LGBT History Project

Date: November 24, 2015

Don Haines was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and grew up there. In this interview he discusses his experience in Lancaster County as a gay man. He also discusses his experience in Columbia, PA and the acceptance that he has from his family and friends in that area. Topics focus on his interaction and practice of religion, specifically Catholicism, his job as a worker for the commonwealth of PA, his activism in college and while living in Columbia, PA, and what still needs to be worked on for the rights of the LGBT community in PA, particularly when it comes to the political culture in PA.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 043: Don Haines

Date: November 19, 2015

Gretchen Little was born on October 26, 1958 in Elmira, New York. As a child, Gretchen was interested in sports and experimented with wearing women’s clothing in the home. While studying Media Arts at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, Gretchen told some female partners about her interest in presenting as a woman, but remained largely closeted. After law school at the University of Pittsburgh, Gretchen went on to serve as the District Attorney for Sullivan County for several terms and then moved to Harrisburg to work for the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association. While in Harrisburg, Gretchen worked for TransCentral PA and helped organize the first Keystone Conference. In this interview, Gretchen discusses the vocabulary she used to describe her feelings during the sixties and seventies, her past relationships, her work with TransCentral, and the process of finding an authentic presentation in balance with her professional goals and personal relationships. She also discusses some difficult movements of confrontation, her relationship with organized religion, and her perspective on dating in the future. Gretchen concludes the interview by talking about how she chose her name after a domestic violence advocate she met while she served as the DA.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Transgender Experiences

Organizations: TransCentral PA

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 067: Gretchen Little

Date: November 11, 2015

Cathy Nelson was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Staten Island, New York, at the age of two with her strict Italian-Swedish family. As a child, Cathy loved music and did well in school. She also participated in Catholic youth group retreats, where she first encountered anti-gay sentiment. Although she knew she was attracted to girls from an early age, Cathy did not act on these feelings until age 22, when she entered her first long-term relationship. Cathy worked as a teacher in Carlisle, PA, but stopped teaching after suffering a head injury that affected her speech. Currently, she does secretarial work for a friend and ally at Goldcrafter’s Corner. Cathy was involved with the Pride planning committee and sang with the Central Pennsylvania Women’s Chorus. In this interview, Cathy discusses the process of coming out to herself, her family, and her friends. She also describes the Harrisburg-area lesbian community in the early 1990s and the problems and successes of the Women’s Chorus throughout her years of involvement. Cathy also discusses the general acceptance of lesbians in mainstream culture, but condemns the exclusion of transgender issues from the LGBT community and the transphobia that she sees as a major issue of the day.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Coming Out

Organizations: Central PA Womyn's Chorus

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Date: August 3, 2015

Shaka Hudson was born in 1949 in Harrisburg as the middle of five children. An artist his whole life, Shaka attended John Harris High School and Penn State University before unenrolling in college and leaving Harrisburg to join the Washington D.C. Repertory Dance Company and Theatre Company as a dancer. There, he met his first male partner, and together they moved to New York City in 1975. While modeling for an art class at the Art Students League, Shaka met and fell in love with a woman who he later married and had one daughter with. After they divorced approximately 10 years later, Shaka moved to Richmond, Virginia with a new male lover who, unbeknownst to Shaka, was sick with AIDS. Shaka contracted HIV in 1987. After his lover’s death, Shaka moved back to the Harrisburg area and had one more major relationship. In this interview, he thoroughly discusses his journey as an artist and a dancer. Shaka also discusses the AIDS epidemic, his relationships with family members, and changes he would make to the Harrisburg community. Additionally, he expresses his concern that the younger generation is too carelessly promiscuous as well as the importance of citizens exercising their right to vote.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: HIV/AIDs

Organizations:

