City Harassment of Gay Clubs -- Impossible in 1997? Think Again...
Flyer includes postcard addressed the Mayor Marian Barry. Calls to stop harassment by police and DCRA of gay businesses.
Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
1997
Reproduction and use of this material requires permission from the copyright holder. Please contact the Rainbow History Project for more information.
Letter and sponsorship form related to fund raising activity by the Bisexual Resource Center. Participants were encouraged to disobey the state sodomy laws for the month of October and seek sponsors for acts of civil disobedience to pledge for each act. In the letter explaining the challenge, Bob Summersgill's website, www.sodomylaws.org, is mentioned and Summersgill is thanked.
Bisexual Resource Center (Cambridge, Mass.)
September-October, 2001
Oral history interview with Alex Newton, 1990-
December 8, 2015
Oral history with John David "JD" Nathanson, 1993--
A native of Rhode Island, JD came to Washington, D.C., to attend Georgetown University. He discusses his activism in Rhode Island before coming to Georgetown, gay social patterns among young men in D.C., and attending being present at Supreme Court for DOMA and DADT repeals. Discuss limits of cis-gender male culture.
7 December, 2015
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=47&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=%3Ca+href%3D%22%2Fitems%2Fbrowse%3Fadvanced%255B0%255D%255Belement_id%255D%3D47%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Btype%255D%3Dis%2Bexactly%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Bterms%255D%3DThe%2Binterview%2Bbelongs%2Bto%2Bthe%2BRainbow%2BHistory%2BProject.%2BThe%2BRHP%2Brelease%2Bform%2Bwas%2Bused%2Band%2Ball%2Brights%2Bbelong%2Bto%2BRHP.%22%3EThe+interview+belongs+to+the+Rainbow+History+Project.+The+RHP+release+form+was+used+and+all+rights+belong+to+RHP.%3C%2Fa%3E">The interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. The RHP release form was used and all rights belong to RHP.
2010-- John was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1993, and grew up there, raised in Conservative Judaism. His high school and home environment were liberal and open, and he came out to his family at 16. John moved to Washington, D.C., to attend Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in foreign affairs. John says he is mostly involved in D.C.’s LGBT community through his friends and social scene. During high school and early on in his college years, John was involved with activist groups in Rhode Island: AIDS project Rhode Island, the Rhode Island LGBT Youth Center, and Marriage Equality Rhode Island. In D.C., however, he hasn’t been involved with organized activist groups, although he was at the Supreme Court when DOMA and DADT were repealed. He would like to participate more in LGBT/queer activism, but isn’t interested in working for major organizations like HRC, which he feels is cis-centric and overlooks some important issues that could be better addressed by grassroots organizations. Although his involvement with the LGBT community in D.C. is mainly social, John feels that this socializing can be seen as political. He describes going out with openly LGBT friends as a “performative” and defiant act. However, he also feels that his gay social circle is somewhat limited in that it is made up mostly of white, cisgender, men like himself, and wants to broaden his conception of D.C.’s LGBT community. John feels that it is essential for young LGBT people like himself to know their histories and value the people who came before them and fought for their rights.
Oral history interview with Richard Davis, 1948--
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=49&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Oral+history+with+Richard+Davis%2C+who+shares+his+remembrances+from+over+thirty+years+of+active+participation+in+the+Washington+DC+LGBT+community%2C+including+his+work+with+the+Gay+Rights+National+Lobby+and+the+Right+to+Privacy+Foundation%2C+competing+as+a+swimmer+in+five+consecutive+Gay+Games%2C+and+singing+in+the+Gay+Men%E2%80%99s+Chorus+of+Washington+DC.+">Oral history with Richard Davis, who shares his remembrances from over thirty years of active participation in the Washington DC LGBT community, including his work with the Gay Rights National Lobby and the Right to Privacy Foundation, competing as a swimmer in five consecutive Gay Games, and singing in the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC.
Interested in listening to this audio? Email oralhistories@rainbowhistory.org for access
The interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. The RHP release was used and all rights belong to RHP.
