The Gayfolio (MCC Harrisburg) - November 1981

Number of Pages
7
Date
November 1981

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 Gayfolio, which after two issues later became The Link, was a gay community newspaper published by MCC Harrsiburg. The main article in this issue is "Election '81 Analysis: Did the gay and lesbian vote affect the outcome?" There is also news about local MCC chapters. 

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

The Scroll (MCC Harrisburg) - September 1977

Number of Pages
5
Date
September 1977

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. 

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

MCC Harrisburg Newsletter - June/July 1981

Number of Pages
3
Date
June/July 1981

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.

This newsletter gives a general summary of events int June and July, gave a summary of the parishes discussion on "Inclusive Language," which was a topic at a recent discussion meeting, and provides a calendar of events for the month of August. 

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General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-029 Steven Leshner Collection

Number of Pages
6
Date
1985-1999

Steven Leshner became a member of Dignity/Central PA, a Catholic organization for LGBTQ+ individuals that has been active in the Harrisburg, PA area since 1976, in the 1970s, where he participated in events and activities, as well as became part of the social committee. The materials in this collection document the activities of this group. Leshner is still active in the Dignity community today.

Organizations
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Steven Leshner
Collection
Location
LGBT-029 Steven Leshner Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-041 Sam Edmiston Collection

Number of Pages
4
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 training. While in the US Navy, Edmiston was a dispersing clerk until he was dishonorably discharged for being gay in 1966. Edmiston fought to change the discharge, and his papers were later changed to a “general discharge under general conditions.”

After coming home from the Navy, Edmiston worked various jobs until he retired from working for seven years for personal health reasons. After the seven years, Edmiston found a job with the Social Security Administration through Administrative Careers of America. He went on to work for the Social Security Administration for the next 10 years until he finally retired permanently.

Throughout and after college Edmiston was active in the pursuit of gay rights. He started the Susquehanna Valley Gays United in 1976 with friend Sam Deetz, was the secretary for the PA Rural Gay Caucus, contributed to the Lancaster Gay Era Newspaper, and was part of Dignity/Central PA.

People
Year
Origin
Gift of Sam Edmiston
Collection
Location
LGBT-041 Sam Edmiston Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-030 Bob Riese

Number of Pages
2
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.
People
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Bob Riese
Collection
Location
LGBT-030 Bob Riese Collection

LGBT Oral History 060: Colin Kreitzer

Number of Pages
21
Date
February 16, 2017

Colin Kreitzer was born in 1947 in Enola, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Wormleysburg, Pennsylvania with his parents and his younger sister. He attended West Chester College and moved to Harrisburg in 1977, where he began getting involved in the gay community through activism and social activities. In this interview Colin reviews his involvement in the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Harrisburg, Dignity, Metropolitan Community Church, and volleyball. He also talks about the stigma of growing up as a closeted gay man, the bullying he experienced in primary and secondary school, and how he came to accept his sexuality and come out when he was in college. He discusses his past relationships and the struggles that he has experienced trying to forge healthy, emotional connections with others. Colin is also involved in Alcoholics Anonymous, and explains the values he has gained from the organization and the changes in his own character and behavior.

Events
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Colin Kreitzer
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Kreitzer, Colin - 060

LGBT Oral History 045: Richard Hause

Number of Pages
10
Date
September 20, 2013

Richard H. Hause was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on May 21, 1947, moving to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after he graduated from high school in 1965. After coming out to his family when he was eighteen, Richard began working for the State Government in the Department of Highways, and he eventually retired from the State Government in the Department of Public Welfare just eight years ago. While Richard discusses in his interview the difficulties of identifying as LGBT in both personal and professional spheres, he also illustrates the vibrancy of the gay community by citing memorable experiences both occurring in Harrisburg as well as in nearby communities such as Washington, D.C. He expresses his regular interest in LGBT activism, from supporting the Human Rights Campaign Fund to participating in the local Pride Festival every year to being an active member in the Dignity Chapter of Central Pennsylvania, one of the first LGBT organizations started in the area. Throughout his interview, Richard expresses the historical changes he has witnessed in the gay community both nationally and locally, and he emphasizes his distaste for organized religion, asserting its negative political influence on the gay rights movement.

