Gay wit and humor
Blue t-shirt. "I Can't Even Think Straight"
<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%3DReproduction%2Band%2Buse%2Bof%2Bthis%2Bmaterial%2Bmay%2Brequire%2Bpermission%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2Bcopyright%2Bholder.%2BPlease%2Bcontact%2BWearing%2BGay%2BHistory%2Bfor%2Bmore%2Binformation.%22%3EReproduction+and+use+of+this+material+may+require+permission+from+the+copyright+holder.+Please+contact+Wearing+Gay+History+for+more+information.%3C%2Fa%3E">Reproduction and use of this material may require permission from the copyright holder. Please contact Wearing Gay History for more information.
Gay politicians
White t-shirt. "Harvey Milk, Supervisor " Reproduction purchased from GLBT History Museum in San Francisco, CA in 2013.
Gays in higher education
Gray t-shirt. Front: "Georgia Southern University LGBTQ and Allies Conference" Back: "Georgia Southern University LGBTQ and Allies Conference. True Reflections. Queer in the Media. November 3rd, 2012. Sponsored by the Multicultural Student Center & Gay Straight Alliance"
November 3, 2012
Gay youth
White t-shirt. "Out Youth Austin. Stand Your Ground. Alternative Prom '92-'93. Unmask Yourself. Phantom of the Opera" 909 E 49th 1/2 St, Austin, TX 78751
Gay bars
Black tank top. "Unicorn" Short lived bar, between Mary's and the Locker.
White t-shirt. "OP Houston" Old Plantation. 2020 Kipling. Houston TX
1975
Gay press publications
Blue t-shirt Gay Chicago Gay Chicago is a defunct LGBT online news organization in Chicago, Illinois which ceased publishing in print form on Sept. 21, 2011.
1976
White t-shirt. "#'s. 300 Westheimer Houston, Texas. Numbers"
1979
Gay community
Dark purple t-shirt. "Castro 79" Sleeves cut.
Leather clubs (Organizations)
Black t-shirt. "American Leatherman Houston"
Bathhouses Gyms
White tank top. Logo for Fitness Exchange, a Houston gay gym and shower. 3131 W. Alabama St. Houston, TX
Oral history with Bryan Dalton (1962-present)
Oral history interview with Bryan Dalton, who cofounded Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies in 1992.
Interested in listening to this audio? Email oralhistories@rainbowhistory.org for access
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.
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.
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 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.
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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.
Would you like to listen to this audio? Please email oralhistories@rainbowhistory.org to request access
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 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 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
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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 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 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.
10 November 2015
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.
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
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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
Oral history interview with Robert "Bob" Roehr, 1949 -
<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%3DNo%2Brestrictions%2Bon%2Baccess%253B%2Bno%2Brestrictions%2Bon%2Buse.%22%3ENo+restrictions+on+access%3B+no+restrictions+on+use.%3C%2Fa%3E">No restrictions on access; no restrictions on use.
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.
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 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.