1970s to present. Richard Allen Davis was born in St. Paul Minnesota in 1948 and was raised in what he describes as a “nominally Methodist” family in the Twin Cities area. Davis accepted that he was a gay man in 1973 while he was attending law school at the University of Minnesota. By the summer of 1973 was publicly “out”. After completing law school Davis volunteered with Minnesota gay rights activist Stephen Endean and was active in the campaign to support a 1978 ordinance prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians in St. Paul. When the voters of St. Paul that ordinance in a referendum Endean became convinced that state level progress was no longer possible in Minnesota. Endean moved to DC to become the Director of the Gay Rights National Lobby (GRNL), hiring Davis to work for him as the head of Right to Privacy Foundation - an organization tasked with performing research and analysis in support of the Gay Rights National Lobby’s efforts. Steve Endean was forced out of the Directorship in 1983, and Davis left the Right to Privacy Foundation shortly afterward. He remained in Washington DC, working for the Library of Congress’ Congressional Research Service until his retirement in 2010. Davis was introduced to DC gay community by Endean, who had formed many connections with the community through his work as an activist. Davis quickly became an active participant in the community socially. Davis has been a member of several Washington-area gay social organizations, including The Washington Bridge (an Asian/Non-Asian gay men’s social club that later became Asians and Friends Washington) from 1983 to 1992, and DC Lambda Squares (a gay and lesbian Contra Dancing/ Country and Western Line Dancing group) from the late 1980s until 1999. Davis has also been an active member of Bet Mishpachah (an LGBT Synagogue in the Dupont Circle area) and All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Mount Pleasant. Davis was involved in competitive swimming from 1970 to 1999, starting in his junior year of college. After moving to Washington DC he joined the DC Aquatics Club (DCAC), an all gay US Masters Swimming team that competed in local and national events. With the DCAC, Davis competed in the Gay Games in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, and 1998 winning two medals: a bronze medal in the 100 Yard Mixed Medley Relay in 1982 and a gold medal in the Individual 200 Yard Breaststroke in 1986. In 2007 Davis auditioned for and was accepted as a member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC. He remains a part of the organization to this day. Davis relates a number of remembrances from his time in these groups, especially his experiences competing in the Gay Games where he met and befriended swimmer Jay Frisette who went on to be elected to the Arlington County Council. Davis shares his memories of gay bars and social centers in Washington DC in the 80s and 90s, including the Lambda Rising bookstore, Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse, The Lost and Found, Tracks, The Fraternity House (later Omega), and the Chesapeake House. Other topics discussed include the anxiety of the early days of the AIDS epidemic and how it affected every part of the gay community of the time and the ways that he believes the LGBT community of Washington DC has changed since the 1980s.
Oral history interview with Robert Robert "Bart" Forbes, 1956--
Barry Robert “Bart” Forbes recounts his long career as a public television producer and political activist working on behalf of suburban gays and lesbians in Fairfax County, Virginia. Forbes’ accomplishments include the the founding of the Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizen’s Association and the creation of Gay Fairfax, a pioneering gay and lesbian newsmagazine television show.
7 October, 2015
1980s-- Barry Robert “Bart” Forbes was born in Norwalk, Connecticut in 1956 and spent his formative years in the small town of Newark in Upstate New York. After studying media education at Colgate University Forbes began a career in public television, working at WGBH in Boston and WFME in Orlando before being recruited for a job as the Director of Development for WAMU (NPR affiliate) in Washington DC, in 1987. He was first introduced to the gay and lesbian community of Washington DC in 1987 by his friend Urvashi Vaid, a leader in the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) at the time. Forbes quickly became an active member of the community, serving as the Vice President of the Alexandria Gay Citizens Organization and later as the founding President of the Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizen’s Association (FLGCA). Forbes created Virginians for Justice in his living room, an organization which eventually became known as Equality Virginia. Forbes was also active in local politics, working as the Finance Chair for the Lee District of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee. He was an elected delegate to the Virginia Democratic State Convention for gubernatorial candidates Doug Wilder in 1989 and Mary Sue Terry in 1993. Forbes strived to use his experience in both the gay community and local politics to act as a bridge between the suburban gays and lesbians of Fairfax County and the conservative community in which they lived. Forbes believed that the best way for gays and lesbians to fight discrimination and win acceptance was to publicly “be themselves” - demonstrating that they were integral parts of the community. Forbes put this philosophy into action with the creation of the public access television program Gay Fairfax, which premiered in May 1989 and aired weekly until 1993. Gay Fairfax was one of the first all-volunteer gay and lesbian newsmagazine television programs in the country to focus on a non-urban area, covering community forums, organization meetings, news events important to the gay and lesbian community and long-form stories about gay and lesbian issues. As producer Forbes focused on teaching his volunteers the skills to create their own media, which resulted in the creation of several spin-off programs including the soap opera Inside/Outside the Beltway and the newsmagazine One in Ten. Gay Fairfax allowed the gay and lesbian communities to be the media rather be covered by the media - regaining control of the way they were perceived by the larger public. Forbes remains active in public access television, working as a lobbyist for the Alliance for Community Media and the National Organization for Public Education in Government Access. Forbes also discusses his long friendship with former Republican congressman John Hinson and his involvement in the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) in the early 2000s.
