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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 4, 2017
Chris Dietz was born on April 6, 1975 in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He lived in Carlisle shortly after he was born, before moving to Perry County with his parents and younger sister. There, he attended West Perry School District and participated in...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: Family Unit
Organizations:
View Item: 
Transcription of LGBT Oral History 029: Chris Dietz
Date: March 21, 2014
Margaret “Peg” Dierkers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1957 and attended a Catholic school as a child. She earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Ohio State University, and eventually enrolled in a doctoral program in Human...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: HIV/AIDs, Family Unit
Organizations: South Central Aids Assistance Network (SCAAN)
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 028: Margaret ''Peg'' Dierkers
Date: April 20, 2017
Tammy del Sol was born in 1963. In this oral history, she discusses her college experience at several institutions, playing racquetball, her father’s (now her own) dental practice, her close-knit family, her artistic side, her...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: Family Unit
Organizations:
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 026: Tammy del Sol
Date: October 27, 2013
Samuel Deetz was born in Quakertown (Pennsylvania), in 1951, on April 21 and was one of eight children. Sam’s father became a minister, which allowed his family to move from place to place over Sam’s young life. Sam’s family...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics:
Organizations: PA Rural Gay Caucus, Susquehanna Valley Gays United (SVGU)
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 025: Sam Deetz
Date: April 15, 2015
Ray Davis was born on April 30th, 1954 in Bethlehem, PA. After attending Catholic school, Ray went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in ornamental horticulture from Delaware Valley College in Doylestown, PA. After moving to...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: HIV/AIDs
Organizations: South Central Aids Assistance Network (SCAAN)
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 022: Ray Davis
Date: June 26, 2013
Bobbi Carmitchell was born in Willow Street, Pennsylvania. She spent most of her professional career as a full-time musician, but currently has added contracting work in stained glass and woodworking art. Bobbi describes her...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: Feminism
Organizations: Women's Circle
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 013: Bobbi Carmitchell
Date: March 8, 2017
This is a story circle with Barry Loveland, Richard Hause, and Steven Leshner discussing the life and work of Jerry Brennan. They begin with the discussion of Jerry’s childhood religion and his attendance of St. Bernard’s...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics:
Organizations: Gay Switchboard of Harrisburg (GSH), Dignity/Central PA
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 011: Jerry Brennan
Date: October 13, 2014
James “Jim” Bortzfield was born in Lancaster, PA in 1934. He received his undergraduate degree from Elizabethtown College as a business major. Upon graduation, Jim moved to Harrisburg to work as a buyer for Pomeroy’s, but after several years he...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics:
Organizations:
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 010: James ''Jim'' Bortzfield
Date: December 1997
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: October 1997
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 1997
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 1997
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) - July 1997
Date: April 1997
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: Her Story Bookstore
Date: March 1997
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: February 1997
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: Faculty, Staff, and Administrators (FASA), Pink Triangle Coalition (PTC)
Date: August 27, 2014
Nancy Datres was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania in 1948 and first moved to Harrisburg to pursue computer science after becoming blacklisted by the Altoona Police Department when she was just 27 years old. Thereafter, Nancy moved through several...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics:
Organizations:
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 020B: Nancy Datres
Date: March 26, 2015
Growing up in the conservative Lebanon County of central PA, Barbara Darkes attended grade school through the beginning of her pre-law college career without experiencing any attraction to women. It was at her summer job at the local YMCA during...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: Coming Out
Organizations: LGBT Center of Central PA
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 019: Barbara Darkes
Date: August 8, 2017
Joe Christ was born in 1927 with Klinefelter syndrome and assigned male at birth. The seventh of eight children, Christ was placed into an orphanage during the Great Depression where they stayed until age 18. Two weeks later, Christ was drafted...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: Intersex
Organizations:
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 017: Joe Christ
Date: November 18, 2016
Joanne Carroll was born in Alberta, Canada in 1940 as John Carroll. She spent the first 60 years of her life as a man, marrying twice and having two children. She worked a number of jobs throughout the country, primarily in the Air Force but also...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: Transgender Experiences, Coming Out
Organizations: TransCentral PA
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 014: Joanne Carroll
Date: January 1977
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: Freedom to Marry Coalition
Date: December 16, 2015
John Barns was born in Perry County, Pennsylvania. He comes from a family of farmers and is Pennsylvania Dutch. He grew up on a farm, joined the military during Vietnam, and then worked for the Pennsylvania government for 30...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics:
Organizations: Dignity/Central PA
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 005: John Barns
Date: November 19, 2015
In this oral history, Anonymous_001 starts off discussing his family life. He states that his family life was not the best but not the worst, however after his mother left and his father developed borderline personality disorder, he decided to...
Collection: LGBT Oral History
Topics: Addiction
Organizations:
View Item: Transcription of LGBT Oral History 001: Anonymous
Date: June 1976
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.” The report was used as a type of newsletter...
Collection: LGBT-001 - Burns
Topics:
Organizations: PA Rural Gay Caucus
View Item: PA Rural Gay Caucus Statistics Report - June 1976
Date: 1976
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.” The report was used as a...
Collection: LGBT-001 - Burns
Topics: Sodomy Laws
Organizations: PA Rural Gay Caucus
View Item: PA Rural Gay Caucus Reasons for Repeal of Sodomy Statute - 1976
Date: May 25, 1976
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.” The report was used as a...
Collection: LGBT-001 - Burns
Topics: PA Senate Bill 743, Sodomy Repeal Bill
Organizations: PA Rural Gay Caucus
View Item: PA Rural Gay Caucus Legislation Report - May 25, 1976