Social Reform and Advocacy

Flyer for the annual Reading Spring Picnic.

Letter to the National Gay Task Force asking for resource materials for planning workshops in preperation for Gay Lobby Day, held on March 23, 1976. 

Letter from Sam Deetz to members of the Susquehanna Valley Gay Organization (SVGU) about Gay Lobby Day planning.

Letter from Williams James stating his opinion on the American O. Church. 

Announcement letter and informational flyer for Human Rights Day, held May 24, 1977 at Harrisburg, PA.

A list of Gay Pride Slogans created by Citizens Concerned for a Better Community (CCBC).

This is an update on the planning progress of Gay Lobby Day, which was held on March 23, 1976. There is information on upcoming workshops on lobbying, recruitment, educational packets, and what to expect on Gay Lobby Day itself.

This is the formal report from Gay Lobby Day, held on March 23, 1976 in Harrisburg, PA at the State Capitol. The repot includes results of Gay Lobby Day and suggestions for future events.

This is a copy of the informal report of Gay Lobby Day that was held on March 23, 1976 in Harrisburg, PA. There are also two correspondences included between William F. Hollabaugh to Artemis House, asking about lobbying suggestions and if the Gay Lobby Day Informal Report could be housed there.

This is a collection of recruitment flyers and letters created by the Gay Lobby Day Committee for Gay Lobby Day held on March 23, 1976.

This collection contains documents from the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Harrisburg (GLSH). Items include a Fall Achievement Benefit Program, information on the Alternative Central (a LGBTQ+ positive publication published by the GLSH), GLSH organizational maps and website information, a program and fundraiser letter for Pride 2005, and a series of Central PA Gay and Lesbian FilmFest posters. Digital copies of these items are held on the thumb drive in this collection.

Marlene Kanuck was born in 1949 in Hazleton, PA. Kanuck was a founder of the LGBT Center of Central PA, served as Vice President of the Central Pennsylvania Womyn’s Chorus, and was involved in a Harrisburg-area lesbian group called the Professional Women’s Organization. Currently Kanuck works at the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

This collection contains an informational flyer on The Lesbian Connection, LGBTQ+ and feminist activist buttons and pins, and LGBTQ+ artist vinyl records.

Nancy Helm was born in Lancaster, PA and graduated from Manheim Township High School in 1981. After graduating, she worked for a printing company and had other odd jobs before opening a hair salon with her partner. In 1991, she decided to open a bookstore cattycorner from the salon on Prince Street: The Closet. Helm started the bookstore as an outlet for the gay community of Lancaster so they could meet, hang out, and shop. The bookstore became the target of anti-gay crime that same year, including bombings and multiple threats, and because of that closed in 1992.

Helm was also a member of the Pink Triangle Coalition (PTC). Created in 1991 the coalition was instrumental in getting sexual orientation non-discrimination protection added to the Human Relations Ordnance in the City of Lancaster. Helm was the key spokesperson for the group. Helm still resides in Central Pa today.

Newsletter for Susquehanna Lambda, a LGBTQ+ organization that provided services to the LGBTQ+ community in the greater Susquehanna Valley. In this newsletter an introduction of the group, infromation on membership, and a list of upcoming events is provided. 

The Tassle Newsletter was produced by The Gay & Lesbian Organization of Reading & Allentown. 

List of Gay Organizations in the Allentown/Reading Area of Pennsylvania created by the Gayline of Allentown. 

A list of essential gay services created by Gayline of Allentown, which include but are not limited to switchboards, local organizations, centers, and religious groups, in Berks County, Harrisburg, and Philadelpha, PA. 

Steve Glassman was born on September 20, 1954 in Chicago. He was fortunate enough to grow up in a rather liberal household with accepting parents who were involved in political activism and social justice during the Civil Rights era. Glassman’s story is unique in that he utilized his privilege in both his upbringing and education to further the activism that his parent’s passed down to him. Glassman graduated from Brown University with a BA in Art History and Architecture and moved on to then receive his MA in Museum Curatorial Work from Yale University. In this interview, Glassman describes what it is like as a person of the LGBT community to work for a living while simultaneously dedicating their life to LGBT rights and the rights of other marginalized communities. He has owned his own architectural firm while successfully balancing governmental positions and organizational positions.

The Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Center of Central PA (Harrisburg) began to form in the late 90s. To receive fundraising though the National Lesbian and Gay Community Funding Partnership of New York, the founding group was led approximately 600 need-based assessment surveys around Central Pennsylvania. The study covered the eight-county region of Central Pennsylvania. In 1999, the group received a matching grant from the foundation – one out of the two states in the country to get that funding. From this funding, the LGBT group in Harrisburg was able to gain a community center. In this interview, Louie Marven, Ben Dunlap, Marlene Kanuck and Elizabeth Mullaugh speak on their experiences as board members of the LGBT Center in Harrisburg and each describe the functions and communal efforts made by the group, including starting Gay-Straight Alliances in Pennsylvania high schools.

For more than a decade, Jeanine Ruhsam was an advocate in Central Pennsylvania’s transgender community. With the primary goal of providing support and resources for transgender people and their loved ones, she spearheaded the Trans Central Pennsylvania organization and the Keystone Conferences. Her projects have also included organizing initiatives like the Transgender Day of Remembrance, as well as political lobbying and legislation. Today she continues her career as a Women and Gender Studies Professor in New Hampshire. This interview discusses her personal experience as a trans women, her thoughts on the Central Pennsylvania LGBT community, and her insight into the future of trans people in the United States.

Amanda Porter [now known as Amanda Hecker] was born in 1950 in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Amanda is a trans woman and transgender rights educator and activist. In this interview, Amanda repeats her goal of wanting to make transgender people visible everywhere. She discusses her time in the Air Force and in college, during which she thought of herself as “cross-dressing.” She then later explains how she begin to learn the word “transgender” and ultimately identified as such. Amanda also explains her relationship with her wife, children, and friends before her coming out to them, but also elaborates on her time hiding her true identity. Furthermore, she touches on her current life being retired and owning a business. Finally, Amanda expands on how being a part of a transgender support group gave her the courage to be comfortable with herself as a woman, in addition to how it eventually led to her presenting on public speaking platforms and wanting to support others who struggle with the implications of being transgender in society.

Harry Long was born in Lebanon, Pennsylvania in 1951 and attended Lebanon High School. After attending Millersville State College, now Millersville University, and becoming involved with an underground newspaper, Harry began his career of working for newspapers; in addition to doing freelance artwork. In the early 1980s, Harry came out publicly as gay. In this interview, he discusses the struggles and joys of his experience affected by his sexuality, throughout his careers. Growing up in a fairly traditional family, it was a “long time coming” to be open about his sexuality to his parents. He discusses the challenges he faced in building up several successful newspapers and the relationships he made being a part of several gay rights organizations. Harry elaborates upon the importance of close friends and navigating through different jobs to find how one can be most accommodating in society. In this interview, Harry also touches on his experiences of being involved in politics and the changes (and similarities) that he has witnessed in Lebanon, Pennsylvania over the years.

Robert Sevensky was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1948. Despite having an unpleasant experience in early education and having financial issues, Robert persevered and ended up pursuing an academic career in college. After two years at the University of Scranton, he studied English abroad. He then eventually received his doctorate in philosophy. In this interview Robert discusses the struggles and joys of sexuality and religion from childhood to retirement. Growing up in a heteronormative society, he was mostly quiet about understanding and exploring his sexuality. He also discusses becoming involved with the church and the Holy Cross Monastery. The monastery is a significant part of Robert’s life as he and many other brothers there are openly gay. Furthermore, the monastery has become a safe space for LGBT-identifying folks to converse and participate in different programs. Robert elaborates on joining various LGBT rights organizations and other spaces that have become inclusive to LGBT folks. Though these spaces are inclusive, Robert explains the negative effects of how the HIV/AIDS epidemic was treated in medical facilities for a period of time. In this interview, Robert also touches on his current beliefs about how society has recently began to shift towards political correctness and what that means to him, specifically regarding queer theory and thus, queer people.

Marty Tornblom was born in Utah and was raised in the greater Salt Lake City area, as a member of the Mormon Church. She decided to get a degree in education which lead her to teaching. Following her marriage, she converted to Presbyterianism and moved all over the country, including Utah, California, Alabama, and Pennsylvania. Family is integral to her story, as she is happily married and has four children. She moved with her family to Harrisburg in 1980 and that began her involvement in the local community and work around HIV/AIDS. She worked for SCAAN (South Central AIDS Assistance Network) as a buddy for people with AIDS and the Prevention Educator for the organization. Marty discusses her personal relationship with many of her buddies and other people associated with the organization, her efforts to involve the greater local community, her work providing STI testing services for local people, her involvement in AIDS activism, and her hope for the continued progress within the LGBTQ community, reflecting back on all she’s seen in her life.