Oral history interview with Helene Bloom, 1943-
Helene Bloom is a lesbian woman and is co-owner with Fran Levine of Soho Tea & Coffee at 2150 P St NW, Washington, D.C., in Dupont Circle. Soho is the oldest independent tea and coffee house in Washington, D.C.
Want access to this audio? Request access by emailing oralhistories@rainbowhistory.org
10 November 2015
The interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. The RHP release form was used and all rights belong to RHP.
Oral history interview with Jean Ponton, 1953-
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=49&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Jean+Ponton+%28b.1953%29+Gay+Fairfax+TV+Dr.+Jean+Ponton+is+a+historian+for+the+Defense+Department+who+worked+as+a+volunteer+for+Gay+Fairfax+TV+beginning+in+1990+while+she+was+coming+out+as+a+lesbian+and+through+Gay+Fairfax%E2%80%99s+transition+to+another+show+called+Gay+Spectrum.+Dr.+Ponton+worked+as+a+volunteer+for+gay+and+lesbian+TV+through+2000%2C+when+the+last+legacy+program+that+spun+off+from+Gay+Fairfax+ended.+She+usually+operated+a+camera%2C+but+also+did+audio%2C+lighting%2C+and+set+design%2C+as+well+as+occasional+floor+directing+and+set+directing.+Gay+Fairfax+is+important+as+a+very+early+gay+and+lesbian+TV+show.+Gay+Fairfax+began+in+1990+and+the+first+show+aired+in+1991.+The+Fairfax+Lesbian+and+Gay+Citizens+Association%2C+which+advocated+for+equality+for+lesbians+and+gays%2C+sponsored+the+show.+It+was+aired+by+Channel+10+TV%2C+a+public+access+station+run+by+Cox.+Gay+Fairfax+TV+received+good+support+from+Channel+10+throughout+its+airing+lifetime.+Gay+Fairfax+TV+was+produced+entirely+by+volunteers%2C+including+its+executive+producers%2C+Barry+Forbes+and+Rob+Wilson.+Gay+Fairfax+TV+was+a+public+access+cable+television+show+in+a+%E2%80%9Ctalking+heads%E2%80%9D+format+by+and+for+the+gay+and+lesbian+community.+The+programming+presented+issues+of+importance+to+gays+and+lesbians+throughout+the+country+as+well+as+local+color.+Its+mission+was+to+present+positive+images+of+gays+and+lesbians+in+a+news+and+information+magazine-format.+It+aimed+to+make+a+difference+in+the+wider+community%2C+as+well+as+for+gays+and+lesbians.+Dr.+Ponton+highlights+how+far+gays+and+lesbians+have+come+in+our+struggle+for+equality+in+the+25+years+since+Gay+Fairfax%E2%80%99s+first+show.+Topics+covered+on+Gay+Fairfax+include+gays+in+the+military%2C+commitment+ceremonies+%28marriage+was+only+a+dream%29%2C+gay+adoption%2C+and+child+custody.+Organizations+such+as+PFLAG+%28Parents+and+Friends+of+Lesbians+and+Gays%2C+SMYAL+%28Sexual+Minority+Youth+Assistance+League%29%2C+DC+Lambda+Squares+%28square+dancing%29%2C+and+the+Gay+and+Lesbian+Chorus+also+were+showcased+on+Gay+Fairfax+TV.+These+issues+and+organizations+were+%E2%80%9Cupfront+and+personal%E2%80%9D+during+Gay+Fairfax%E2%80%99s+lifetime.">Jean Ponton (b.1953) Gay Fairfax TV Dr. Jean Ponton is a historian for the Defense Department who worked as a volunteer for Gay Fairfax TV beginning in 1990 while she was coming out as a lesbian and through Gay Fairfax’s transition to another show called Gay Spectrum. Dr. Ponton worked as a volunteer for gay and lesbian TV through 2000, when the last legacy program that spun off from Gay Fairfax ended. She usually operated a camera, but also did audio, lighting, and set design, as well as occasional floor directing and set directing. Gay Fairfax is important as a very early gay and lesbian TV show. Gay Fairfax began in 1990 and the first show aired in 1991. The Fairfax Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association, which advocated for equality for lesbians and gays, sponsored the show. It was aired by Channel 10 TV, a public access station run by Cox. Gay Fairfax TV received good support from Channel 10 throughout its airing lifetime. Gay Fairfax TV was produced entirely by volunteers, including its executive producers, Barry Forbes and Rob Wilson. Gay Fairfax