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 050: Shaka Hudson

Date: March 24, 2015

Joy Verner was born in 1963 and grew up in Franklin Pennsylvania near Erie, Pa. Joy was one of three children and a mother and a father. She relocated to central Pennsylvania during graduate school where she attended school near Shippensburg. She now resides in in Central Pennsylvania with her partner, and now wife, Sue and their four children. Joy has worked mainly on student affairs and also worked at Dickinson College up until 2013. At Dickinson College Joy was an active staff for creating Pride@Dickinson and providing support for students. She is also active in her community church. Joy Verner comes from a Baptist family background and she struggled a lot with her identity as a lesbian and her strong faith. Today, she is active in her church and attends a Lutheran Church here in Central PA. Most of her life today is now defined by her life as a mother, community member, partner and balancing the intersections of all of those.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 119: Joy Verner

Date: April 9, 2015

Dr. Eric Selvey was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA. He attended optometry school in Philadelphia, but returned to the Harrisburg area after graduating. In his interview he discusses his relationship with his mother and grandmother — and coming out to them in his younger days. He goes on to discuss his prolific activist work including his involvement with Lily White and Company, which raised thousands of dollars for local AIDS related organizations including SCAAN and other gay causes. Dr. Selvey worked on the Harrisburg Human Relations Commission, which fostered community relationships between the diverse Harrisburg populations. He was an active member of SCAAN, and also worked to create the local LGBT publication Crossroads. Dr. Selvey explains that he is most proud of his work on developing Harrisburg’s Pride Festival, and his instrumental role in organizing the first Fall Achievement Benefit (FAB) in Harrisburg. The interview concludes with a discussion of changes the LGBT community has encountered and what challenges they continue to face.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations: Lily White & Company, South Central Aids Assistance Network (SCAAN)

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 104: Eric Selvey

Date: April 6, 2015

Eva O’Diam was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1953 to her mother, a school teacher, and her father, an engineer. Growing up in conservative, rural Ohio, Eva lost her father at the age of 12 and moved to Covington, Ohio where she graduated from high school. At Manchester College, where she earned a degree in sociology, Eva was interested in ministry but grew disillusioned with the church during her last year of college and became a probation officer in Wabash, Indiana. About 18 months later, a Church of the Brethren pastor influenced Eva to return to the ministry, and she has since worked at various positions in pastoring, alternative ministry, and HIV/AIDS assistance. She currently lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with her partner of 23 years, Mary Kelly, and is looking for work as a pastor again. In this interview, Eva discusses her slow personal journey to accept her sexual orientation, the challenge to make her Metropolitan Community Church [MCC] more inclusive of racial, sexual, and ability minorities, as well as her nephew’s unfortunate death that united her family and church community. Regarding LGBT issues, Eva is optimistic for the future but admits that the LGBT community needs to adopt a broader focus, be more inclusive, and address growing challenges for older adults.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Coming Out, HIV/AIDs

Organizations: Metropolitan Community Church (MCC)

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 088: Eva O'Diam

Date: March 29, 2015

Laury was born in New Port Beach, California on March 20, 1961. She is the middle child with two brothers from a Presbyterian home. Laurie and her current partner Jan are not married and do not live together. She currently resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and is the Director of the High School Outreach Program at the Antonelli Art and Photography Institute in Erdenheim, PA.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 080: Laury McIntyre

Date: March 29, 2015

Cindy Lou Mitzel was born in April of 1942 in York County, Pennsylvania as the youngest in a big family. Growing up, Cindy knew that she felt attraction towards women but married a man just after graduating from high school and had three children. Throughout her life, Cindy has been involved in the National Organization for Women [NOW], the Lavender Letter, the Lesbian Alliance, and the Central Pennsylvania Women’s Chorus, among other women’s and gay rights activist organizations. Cindy remained married for many years before separating from her husband and, after the age of 40, began dating other women. In this interview, Cindy discusses coming out to her adult children, her involvement in the passage of a gay rights ordinance in York city, and how LGBT-identified individuals practiced safety while community building. She also mentions the importance of coming out, her experiences at the Metropolitan Community Church, and her attendance of the first Central Pennsylvania Pride Festival. Today, Cindy is pleased with the recent affirmative gay marriage laws, which were once thought “impossible” for the LGBT community.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations: National Organization for Women (N.O.W.), Lesbian Alliance, Metropolitan Community Church (MCC), Central PA Womyn's Chorus

