Oral history interview with Chuck Goldfarb
Description
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Email oralhistories@rainbowhistory.org for access
Abstract
In part one, Chuck Goldfarb discusses his experiences as an openly gay federal worker in the 1970s and 1980s when there were regulations against homosexuals working in the government. Chuck also talks about the first gay pride and his experiences with the Gay Switchboard, Black and White Men Together, SMYAL, Asians and Friends, and the SHARE Project. Chuck was extremely involved in various community organizations. For the Gay Switchboard, he was a facilitator for several years. Chuck discusses a split within the Gay Switchboard group over the need for more formal training for the volunteers and the challenges with intersectionality at the Gay Switchboard.
In the 1980s, Chuck became involved in Black and White Men Together (BWMT) around the same time when the discrimination response system had been put in place. Chuck discusses the people who were working at BWMT that he got to work with, such as Chris Bates, Jim Mercer, and Bruce Pennington. He briefly touches upon the tension that existed between the local and national association of BWMT in terms of how politically radical they were.
Chuck describes the major changes happening to the gay community at the beginnings of the AIDS Epidemic and the resources available in the Washington D.C. area, such as Whitman Walker Clinic. He goes on to discuss how the Whitman Walker Clinic was pushed to be more open to Black people, since it was primarily serving white men. Chuck was also heavily involved with AIDS related research, specifically the SHARE Project out of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore MD which conducted essential AIDS epidemiological study with over a thousand participants. He discusses both his participation in the SHARE Project as well as his role on the Community Advisory Board reviewing and approving questionnaires.
Overall, Chuck discusses building his career in Washington D.C. and getting involved in the gay community, including being involved with and serving in leadership positions at several local organizations.
In part two, Chuck continues to discuss his work with local organizations, primarily focusing on SMYAL and Asians and Friends. He got involved with SMYAL through the founders Stefan Wade and Robert Hartman. SMYAL was formed to support sexual minority youth in response to criminalization and hospitalization of gender non-conforming youth. Chuck discusses the challenges with working with a youth advocacy organization, including concern over adults volunteering and homophobia. He discusses how from the beginning of SMYAL, leadership was cognizant of the need to have strict rules in place to protect the volunteers, the organization, and youth from abuse allegations.
Chuck describes the demographics of the youth that SMYAL served and the various ways they tried to publicize SMYAL through school newspapers. He acknowledges that SMYAL, while successful in having a racially diverse youth audience, struggled with serving youth across social classes. Chuck emphasizes that the struggle of serving youth across social classes was not an issue limited to SMYAL, but an issue inherent in American society.
In the 1990s, Chuck became involved with Asians and Friends. Unlike with other organizations, Chuck decided to only be involved with Asians and Friends as a member not as a leader within the organization. That was mainly due to the core function of Asians and Friends being social not political. When discussing Asians and Friends, Chuck draws connections between them and Black and White Men Together. Additionally, he describes a tension between interracial organizations and all Black or all Asian organizations. While some organizations wanted to work with all Black or all Asian organizations, there was also tension and some organizations did not want to work with them.
In addition to discussing the organizations Chuck was involved with, he also describes an annual Halloween party he held for several years starting in the 1980s. He discusses doing drag for the first time, at the urging of his friend Phillip Wright, and costumes people would wear to his parties. While discussing drag and dressing up, he notes that it is a liberating experience and that his parties created spaces where people could express themselves.
In part three, Chuck discusses his friendship with Simon Nkoli, an anti-apartheid and gay rights activist in South Africa. Chuck became friends with Simon through a tour he did with the National Association of Black and White Men Together. In the 1990s Chuck traveled to South Africa for the first time, where he was able to reconnect with Simon and attend the first AIDS awareness event in South Africa. Chuck discusses Simon’s activism in South Africa and when he came to the US. Throughout the years, Chuck and Simon maintained their friendship and visited each other in South Africa and the US. Chuck describes how Simon was always interested in coming to SMYAL when visiting DC and talking with youth. Finally, Chuck discusses his passion for working with local organizations because of the importance of community.
In the 1980s, Chuck became involved in Black and White Men Together (BWMT) around the same time when the discrimination response system had been put in place. Chuck discusses the people who were working at BWMT that he got to work with, such as Chris Bates, Jim Mercer, and Bruce Pennington. He briefly touches upon the tension that existed between the local and national association of BWMT in terms of how politically radical they were.
Chuck describes the major changes happening to the gay community at the beginnings of the AIDS Epidemic and the resources available in the Washington D.C. area, such as Whitman Walker Clinic. He goes on to discuss how the Whitman Walker Clinic was pushed to be more open to Black people, since it was primarily serving white men. Chuck was also heavily involved with AIDS related research, specifically the SHARE Project out of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore MD which conducted essential AIDS epidemiological study with over a thousand participants. He discusses both his participation in the SHARE Project as well as his role on the Community Advisory Board reviewing and approving questionnaires.
Overall, Chuck discusses building his career in Washington D.C. and getting involved in the gay community, including being involved with and serving in leadership positions at several local organizations.
In part two, Chuck continues to discuss his work with local organizations, primarily focusing on SMYAL and Asians and Friends. He got involved with SMYAL through the founders Stefan Wade and Robert Hartman. SMYAL was formed to support sexual minority youth in response to criminalization and hospitalization of gender non-conforming youth. Chuck discusses the challenges with working with a youth advocacy organization, including concern over adults volunteering and homophobia. He discusses how from the beginning of SMYAL, leadership was cognizant of the need to have strict rules in place to protect the volunteers, the organization, and youth from abuse allegations.
Chuck describes the demographics of the youth that SMYAL served and the various ways they tried to publicize SMYAL through school newspapers. He acknowledges that SMYAL, while successful in having a racially diverse youth audience, struggled with serving youth across social classes. Chuck emphasizes that the struggle of serving youth across social classes was not an issue limited to SMYAL, but an issue inherent in American society.
In the 1990s, Chuck became involved with Asians and Friends. Unlike with other organizations, Chuck decided to only be involved with Asians and Friends as a member not as a leader within the organization. That was mainly due to the core function of Asians and Friends being social not political. When discussing Asians and Friends, Chuck draws connections between them and Black and White Men Together. Additionally, he describes a tension between interracial organizations and all Black or all Asian organizations. While some organizations wanted to work with all Black or all Asian organizations, there was also tension and some organizations did not want to work with them.
In addition to discussing the organizations Chuck was involved with, he also describes an annual Halloween party he held for several years starting in the 1980s. He discusses doing drag for the first time, at the urging of his friend Phillip Wright, and costumes people would wear to his parties. While discussing drag and dressing up, he notes that it is a liberating experience and that his parties created spaces where people could express themselves.
In part three, Chuck discusses his friendship with Simon Nkoli, an anti-apartheid and gay rights activist in South Africa. Chuck became friends with Simon through a tour he did with the National Association of Black and White Men Together. In the 1990s Chuck traveled to South Africa for the first time, where he was able to reconnect with Simon and attend the first AIDS awareness event in South Africa. Chuck discusses Simon’s activism in South Africa and when he came to the US. Throughout the years, Chuck and Simon maintained their friendship and visited each other in South Africa and the US. Chuck describes how Simon was always interested in coming to SMYAL when visiting DC and talking with youth. Finally, Chuck discusses his passion for working with local organizations because of the importance of community.
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Citation
“Oral history interview with Chuck Goldfarb,” Rainbow History Project Digital Collections, accessed May 23, 2026, https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/items/show/1180.
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