TV was a public access cable television show in a “talking heads” format by and for the gay and lesbian community. The programming presented issues of importance to gays and lesbians throughout the country as well as local color. Its mission was to present positive images of gays and lesbians in a news and information magazine-format. It aimed to make a difference in the wider community, as well as for gays and lesbians. Dr. Ponton highlights how far gays and lesbians have come in our struggle for equality in the 25 years since Gay Fairfax’s first show. Topics covered on Gay Fairfax include gays in the military, commitment ceremonies (marriage was only a dream), gay adoption, and child custody. Organizations such as PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, SMYAL (Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League), DC Lambda Squares (square dancing), and the Gay and Lesbian Chorus also were showcased on Gay Fairfax TV. These issues and organizations were “upfront and personal” during Gay Fairfax’s lifetime.
Jean Ponton worked as a volunteer for Gay Fairfax TV, an important LGBT television show.
The interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. The RHP release form was used and all rights are reserved.
Oral history interview with Isaiah Poole, 1954-
Isaiah Poole discusses his career as a journalist and advocate for newsroom diversity, including founding the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and the Washington Association of Black Journalists.
1982 - 2003 Poole describes struggling as a young adult in Washington, D.C., to reconcile his gay identity and Christian upbringing; finding community in the local prayer meetings organized for African-American gays and lesbians by Dr. James Tinney; and taking part in the early activities of Faith Temple, which formed in 1982 under Tinney's leadership. He recounts details of his early career as a journalist and an advocate of newsroom diversity, which included roles in founding the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and the Washington Association of Black Journalists. After nine years at the Washington Times, the departure of other gay-identified staff from the newspaper prompted Poole in 1991 to take a new position at LifeLink, an advocacy organization for people living with HIV. He later resumed his journalism career, met his current spouse, and completed a university degree in New York.
In October 1992, GLAA produced and aired a radio ad, "Imagine," on WPGC 95.5 FM during primtime commuting hours for one week. The ad encourages people to imagine their lives and being discriminated against for being gay. Attached are paper records related to creating the GLAA radio ad.
Mindy Daniels Rick Rosendall Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance
WPGC 95.5 FM Airdates: Monday, 19 October 1992 - Friday 23 October 1992 Once daily between 6am and 10am Once daily between 3pm and 7pm
Oral history interview with Robert "Bob" Roehr, 1949 -
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1960s-1990s. Born and raised in Barrington, Rhode Island, 28 April 1949. Briefly discusses his attendance of Marrietta College, Marietta Ohio, and his work there with local cable television station as his entree into journalism. His move to Washington DC in August 1971, to attend the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, his first sexual appearances and initial coming out. His work with the State Department, his overseas posting in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and later work on the press team at the State Department during Kissinger's tenure.
A six minute video discussing new publications, gay book readership, featuring interview with Deacon Maccubbin, of Lambda Rising, and descriptions of latest books.
Lambda Literary Report
Summer or Fall, 1992
This is a video recording of a reunion held for the Gay Liberation Front DC.