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 083: Cindy Lou Mitzel

Date: March 29, 2015

Louie Marven moved to central Pennsylvania from his hometown of Wappingers Falls, New York to attend Messiah College in 2003 and has lived in the Harrisburg area ever since. The school’s conservative values and prohibition of “homosexual behavior” made Louie’s time there complicated, and it wasn’t until after he graduated that he came out. He then began working for the LGBT Center, taking on the role of Youth Director and Administrator when the Center merged with Common Roads, and then accepting the position of Executive Director in 2012. In this interview, Louie discusses his experience of being gay at an evangelical Christian college, recalling experiences both as a student and as an alumnus that have caused him to think critically about the specific issues of LGBT inclusion that arise from the environment of the school. He also talks about the issues that he finds most pressing for the LGBT community at the moment, what being out means in terms of his life today, and his hopes for the community’s future.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Coming Out

Organizations: LGBT Center of Central PA, Common Roads

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 076: Louie Marven

Date: March 23, 2015

The interview performed on March 23, 2015 is with Oral History project volunteer, Michele Metcalf and long-time LGBT activist and self-identified gay man, Phil Wenger. Wenger was born and raised in Ethiopia in a large Mennonite missionary family and returned to his family’s roots in Central Pennsylvania when he was 12. In this interview, he speaks about his coming out, his advocacy with Pride and the Harrisburg LGBT Center, and with the Lancaster AIDS Project. He goes on to speak about how all of these factors have affected his life, life path, and relationships.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Coming Out

Organizations: LGBT Center of Central PA, Lancaster AIDS Project

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 128: Philip ''Phil'' Wenger

Date: March 22, 2015

Lindsay Snowden was born in Pittsburgh on March 15, 1976. Lindsay worked a bunch of odd jobs and has had an entrepreneurial spirit since a young age. Lindsay joined the military when sirb was 17. Lindsay realized after moving to Harrisburg that sirb would not be welcome in the military due to sirb’s sexuality. Coming out to sirb’s family was easy because sirb grew up with gay family members. Lindsay has worked on my projects in the area like forming the first all black drag king troupe in Central Pennsylvania, House of Game; publishing a magazine called Studs Magazine; and running a female football team. Lindsay talks about sirb’s experience with sirb’s drag troupe and how difficult it is to get booked as an all black group in Central Pennsylvania. Lindsay talks about sirb’s evolving gender identity, the intersections of sirb’s identity, and the importance of family.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Coming Out

Organizations: House of Gains

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 110: Lindsay Snowden

Date: March 19, 2015

David Walker was born in 1946 in Lancaster County, where he grew up in a strict Presbyterian family and always knew that he was different. He studied to be a teacher at Lebanon Valley College when the school was more fundamentalist, but after encountering difficulty finding a teaching job, David started working in broadcasting at WITF, where he encountered a supportive creative community where he wasn’t the only gay person, which he enjoyed greatly until his retirement in 2005. David has also worked with Open Stage of Harrisburg and Theatre Harrisburg doing sound design for performances, as well as with various musical groups, including working as the artistic director of the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus. In this interview, David discusses these experiences, as well as his family life, what it was like to be gay in Central Pennsylvania from the ‘60s to now, and his current work in the community, which includes activism in support of marriage equality and non-discrimination laws and volunteering at the LGBT Center. David currently lives in Hummelstown with Jack, his partner of 36 years.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations: Gay Men's Chorus of Harrisburg

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 121: David Walker

Date: March 8, 2015

Maria Warren grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, in a religious family with both her blood-related and adopted siblings. Maria was very involved in her mother’s church, attending Sunday services, Bible study, and choir rehearsal, but realized that she was gay around age 12. In order to escape her feelings, Maria immersed herself in religion and married her boyfriend after graduating from high school, but her marriage was fraught with tension and ended in divorce. In this interview, Maria discusses the issues in her previous marriage, her relationships with her three children, and the importance PFLAG [formerly stood for Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays] played in her coming out process. She also describes her experience of couples counseling with her ex-husband, who eventually outed Maria’s sexuality to most of her family, and the LGBT community in Baltimore that she relied on when the two separated. Today, Maria is living her self-described “dream” life with her partner in York, Pennsylvania, and hopes that by participating in the LGBT History Project, she can help prevent other LGBT individuals from experiencing the same difficult coming out process that she did.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Coming Out

