1970-1979

Statement proposed by Joseph W. Burns in representation of the PA Rural Gay Caucus against the PA House of Representatives for rejecting Governor Shapp's Proclamation of Gay Pride Week, June 12 -19, 1976.

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

Julia “Julie” Lobur was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania in 1955 and moved to Harrisburg in 1970. She received her bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) and received a master’s degree in Computer Science in 2003. Lobur briefly served in the military in 1983, eventually being discharged for being a lesbian, but it was also where she met her wife Marla.

For Lobur, her introduction to the LGBTQ+ community was influenced by the Commerce Diner. Located across the street from the then 400 Club, a LGBTQ+ bar of the time, and adjacent to State Street in Harrisburg, PA, the Commerce Diner catered to LGBTQ+ clientele in the 1970s. The diner eventually closed, and the building was demolished in the late 1980s.

Lobur currently works as a computer architect for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is an adjunct professor of computer science for Penn State. She resides in Central PA today.

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. 

The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus was “an association of interested individuals and groups, formed with the objective of promulgating the concerns and freedoms of gay people and all sexual minorities.”

In these minutes general information is shared, and includes information on Human Rights Day, a Youth Committee Report, and an update on Senate Bill 83.

The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus was “an association of interested individuals and groups, formed with the objective of promulgating the concerns and freedoms of gay people and all sexual minorities.”

In these minutes general information is shared, inluding updates on Senate Bill 83 and the sodomy repeal bill, information regarding Anita Bryant, and an update on how Gay Lobby Day went. 

The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus was “an association of interested individuals and groups, formed with the objective of promulgating the concerns and freedoms of gay people and all sexual minorities."

In these minutes general information is shared, along with planning of Gay Lobby Day, concerns over the Helath Concerns Committe, and information surrounding Anita Bryant's ''Save Our Children'' campaign. 

The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus was “an association of interested individuals and groups, formed with the objective of promulgating the concerns and freedoms of gay people and all sexual minorities.”

In these minutes general information is shared, and includes reports from the Treasurer, Communications Committee, and Education Committee. 

The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus was “an association of interested individuals and groups, formed with the objective of promulgating the concerns and freedoms of gay people and all sexual minorities.”

In these minutes general information is shared, as well as discussion of Senate Bill 83, the sodomy repeal bill, and an update on the Lebanon High School issue.

The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus was “an association of interested individuals and groups, formed with the objective of promulgating the concerns and freedoms of gay people and all sexual minorities.”

In these minutes, general minutes are reports as well as reports from the Legislative, Communication, and Education committees. 

The bulk of the collection consists of buttons, ribbons, and t-shirts from LGBT events. It also contains documentation of the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Harrisburg and Dignity of Central PA. Several of the items in this collection relate the story of Dan Miller, a Central PA accountant who was fired for being gay in 1990. This collection also contains program materials from the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, as well as Hershey, PA and NYC play performances. In addition, this collection includes items relevant to noteworthy LGBT Pennsylvanians. These items include an autographed photograph of Nancy Jane Kulp (born in Harrisburg, PA) who played Jane Hathaway on the television series Beverly Hillbillies; a photograph, publicity material, and an LP record album of T. C. Jones (born in Scranton, PA), well-known female impersonator; and an engraving of Bayard Taylor (born in Kennett Square, PA), who wrote Joseph and His Friend (1870), believed to be the first U.S. gay novel.

These images represent a cross section of the types of materials included in the LGBT Center of Central PA's History Project, which is housed in the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections. View the Collection in Flicker. 

For inventories of more materials, visit this page.

Founded in 1968 in California, the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) began as a Christian outreach to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. MCC Harrisburg (later renamed MCC of the Spirit) and MCC Lancaster (later renamed MCC Vision of Hope) were two local parishes in the Central PA Area.

The Scroll was an early version of the MCC Harrisburg Newsletter. This issue provides a calendar of events for September, October, and the beginning of November 1977. 

Founded in the early 1970’s, Northeast Pennsylvania Gay Alliance (NEPGA) was a major LGBTQ+ group in northeast Pennsylvania. The newsletter was used to relay monthly meeting minutes and upcoming events. For this newsletter, a new format was introduced.