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=%3Ca+href%3D%22%2Fitems%2Fbrowse%3Fadvanced%255B0%255D%255Belement_id%255D%3D39%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Btype%255D%3Dis%2Bexactly%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Bterms%255D%3DReunion%2Borganized%2Bby%253A%2BBruce%2BPennington%2Band%2BTheodore%2BKirkland%250D%250ADocumented%2Bby%253A%2BSteve%2BBehrens%22%3EReunion+organized+by%3A+Bruce+Pennington+and+Theodore+Kirkland+Documented+by%3A+Steve+Behrens%3C%2Fa%3E">Reunion organized by: Bruce Pennington and Theodore Kirkland Documented by: Steve Behrens
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=40&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=%3Ca+href%3D%22%2Fitems%2Fbrowse%3Fadvanced%255B0%255D%255Belement_id%255D%3D40%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Btype%255D%3Dis%2Bexactly%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Bterms%255D%3D24%2BApril%2B1993%250D%250ALocation%253A%2BThe%2Bhome%2Bof%2BBruce%2BPennington%252C%2B%25213th%2Band%2BTaylor%252C%2BNW%2BDC%22%3E24+April+1993+Location%3A+The+home+of+Bruce+Pennington%2C+%213th+and+Taylor%2C+NW+DC%3C%2Fa%3E">24 April 1993 Location: The home of Bruce Pennington, !3th and Taylor, NW DC
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=47&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=%3Ca+href%3D%22%2Fitems%2Fbrowse%3Fadvanced%255B0%255D%255Belement_id%255D%3D47%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Btype%255D%3Dis%2Bexactly%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Bterms%255D%3DCourtesy%2BRainbow%2BHistory%2BProject%252C%2BInc.%2B%250D%250A%22%3ECourtesy+Rainbow+History+Project%2C+Inc.+%3C%2Fa%3E">Courtesy Rainbow History Project, Inc.
Oral History Interview with Fran Levine, 1952­-
Oral history with Fran Levine, co-­owner of Soho Tea & Coffee at 2150 P St NW, Washington, DC in Dupont Circle, the oldest independent Tea and Coffee house in DC who identifies as a lesbian woman. Interview by Autumn Eastman.
1980s-- Fran Levine is co­-owner of Soho Tea & Coffee at 2150 P St NW, Washington, D.C., in the Dupont Circle area. Soho is the oldest independent tea and coffee house in D.C. and the only one left in Dupont. She describes the changes Dupont Circle from the late 1980s to present, both as an independent business owner and in the LGBTQ community that congregates there. She speaks about various LGBTQ spaces in Dupont Circle such as bars, dance clubs and how Soho served as a gathering space. She discusses the AIDS epidemic in terms of how the LGBTQ community reacted and how people who were diagnosed with the once-unknown disease were treated by health care professionals. She additionally describes her personal life, the challenges of coming out in the 70’s and 80’s and how it still impacts her life today. She speaks to themes the loss of gay gathering spaces and continued dispersion as LGBTQ lifestyles are more accepted and integrated into mainstream ways of life. She also discusses the role of Millennials in LGBTQ acceptance. Interview by Autumn Eastman.
Oral history interview with Randy K., 1967-
Oral history with Randy K., who talk about his work as an advocate and activist and work with D.C.'s HIPS program, which provides harm-reduction services for sex workers. Interview conducted by Caitlin Firmage.
4 December, 2015
1970s-- Randy K. was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan in 1967. His family moved to D.C. in 1974, and he has lived in the city since then, and sees it as his home. Randy grew up in the Adams Morgan neighborhood with his mother and four siblings. He knew he was gay from a young age and was often bullied in school. He was also caught up in the juvenile judicial system, and as a result became involved with the Big Brothers of America program. The program matched him up with Congressman Mickey Leland. Leland helped Randy with his schoolwork and helped him start taking horseback riding lessons. He served as a mentor to Randy until his death in 1989, and remained the person to whom Randy would attribute much of his success later in life. As a teenager in the 1980s, Randy often walked through the Dupont Circle neighborhood and observed the many gay clubs in the area. He would often stand in front of them and watch patrons leave, afraid to be seen going to the clubs himself. In 1984, Leland flew Randy to Houston, where the latter took aptitude tests and was diagnosed with dyslexia. This discovery made Randy feel pessimistic about the trouble he was having in school, and he decided to drop out as a result. After he dropped out, Randy started going to gay bars such as the Clubhouse, Tracks, Bachelor’s Mill, and Brass Rail. Around this time he also began engaging in sex work, as well as burglary, to make money. It was during this period that Randy first became acquainted with HIPS, a harm-reduction organization that provides services for sex workers and drug users. Randy recalls HIPS volunteers providing him and other sex workers with condoms, candy, hot chocolate, and clothes. Randy was diagnosed with HIV on January 28th, 1986, the day of the Challenger space shuttle disaster. He was devastated by the diagnosis, and remembers wishing he were on the space shuttle because he dreaded the thought of his friends and family seeing him waste away. Randy was in the Job Corps at the