Organizations: Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 123: Maria Warren

Date: November 25, 2014

Becky Boone, who identifies as heterosexual, was raised in a religious family that was accepting of homosexuality, although they rarely discussed it. Her involvement with the Pembroke United Church of Christ in Harrisburg and as a parent of a daughter participating in Common Roads theater productions has encouraged her to become an advocate for the LGBT community. In this interview, Becky discusses her early understanding of LGBT couples, her church’s experiences with families unsupportive of the LGBT community, and her experience during the rejection of DOMA [Defense of Marriage Act]. She also describes the process her church underwent in order to adopt a policy of being “open and affirming” toward LGBT members. During this voting process, Becky screened documentary films and brought transgender individuals to speak at her church in order to increase awareness for LGBT issues and to expand the inclusivity of her community. Additionally, she describes the gratitude expressed by LGBT individuals for her church’s religious support at Pride festivals. Becky also admits that the passage of marriage equality so quickly in Pennsylvania was pleasantly unexpected.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 008: Becky Boone

Date: November 25, 2014

Mr. Boone is interviewed as an ally of the LGBT community. From a young age, he encountered members of the LGBT community but never judged or discriminated against them. He later joined the board of a Community Center, and through this Center allowed the expression of young LGBT community to flourish, specifically through theater. His daughter was very active with the LGBT community.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 009: Tom Boone

Date: August 9, 2014

This is an oral history with David Payne. It was recorded on August 9th, 2014. David Payne was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Temple University in Philadelphia as a communications major. The focus of his career has been working in radio broadcasting for several stations based in the Central PA region of Harrisburg as well as in Rehoboth, DE. In this interview, David discusses his career path in radio broadcasting, his involvement in the Gay Men’s Chorus of Harrisburg and other singing engagements with local churches, and also some stories about his relationships with his family members and their lack of awareness about his sexuality. David also comments on marriage equality and workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. He remarks on his own experience of having his sexuality revealed in the workplace and how individuals should not have to fear that being out at work might cause termination. David’s interview concludes on his existing relationships with friends and family and the search for romance.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations: Gay Men's Chorus of Harrisburg

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 090: David Payne

Date: October 15, 2014

Joseph "Joe" W. Burns is an LGBT activist who actively participated in LGBT organizations, marches, and protests especially throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s. In this interview, Joe discusses his involvement in several of those LGBT and women’s rights organizations, including Berks County, Allentown NOW, the Gay Line, and Le-Hi-Ho, of which he was a founding member. He also recalls his involvement in attempting to have a gay rights ordinance passed through the Human Rights Commission and Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus for the Lehigh Valley area, which unfortunately failed. Additionally, in this interview Joe considers the importance of talking and listening to women in order to promote inclusive activism. In terms of his personal life, Joe briefly talks about his relationships with two of his lovers, both which sadly ended in divorce. In the future, Joe hopes to learn about what happened to the Le-Hi-Ho library and his fellow activists from Berks County.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Feminism, Lancaster City Ordinance

Organizations: Allentown NOW, Lehigh Valley Homophile Organization (Le-Hi-Ho), PA Rural Gay Caucus

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 012B: Joseph W. Burns

Date: October 10, 2014

Sharon Mahar Potter was born in Buffalo, New York and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania, commuting to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for the first time when she was offered a position to build the early intervention system for disabled children in the city. Profoundly moved by a young gay man’s speech in a meeting of the House Education Committee, Sharon established the Bi, Gay, Lesbian Youth Association of Harrisburg [BGLYA], later going on to receive a Master’s degree in Human Sexuality, working as the sexuality consultant for the Office of Developmental Programs of Pennsylvania, and then finally moving to California, where she resides today. In this interview, she recalls many successes and triumphs with her students in BGLYA that include issues such as gay marriage, suicide, HIV/AIDS, and homelessness. She won the Fall Achievement Benefit [FAB] award for her work in the gay community and established a scholarship with Melinda Eash for LGBT graduating high school seniors. Sharon emphasizes the variety of support options for the LGBT community today compared to those available in the past, praising the work of the Center in its development and efforts.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations: Bi, Gay, Lesbian Youth Association of Harrisburg (Bi-GLYAH), LGBT Center of Central PA

