Cooper, Janet

Janet Cooper (left) and Sam Deetz (right), members of the PA Rural Gay Caucus, in  late 1975 or early 1976.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Council for Sexual Minorites was an officially appointed advisory committee created by Governor Milton J. Shapp in 1976. Governor Shapp, by executive order, declared that all executive branch offices and services were to end discriminatory practices and policies against all LGBTQ+ employees, clients, and program of state services. The proposed council was his instrument guaranteeing the implementation of his decree throughout the Executive Branch of state government.

Minutes from the State Employment Subcommittee of the Governor's Council for Sexual Minorities. Minutes include: 

• Managament Procedures for Affirmative Action
• Should the State Employment Committee seek to become an in-house committee of the office of administration?

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Council for Sexual Minorites was an officially appointed advisory committee created by Governor Milton J. Shapp in 1976. Governor Shapp, by executive order, declared that all executive branch offices and services were to end discriminatory practices and policies against all LGBTQ+ employees, clients, and program of state services. The proposed council was his instrument guaranteeing the implementation of his decree throughout the Executive Branch of state government.

Press release announcing the establishment of the Gay Youth Committee headed by Janet Cooper.

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Council for Sexual Minorites was an officially appointed advisory committee created by Governor Milton J. Shapp in 1976. Governor Shapp, by executive order, declared that all executive branch offices and services were to end discriminatory practices and policies against all LGBTQ+ employees, clients, and program of state services. The proposed council was his instrument guaranteeing the implementation of his decree throughout the Executive Branch of state government.

Minutes for the May 4, 1977 meeting. Minutes include:

• summary of presentation by Don Borbe on ''Inclusive Ministiries - Disabled Gays, Alcoholic Gays, and Older Gays"
• annoucements
• Employment Committe Report
• Lesgilations Committee Report
• Summary of Reorganization of Committees
• Attendence policy 
• updates on specific members
• future progroms discussion

Founded in December of 1974, the Gay Coordinating Society of Berks County, Reading, PA (GCS Berks) was a LGBTQ+ activist organization in the Berks County area and a fundamental part of the Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus. The newsletter was a way to inform members and community members about LGBTQ+ issues.

Noteworthy in this issue:

• GCS Berks Art Alliance establishes National Gay Art Alliance and plans National Gay Art Show (p. 7)

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 newsletter was used as outreach to the Central PA LGBTQ community. Highlights of this report include:

• Plans for Gay Lobby Day
• Dyketactics group protests film "The Snuff"
• Efforts to pass Human Relations Act in Reading, PA

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. Noteworthy news in this issues:

• "What is Obscenity?" (p. 3)
• "Gay Rights Ordinance Attempted in Allentown ("p. 5)
• "Lobbyist Kohn Denies Charges "(p. 6)
• "PA Rural Gay Resource List" (p. 12)
• We Are Not the Criminals: Support Human Rights Day (p. 13)
• "Dyke Cooper" (p. 15)
• "Gay Awareness at MSC" (p. 19)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. Noteworthy news in this issues:

• "State Council for Sexual Minorities Establishes Complaint Center" (p. 2)
• "Equality for Gays Voted at West Chester State" (p. 2)
• "Rural Caucus Meets in State College" (p. 7)
• "Villanova University's Gays Still Deep in Closet" (p. 7)
• "So There Are No Sexual Minority Materials in Textbooks" (p. 10)
• "Reasons for Repeal of Pennsylvania's Voluntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Sodomy) Statute" (p. 15)
• H.O.W. [Homophiles of Williamsport] (p. 17)
• " 'Prissy' Off-Stage in Marietta" (p. 22)
• "Rural Gay Resource List" (p. 23)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. Noteworthy news in this issues:

• "Rural Caucus" (p. 2)
• "Coming Out" (p. 5)
• "Dyke Cooper" (p. 6)
• "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" (p. 8)
• "Rural Gay Resource List" (p. 15)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. Notable news in this issues:

• "Trouble in New Hope" (p. 2)
• "Bar Brawls" (p. 4)
• "Coming Out" (p. 6)
• "Gay R.A. Fired" (p. 9)
• "Sodomy Repeals" (p. 11)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. Noteworthy news in this issues:

• "Pennsylvania Gay Pride Week: Legislators Freak Out" (p.3)
• "Dyke Cooper" (p.6)
• "Gay Pride Seventy-Six" (p.8)
• "Rural Caucus Report" (p.10)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. Notable news in this issues:

• In the News (p.3)
• Rural Caucus Report (p.6)
• "James Dean: Was He or Wasn't He?" (p.5)
• Stonewall Remembered (p.10)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. This is an anniversary issue. Noteworthy news in this issue includes:

• "State Hiring Regulations" (p.3)
• "Dyke Cooper" (p. 5)
• Rural Caucus Report (p. 7)
• "Shapp and Shrinks" (p. 9)
• "Reading (PA) Items" (p. 9) 
• "Council on Sexual Minorities" (p. 10)
• "Lebanon Items [Gay League of Lebanon]" (p. 11)
• "Pennsylvania Gays - It's Time" (p. 12)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. Notable news in this issues:

• "Wheatland Zapped" (p. 4)
• "Rural Caucus Report" (p. 5)
• "State College [PA]" (p. 5)
• "Reading [PA]" (p. 5)
• "A Personal Expression of Gay Oppression from Lancaster, PA" (p. 12)
• "Northumberland [PA]" (p. 13)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA. Notable news in this issues:

• Gay Health Column (p.5)
• After a Year of Activism (p.6)
• Rural Caucus Meeting (p.7)
• Philadelphia Bill Defeated (p.7)
• Phila. Gay News Begins Publishing (p.7)
• GUL Holds Election of Officers (p.8)
• GUL Co-Sponsors Phila. Conference (p.8)
• Date Set For Gay Lobby Day (p.8)
• Dyke Cooper Comes to Town (p.9)
• Of Interest to Gay Women (W.O.W.) (p.9)
• Plant-Nite at Marietta Avenue (p.19)
• State Police Investigating Blackmail Racket (p.20)
• New Peer Counseling Program Begins (p.20)
• Constructing Gay Pride or Bari's Five Steps to Sainthood (p.23)

The Gay Era was a newspaper that reported news of interest from around the United States, with a specific focus on the news surrounding the gay community in Central PA, and provided a central forum for gay communities that were spread out across Central PA.

This issue was labeled incorrectly, and should be April 1976. Noteworthy news in this issue: 

• "Supreme Court Says 'Nay' on Gay" (p. 1)
• "Rural Caucus Report" (p. 5)
• "Governor's Council on Sexual Minorities" (p. 8)
• "Gay Education Day" (p. 12)