time, but was asked to move out of his dorm after his diagnosis because doctors there couldn’t help him. He was given the address of the Whitman-Walker Clinic, a D.C. health center that specializes in HIV/AIDS care. Despite the medications he received from the clinic, Randy felt hopeless about his illness, and as a result smoked crack, drank, and wouldn’t take his medication for many years after his diagnosis. He eventually decided to stop taking drugs, start taking his meds regularly, and turn his life around. Randy says that “HIV is the reason [he is] here today” because if not for his diagnosis, he would not have started living a healthier life. Randy lost many friends during the AIDS epidemic; he remembers going to “three funerals a week” and feeling numb to death. After being in and out of prison for many years, Randy was released in 2011 and decided that he wanted things to be different, and to stick to his plan of going back to school. He took part in Narcotics Anonymous, began attending church and eventually graduated from UDC, where he studied social work with an emphasis on public health. Randy came to HIPS as an HIV activist and advocate, working with HIPS staff member Earline Budd. He then met with HIPS harm reduction service manager Debbie Macmillan, who told him he should apply for the community health worker position, because of his HIV status and his relationship with the community. Randy loves his job, which involves helping make daily life easier for people living with chronic illness, because he feels that HIPS is a safe space in which he can be himself. He also feels that the organization does a good job of welcoming its clients, many of whom are transgender women, because the whole staff is very caring and committed to the work that HIPS does, and because many HIPS workers share experiences that the organization’s clientele also struggle with. He especially appreciates the commitment of administrators Cyndee Clay, Elizabeth MacIntosh, and Sara Knotts. Some services HIPS provides, in addition to the outreach van, which Randy says clients flock to “like ants on a sugar hill,” include a syringe exchange, showers, a clothing closet, a 24/7 hotline, laundry service, legal help, and linking clients to medical care. Randy is also a commissioner on the Ryan White Planning Council, which plans for the allocation of HIV/AIDS services and resources in the D.C. metropolitan area. This position allows him to serve as a voice for people with HIV/AIDS in the D.C. area. Randy feels that although organizations like HIPS and Whitman-Walker have pushed against the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, this stigma is still a major barrier towards seeking care for the infection or disease. Randy is glad that, as a community health worker, he is part of the fight against HIV/AIDS and the stigma associated with it.
Oral History Interview with Ken South, 1945­-
Ken South recounts his coming(s) out, his relationship with religion, his work on HIV/AIDS, and his advocacy on LGBT aging issues.
9 June 2016
1980s­- present Around the same time Ken South had his first experience with another gay man, he also got involved with the United Methodist Church. After coming more fully out, after study at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, he was defrocked by the West Virginia Conference of the Methodist Church and discharged from the Navy Chaplaincy. He was later ordained by the United Church of Christ. He began his AIDS work with AID Atlanta and later came to Washington, DC to work with the AIDS Institute of KOBA Associates and the AIDS National Interfaith Network. He was a staffer on Ronald Reagan’s President’s Commission on the AIDS Epidemic. Later, the worked on LGBT aging issues with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and served as president of the Prime Timers DC Chapter. Discussion also covered: ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act),Windows (DIK Bar),DC Eagle, Gay Marriage, SAGE, the FDA, and the American Society on Aging.
Oral History Interview with Tom Bower, 1948-
Moriah Petty interviews Tom Bower, a Catholic gay-identified man who has lived in DC since the 1960s working in museums and organizing the LGBTQ Catholics and greater gay community.
Want access to this audio? Please email oralhistories@rainbowhistory.org to request access
19 March 2016
Oral history with Boden Sandstrom, 1945-
Oral history with Boden Sandstrom, know for recording, engineering and mixing live music, especially within the women’s music and political communities. Later also ethnomusicologist and professor at University of Maryland.
<a href="/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=47&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=%3Ca+href%3D%22%2Fitems%2Fbrowse%3Fadvanced%255B0%255D%255Belement_id%255D%3D47%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Btype%255D%3Dis%2Bexactly%26amp%3Badvanced%255B0%255D%255Bterms%255D%3DThis%2Binterview%2Bbelongs%2Bto%2Bthe%2BRainbow%2BHistory%2BProject.%2BThe%2BRHP%2Brelease%2Bform%2Bwas%2Bused%2Band%2Ball%2Brights%2Bbelong%2Bto%2BRHP.%22%3EThis+interview+belongs+to+the+Rainbow+History+Project.+The+RHP+release+form+was+used+and+all+rights+belong+to+RHP.%3C%2Fa%3E">This interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. The RHP release form was used and all rights belong to RHP.