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 094: Sharon Potter

Date: August 2 and 29, 2014

Abstract for Interview 1 (August 2, 2014): Lawrence von Barann was born on June 26, 1928 in Queens, New York to an American mother from New York City and an immigrant father from Germany. Lawrence spent the majority of his upbringing living in the Queens borough but left to live outside the city in Long Island about the time when he entered high school. Lawrence is an artist, primarily painting. He found his passion for art in middle school when he considered attending a specialized high school in the arts. Unable to make the daily commute to Manhattan Lawrence attended a local high school. Throughout his high school experience Lawrence was completely dedicated to his art. He had a teacher name Mr. Wickman that played a major role in developing Lawrence’s talents but also increasing his exposure to the art world. Lawrence discusses his adventures to the galleries and museums in New York during weekend class trips. Upon completing high school, at the end of WWII, Lawrence decided to enroll in art school but given the difficulties of applying during the G.I. admittance guidelines it was difficult to find a complete course load. Lawrence however did get an opportunity with the Brooklyn Museum art program. It was there that he received his first assistant position to his woodwork and carving professor in his private studio. Lawrence recounts his years working in the studio as well as his own business ventures at this early stage in his life. He also discusses some of his experience of living a “double life” as a gay man in New York City.

Abstract for Interview 2 (August 29, 2014): In this second interview with Lawrence von Barann he concludes his stories about living in New York and the events that eventually led to his move to central PA. Once he made the move to central PA, his business partner from New York got married so Larry was working independently. He started teaching at HACC (Harrisburg Area Community College) in fine arts courses. Larry also discusses the significant relationship he has had—including his life partner Bill as well as some others. He talks about his career evolved from not only working as an artist but becoming an advisor doing art appraisals and running a gallery. He discusses his never ending passion for the surrealist school is his own personal collection of famous works as well as encounters he has had with artists including Rothko, Pollock and Dalí throughout his life.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 120: Lawrence ''Larry'' Von Barann

Date: July 29, 2014

Ann Van Dyke was born in a farming community in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, where she was raised in a devout Methodist home. After moving to Mechanicsburg to work at the Methodist Home for Children at age 19, Ann was exposed to the more diverse Harrisburg community that challenged the ideals of her upbringing. She went on to study at the Middletown campus of Pennsylvania State University and then moved to Harrisburg to work for the State Human Relations Commission. In this work, Ann offered trainings about hate crimes and organized hate groups, collaborating with several major organizations such as the Community Responders Network and Equality PA as well as with the U.S. Department of Justice until her retirement in 2012. In this interview, Ann discusses her experience identifying and challenging her homophobic beliefs that were engrained during her childhood. Ann describes how she began to identity as a straight ally when several of her close friends, family members, and, eventually, foster son came out as gay. She also describes the legislative difficulties the Commission faced in preventing LGBT hate crimes, especially when sexual orientation and gender identity were added to the state’s list of protected classes, but then were later repealed.

Video footage of this interview is unavailable at this time. Please contact archives@dickinson.edu for more information.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: PA State Human Relations Commission

