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LGBT History Project
About LGBT History Project Resources
The LGBT Center of Central PA and the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections have partnered to document the stories and history of LGBT life and activism in the greater Central Pennsylvania region. This site contains oral histories that have been recorded for the LGBT History Project, as well as fully accessible digital versions of documents, images, and artifacts that have been donated to the project.
This is a quickly growing collection, and not all items are available through this website. Please contact Malinda Triller-Doran at archives@dickinson.edu for information about how to access all of the resources of the LGBT History Project, as well as how to donate additional materials.
Generous support to make these unique resources accessible has been provided by the Schlegel Deibler Charitable Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
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LGBT History Project
Date: October 2004
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations: Central PA Womyn's Chorus
Date: August 2004
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations:
Date: July 2004
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations: Central PA Womyn's Chorus, MCC of the Spirit
View Item: Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - July 2004
Date: June 2004
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations:
View Item: Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - June 2004
Date: May 2005
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations: MCC of the Spirit
View Item: Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - May 2005
Date: April 2004
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations: Central PA Womyn's Chorus
Date: March 2004
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations: MCC of the Spirit, Central PA Womyn's Chorus
Date: February 2004
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations:
Date: November 1977
Homophiles of Williamsport (HOW) was founded in 1975 to be an educational outreach and social group for members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Williamsport, PA area, through monthly meetings, social events, and discussion...
Collection: LGBT-008 - Maneval
Topics:
Organizations: Homophiles of Williamsport (HOW), Gay Era
Date: October 1977
Homophiles of Williamsport (HOW) was founded in 1975 to be an educational outreach and social group for members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Williamsport, PA area, through monthly meetings, social events, and discussion...
Collection: LGBT-008 - Maneval
Topics:
Organizations:
View Item: Here's How (Williamsport, PA) - October 1977
Date: July 1977
Homophiles of Williamsport (HOW) was founded in 1975 to be an educational outreach and social group for members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Williamsport, PA area, through monthly meetings, social events, and discussion...
Collection: LGBT-008 - Maneval
Topics:
Organizations: Homophiles of Williamsport (HOW), PA Rural Gay Caucus
View Item: Here's How (Williamsport, PA) - July 1977
Date: June 1977
Homophiles of Williamsport (HOW) was founded in 1975 to be an educational outreach and social group for members of the LGBTQ+ community in the Williamsport, PA area, through monthly meetings, social events, and discussion...
Collection: LGBT-008 - Maneval
Topics:
Organizations: Homophiles of Williamsport (HOW), PA Rural Gay Caucus
View Item: Here's How (Williamsport, PA) - June 1977
Date: 1987, 2008
Paul Foltz grew up in Steelton, PA. After college, Foltz began studying theatre in England. It was here that Foltz discovered a strong and open LGBTQ+ community. When he returned to the United States, he became involved in Pennsylvania’s LGBTQA...
Collection: LGBT-093 - Foltz
Topics:
Organizations:
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-093 Paul Foltz Collection
Date: 1987-2019
Maria DiFava was born in Lebanon County, PA in 1953. She graduated from high school and attended nursing school and ultimately became an EMT volunteer. She later worked as a mail carrier for the US Postal Service. Marie married and had three...
Collection: LGBT-086 - DiFava
Topics:
Organizations: Lebanon County Lesbians (LCL)
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-086 Marie DiFava Collection
Date: 1961-2007
Robert “Bob” Deibler was born on January 20, 1940 in upper Paxton Township in Dauphin County, PA. He graduated from Millersburg Area High School and went on to attend Bloomsburg University with majors in social science and English, and later...
Collection: LGBT-081 - Deibler
Topics:
Organizations:
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-081 Robert ''Bob'' Deibler Collection
Date: 1961-2015
Sam Edmiston was born on July 17, 1945 in Middleburg, PA. In the April of 1963, Edmiston enrolled in the US Navy, and three weeks after his graduation, went to the Keel United States Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Illinois for recruitment...
Collection: LGBT-041 - Edmiston
Topics:
Organizations: Dignity/Central PA, Susquehanna Valley Gays United (SVGU)
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-041 Sam Edmiston Collection
Date: 1991-1995
Joy (Ufema) Counsel was raised in Altoona, Pennsylvania. After completing high school, (Ufema) Counsel began studying to become a nurse at the Altoona Hospital, and later completed a nursing program at Harrisburg Area Community College....
Collection: LGBT-038 - Ufema Counsel
Topics: HIV/AIDs
Organizations: York Hospice House (York, PA)
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-038 Joy Ufema Counsel Collection
Date: circa 2010
Founded by Andrew Park in 1996 as the Center of Lesbian and Gay rights, Equality Pennsylvania (PA) is an organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and legislation throughout the state.
Collection: LGBT-031 - Equality PA
Topics:
Organizations: Equality PA
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-031 Equality PA Collection
Date: 1976-1983
This collection contains monthly newsletters produced by the Gay Switchboard of Harrisburg in 1981, and an assortment of buttons documenting LGBTQ+ events and issues.
Collection: LGBT-030 - Riese
Topics:
Organizations: Dignity/Central PA, Gay Switchboard of Harrisburg (GSH)
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-030 Bob Riese Collection
Date: undated
Twaddle was a member of The Pennsmen, a group of LGBT people with a common interest in the leather/fetish lifestyle, for approximately 12 years. This collection consists of artifacts from his time in The Pennsmen. The artifacts...
Collection: LGBT-028 - Twaddle
Topics:
Organizations: Pennsmen Inc.
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-029 Richard Twaddle Collection
Date: circa 1995
Sharon Mahar Potter was born in Buffalo, NY and raised in Scranton, PA. She began commuting to Harrisburg, PA for the first time when she was offered a position to build the early intervention system for disabled children in the city. Profoundly...
Collection: LGBT-027 - Potter
Topics: LGBT Youth
Organizations: Bi, Gay, Lesbian Youth Association of Harrisburg (Bi-GLYAH)
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-027 Sharon Potter Collection
Date: circa 2000-2005
This collection contains stationary paper and envelopes for two funds and one event with which The Foundation for Enhancing Communities(TFEC) was involved. TFEC is a community foundation that serves the greater Harrisburg, PA area; Dillsburg, PA...
Collection: LGBT-026 - Foundation for Enhancing Communities
Topics:
Organizations: Foundation for Enhancing Communities
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-026 Foundation for Enhancing Communities Collection
Date: 2000-2014
Shaashawn Dial is as a poet, radio broadcaster, educator, author, and businesswoman. Kown as Shaashawn “The Voyce” Dial, and she released her debut spoken word album, Voycemail, after that nickname. Dial became the program director of 1400 THE...
Collection: LGBT-025 - Dial
Topics:
Organizations: LGBT Center of Central PA, Central PA Vipers
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-025 Shaashawn Dial Collection
Date: 1984-1996
Bernie Pupo was born in Kulpmont, Pennsylvania in 1945 and attended Mount Carmel Catholic High School. After working in a factory after high school, Bernie moved to Harrisburg, where he joined SCAAN, the South Central Aids Assistance Network,...
Collection: LGBT-024 - Pupo
Topics:
Organizations: South Central Aids Assistance Network (SCAAN)
View Item: LGBT History Project: LGBT-024 Bernie Pupo Collection
Date: December 2003
Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area...
Collection: LGBT-009 - Lavender Letter
Topics:
Organizations: AIDS Community Alliance