1970s to present. Boden Sandstrom, was born and grew up in Fairport, N.Y. (Born Barbara Carol Sandstrom.) While earning a Master’s Degree in Library Science at the University of Michigan (1967-68), she became more politically engaged due to the social and political upheaval of the day. She then moved to San Jose, Calif., where she met (and eventually married) folk/flamenco singer, educator and Brown Beret member Rogelio Reyes. She lived and worked in Boston from 1970-72, where she became further engaged in feminist consciousness and political activism. During this time, Sandstrom came out as a lesbian. Arriving in D.C. in 1972, she found new ways to be involved in feminist activism. Beginning about 1974, Sandstrom began what would become a major part of her career: recording, engineering and mixing live music, especially within the women’s music and political communities. Early sound engineer experiences included Sophie’s Parlor, the oldest women’s music show on radio and the 1st National Women’s Music Festival. Sandstrom co-founded with Casse Culver a woman-run sound co., Woman Sound (later City Sound Productions), in Washington, D.C. During her career as a sound engineer/technical producer Sandstrom worked for many major events and artists including the American Folklife Festival, NOW, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Cris Williamson’s Flying Color Tour, the 1978 ERA rally, Michigan Womyn’s Festival, Sisterfire, D.C. Gay Pride Days, RFK Stadium, Lily Tomlin, Hispanic American Cultural Festivals and the 1979, 1987 and 1993 LGTBQ March on Washington and March for Women’s Lives, 2004. After the sale of Woman Sound, Sandstrom enrolled in the ethnomusicology program at the University of Maryland. She earned her Ph.D. in 2002, and taught in the School of Music from 1996 until her retirement in 2013. Sandstrom was co-producer of the documentary, Radical Harmonies, which documents the women’s music movement from the 1970s through 1990s. Sandstrom also discusses her relationship and eventual marriage with well-known musician Casse Culver.
Oral history interview with David Perez, 1983-
Interview describes D.C. Latino Pride, Latino LGBT History Project, D.C. Latino Pride, D.C. Mayor's Office LGBT advisory council.
Coverage: 2000 to present. David M. Perez, 1983-present. Born in Torrance, Califonia to a tight-knit evangelical Christian family with roots in New Mexico, Mexico, and Detroit, David attended the evangelical Biola University to study Latin American studies, religion, and Spanish language. Although he began questioning his sexuality midway through college, it wasn’t until he moved to DC in 2005 to attend graduate school at Georgetown that he began making gay friends and entering more gay spaces. Though his friends never pushed him, he came out in 2006 to a largely supportive family and friends. He eventually felt less comfortable attending his home church in San Diego with his family and switched to the open and affirming St Thomas’ Episcopal Church in Dupont Circle, but his family knew that none of his core values, like the importance of volunteerism and family, had changed. He joined the building and grounds community for the church and began seeking out events that honored both his gay and his Latino identity. He had a hard time finding any details about DC Latino Pride, but eventually he found it at the HRC with a panel moderated by Jose Guttierez, founder of the Latino GLBT History Project, and Laura Esquivel, Political Director for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. Laura told a story from her time in the first national Latino LGBT Organization, Llego, when it marched on Washington in 1987 accompanied by Cesar Chavez. She had also been involved in mobilizing farm workers, and she told Cesar that she was having a hard time choosing which cause to dedicate her energies to. And Cesar said, ‘you can do both.” This was a story that resonated strongly with David, who had often noted that events honoring LGBT or Latino leaders rarely had anyone representing both communities. He then got more involved in volunteering for Latino Pride and the Latino GLBT History Project, becoming its board chair in 2011 along with Vice President Esther Hidalgo, who founded Mujeres en el Movimiento. They found letters to pride from the 80s and 90s complaining about lack of inclusion, and David still saw problems with that today in the way groups of color were clumped together at the back of the parade and not announced properly. However, they found Pride to be generally responsive to their comments and grew Latino Pride programming. Events included the selection of a Royal Court to serve as media ambassadors, a bilingual interfaith service at MCC DC, an annual fundraising dance party at Town, and the Plactica panel. The group also facilitated increased participation from El Sol Radio station in Pride festivities, from marching in the Pride Parade to DJ’ing the dance party at Town, and holding radio spots to discuss HIV and trans issues. David has also focused his advocacy efforts at the local government level, and is passionate about language access, increasing support for victims of hate crimes, and serving on Mayor Gray’s GLBT advisory committee. On that committee, they discussed issues like public safety, health, housing and homelessness, trans inclusivity, and the effectiveness of competency training provided to DC government employees. David values working in coalition with other groups of color to ensure that they all have a seat at the table and are visibly honored whenever award nominations are possible, and intends to continue his involvement in the community for years to come.