Organizations: Equality PA

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 118: Ann Van Dyke

Date: July 22, 2014

Alanna Berger and Blaise Liffick are the co-founders of the Silent Witness Peacekeepers Organization. Alanna was born in 1954 in Hummelstown, PA. Before committing full time to Silent Witness, Alanna by profession worked as a systems analyst after having received undergraduate degrees in philosophy and computer science. Alanna also serves as an adjunct professor at Lebanon Valley College in the Women and Gender Studies department. Blaise Liffick was born in southern Indiana (his birthdate was not mentioned). Blaise by profession is a faculty member at Millersville University in the Computer Science department after receiving his doctorate in computer science from Temple University. Alana Berger and Blaise Liffick are married. Alana and Blaise are a part of the congregation of the Unitarian Church of Harrisburg. In 2005, under Alanna’s initiation, the Silent Witness Peacekeepers Organization was established as a service to peacefully alleviate conflict between street harassers and the LGBT community during special events and ceremonies. Their work does not emphasize anti-protesting, but conflict averse strategies to guarantee the safety of all parties. In this interview, Alanna and Blaise discuss their path to starting this organization, several fond memories of their work, as well as, discuss the presence of street preachers and protest organizations like Westboro Baptist Church. They discuss their commitment to the LGBT community and their plans for the future of Silent Witness Peacekeepers.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations: Silent Witness Peacekeepers Organization

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 007: Alanna Berger and Blaise Liffick

Date: July 2, 2014

Brian Patchcoski was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, brought up in a very strong Irish, German, and Polish Roman Catholic family. Brian progressed through high school, working for a Catholic church for 10 years and expecting to go into the priesthood until he left the Diocese of Scranton to get his education at the University of Scranton and Penn State, then continuing on to work at Penn State for five years. Afterward, Brian was the Director of the Office of LGBTQ Services for Dickinson College for two years, then accepting a position as Associate Dean of Students and Director of the LGBT Resource Center at Cornell University. In this interview, Brian discusses his journey managing himself, his sexuality, and his religion. He also discusses how he became involved in social work for the LGBT community in college, how supportive faculty influenced his development, and how he has handled the challenges of educating within largely rural, conservative areas. For the future, Brian hopes we will remember the important strides made by past advocates while acknowledging how much farther we need to go to achieve equality. He also praises the LGBT History Project, hoping it will continue to reveal marginalized voices in Central Pennsylvania.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 089: Brian Patchcoski

Date: May 8, 2014

Jon Johnson was born in Southern Lancaster county, Pennsylvania and lived on his family’s farm in his early life. Charles (Charlie) Maser was born in Brownstown in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Jon spent most of his life in Pennsylvania. He went to the York Academy of Arts in York, Pennsylvania and then worked in the Bon Ton department store doing store displays and visual merchandising. Charlie attended dental school in Washington D.C. and then enlisted in the Air Force. He was stationed in Charleston, North Carolina and then later on in Germany, and finally in Madrid. Jon and Charlie met in July of 1975 at a bar called the Fiddler when they were introduced through a mutual friend. In this interview they discuss what it was like to come out in rural Pennsylvania in the 70’s and the challenges of living in an area that was very religious. Charlie also discusses his experience being gay in the military and how surprisingly he did not face much prejudice as a result of his sexuality, especially while in Europe. The couple also reflects on the difficulty of losing friends to AIDS in the 80’s and the type of activism they became involved with during that crisis. In conclusion, Jon and Charlie express that they felt lucky that they had not faced a lot of prejudice in their lives, because of their relationship, and discuss how they feel that there are not a lot of differences between their relationship and a relationship between a straight couple.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: HIV/AIDs

Organizations: Lancaster AIDS Project, The Betty Finney House

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 052: Jon Johnson and Charles Maser

Date: March 22, 2014

Barry Loveland was born December 28th, 1956 in Schenectady, New York. After graduating from high school, Barry attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in Architecture and Building Sciences. Following his undergraduate career, Barry got accepted at Eastern Michigan University, where he earned a Masters in Historic Preservation Planning and became very active in the LGBT community. Since his participation, Barry has been an integral member of this community. From developing Montgomery, Alabama’s first gay organization to the creation of Common Roads, Barry has demonstrated his drive and his passion for the success and the advancement of the LGBT community. In this interview, Barry discusses in great length the numerous activist roles that he has possessed in his lifetime as well as the opportunities resulting from his selfless work. Also in this interview, Barry reveals the details of his own personal lifelong journey of coming out and what support systems he uncovered along the way as he formulated his own identity.

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations: Common Roads, Dignity/Central PA

View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 070: Barry Loveland