[8][9] He later wrote that it was a "shift in my consciousness—that I would no longer be afraid—that led me to bring about the birth of this Task Force, this miracle, this incredible tool/weapon for social change and liberation”.
[7][10] The task force's aims included: "the creation of bibliographies, revision of library classification schemes and subject headings, building and improving access to collections, and fighting job discrimination.
[12][8][9] The New York Public Library archives holds a photograph of Fishman "crowning" Gittings, taken by her partner, Kay Tobin.
[7] After librarian Michael McConnell's job offer at the University of Minnesota was rescinded due to his sexual orientation, Fishman asked the ALA to voice their opposition.
[7] Additionally, the TFGL held a ceremony at the 1971 ALA meeting to bestow the first Gay Book Award; only 9 people attended.
[1][9] Fishman briefly moved to Los Angeles, California to work and study at the Gay Community Services Center, returning to New York in 1973 where he became licensed in Swedish massage.
[16][1] In 1995, Fishman gave a speech at the 25th anniversary of the TFGL, at that time called the Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Task Force (GLBTF).
"[17] The speech was included as the essay "How the GLBTF Got Started" in the 1997 anthology Liberating Minds: The Stories and Professional Lives of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Librarians and Their Advocates.
[17][10] The 1998 anthology Daring to Find Our Names: The Search for Lesbigay Library History includes an essay by Fishman called "Founding Father", recounting his experiences in the TFGL.
[2][3][4] The documentary shows him calling his estranged father and organizing "Big Knish" tours through his former neighborhood in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
[14][7] Between 1995 and 2004, Fishman sent a collection of his papers to the New York Public Library, including documentation from TFGL and correspondence with people such as Susan Saxe, Robert Austin Sullivan, and members of the Radical Faerie Movement.
[20][1] In 1974, Fishman met his longtime partner, Carl Navarro, at the West Side Discussion Group, a regular gathering of gay men.