is $10. Students (with valid ID) and can purchase tickets for $5. Admission is free to CPP Fellows and members of the Section on Medicine and the Arts. The event is presented by and of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.