StoryCorps Interview Lesbian History The Disappearing L: Erasure of Lesbian Spaces and Culture Rainbow History Project
Rainbow History Project board members Dr. Bonnie Morris and Vincent E. Slatt participate in StoryCorps, during its 2016 visit to DC. Vincent interviews Bonnie concerning her latest book, The Disappearing L, and the relevance of lesbian history for the present and future, and the role of RHP in documenting women's history--especially the difficulty of tracking events that were intentionally not recorded at the time. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE RECORDING
22 April 2016, Washington DC
Oral History Interview with Frank Blackburn, 1936-
Frank Blackburn, a long-time resident of Washington, D.C., recounts his arrival in the DC area, coming out, being a doctor during the AIDS crisis, and meeting his partner.
Want access to this audio file? Email oralhistories@rainbowhistory.org to request access
20 September 2015
The interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. The RHP release form was used, and all right belong to RHP.
Oral history with Bryan Dalton (1962-present)
Oral history interview with Bryan Dalton, who cofounded Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies in 1992.
The interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. The RHP release form was used and all rights below to RHP.
1980s to present. Bryan Dalton-1962-present. Bryan came to DC in the early 1980s to attend Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, later joining the Foreign Service in 1987 and going on to serve in a number of posts around the world, including Mexico City, Taipei, Bangkok, Hanoi, Chennai, Romania, and Bulgaria. He began his career under the assumption that he should be in the closet professionally. Early on, however, he began singing with the Lesbian and Gay Chorus of Washington, and was introduced to other gay Foreign Service members, which proved helpful when in 1991 he came under investigation at work due to his sexual orientation. Though it was never explicitly outlawed or accepted in the Foreign Service and Dalton found a number of passive supporters among his straight colleagues, the theory at the time was that any gay person could easily be blackmailed if an unfriendly foreign element were to learn of their “lifestyle.” With the legal assistance of Frank Kameny, however, Bryan successfully argued that as he was out in all aspects of his life, he could not be blackmailed and therefore should be permitted to continue his service. He went on to cofound GLIFAA (Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies) in 1992. GLIFAA struggled in the early years with gender inclusivity and maintaining a balance between social and political goals, but its advocacy led to a number of important strides, including the removal of sodomy as grounds for visa ineligibility and the inclusion of same-sex partners in Eligible Family Member Status. This allowed same-sex partners access to official visa sponsorship, flights to and from post, embassy medical facilities, and paid evacuation, but currently same-sex partners can only access federal health plans and pensions if legally married. Bryan also speaks about his parents’ extensive PFLAG involvement in the upper Midwest and his partner of 22 years’ role in their foreign posts in local GLBT activism and organizing gay pride parades and other events. Though he marvels that there are now 7 openly gay ambassadors serving around the world and that Randy Barry was just named Special Envoy to the State Department for the Rights of LGBT persons, Bryan believes the next step for the State Department would be to extend protections to LGBT foreign service nationals, to better integrate transgender employees and family members, and to extend rights and benefits to all partners regardless of legal status. He also speaks about local reactions to his sexual orientation in several of the countries he served in as well as the ways that DC’s neighborhoods and communities have changed since he first arrived in the late 80s, from specific neighborhoods where all gay establishments were located to one in which gay establishments are interspersed with straight venues.
Bathhouses Gyms
White tank top. Logo for Fitness Exchange, a Houston gay gym and shower. 3131 W. Alabama St. Houston, TX
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Leather clubs (Organizations)
Black t-shirt. "American Leatherman Houston"
1975
Gay community
Dark purple t-shirt. "Castro 79" Sleeves cut.
1979