Organizations
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Richard Hause
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Hause, Richard - 045

LGBT Oral History 035: John Folby

Number of Pages
20
Date
March 26, 2014

John Folby was born in Pittsburgh in 1947. He was the oldest of five children in an Irish-Italian Catholic family. He relocated to Harrisburg in 1975 with his partner. John continues to live with his partner in Harrisburg in a relationship lasting more than 44 years. John is well-known for his activism in the LGBT community of Central Pennsylvania. In his younger days, John was involved in a Catholic group for lesbians and gays known as Dignity, and assisted in the Gay Switchboard Hotline. He began a 25-year career in a state government civil service position running a medical drug program for persons with HIV/AIDS. He continues his service to the LGBT community through consulting for the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health which offers the Pennsylvania Mid-Atlantic AIDS Education Training Center. John’s work with HIV/AIDS has been recognized with numerous awards, and the John Folby Award for Excellence is named in his honor. He additionally volunteers for the LGBT Center of Central PA’s History project. In this interview, John not only discusses his extensive activism efforts, but also his family’s reluctance to address and accept his homosexuality, his relationship with his partner, and changes within the LGBT community within his lifetime. He also discusses his and his partner’s decision to have John adopt his partner in order to financially protect themselves and their assets when gay marriage was illegal in Pennsylvanian.

Topics
People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of John Folby
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Folby, John - 035

LGBT Oral History 011: Jerry Brennan

Number of Pages
26
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 Seminary in Alabama. Barry, Richard, and Steven also discuss Jerry’s charitable works, including being a founding member of Gay Community Services, Gay Switchboard, and finally in the local Dignity chapter. The men attempt to nail down Jerry’s personal life, from childhood to adulthood, although since he rarely talked about it they are only able to piece together clues from the time they knew him. They also discuss Jerry’s social activism and involvement in both the Black Civil Rights Movement and the local gay community. Barry, Richard, and Steven go off on a pleasant tangent discussing comedians and speakers that Jerry had come to Harrisburg. The men finish reminiscing about Jerry by discussing what little they knew about his love life.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Richard Hause, Steven Leshner, and Barry Loveland
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Brennan, Jerry - 011

LGBT Oral History 005: John Barns

Number of Pages
20
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 years. He discusses his experience of being gay in a small farm community and the conflicts that arose within his family because of his sexuality. He discusses the gay community in Perry County, Lancaster, and Harrisburg, as well as relationships that developed in each. The most prominent relationship that he discusses is his relationship with Walter Lear, the Regional Health Commissioner of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. He also talks about Dignity, a Roman Catholic organization that was a refuge for gay Catholics and/or gays of any religious background in the Harrisburg area. He discusses the impact that Dignity had on the gay community in Harrisburg and as well as on him. Also, he touches on certain people in his life that helped him come to terms with his sexuality.

Organizations
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of John Barns
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Barns, John - 005

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - July 1988

Number of Pages
3
Date
July 1988

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s

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Events
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

"The Normal Heart" Program - January 21, 1988

Number of Pages
9
Date
January 21, 1988

Program for "The Normal Heart" performance by Lily White & Company at the Rose Lehrman Art Centre at Harrisburg Area Community College in January 1988.

Topics
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Paul Foltz
Location
LGBT-043 Lily White & Company

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - January 1987

Number of Pages
3
Date
January 1987

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - December 1986

Number of Pages
3
Date
December 1986

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - August 1986

Number of Pages
3
Date
August 1986

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Year
Time Period
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Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - July 1986

Number of Pages
3
Date
July 1986

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - June 1986

Number of Pages
3
Date
June 1986

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Year
Time Period
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Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - July 1985

Number of Pages
3
Date
July 1985

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Topics
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - May 1985

Number of Pages
3
Date
May 1985

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - January 1985

Number of Pages
3
Date
January 1985

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s. This issue features:

  • It costs $1,200 to print and distribute the Lavender Letter in 1984.
  • Lesbian (CR) Consciousness Raising Meeting
  • MCC of Harrisburg has changed it's name to MCC of the Spirit
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Year
Time Period
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Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - December 1984

Number of Pages
3
Date
December 1984

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s. This issue announces the Harrisburg City Council meeting to discuss an anti-discrimination ordinance for Harrisburg.

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Year
Time Period
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Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - November 1984

Number of Pages
3
Date
November 1984

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Year
Time Period
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Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - October 1984

Number of Pages
3
Date
October 1984

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Topics
Organizations
Year
Time Period
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Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - July 1984

Number of Pages
3
Date
July 1984

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. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000sThis issue features:

  • The first Open Air Festival is announced.
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Organizations
Year
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Origin
Gift of Lorraine Kujawa
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LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection