PA Rural Gay Caucus Minutes - January 1977

Number of Pages
6
Date
January 1977

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.

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

PA Rural Gay Caucus Education Committee Minutes - March 31, circa 1976

Number of Pages
2
Date
March 31, circa 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.”

In these meeting minutes, the Education Committee discusses Sam Edmiston's discrimination experience at Bloomsburg University, which then leads the committee to gather information to help change policies pertaining to discrimination against gays on college campuses.

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

PA Rural Gay Caucus Report - March 1976

Number of Pages
4
Date
March 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 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
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Events
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

PA Rural Gay Caucus Report - October 1976

Number of Pages
4
Date
October 1976

The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus is 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. In this newsletter the PA Rural Gay Caucus metions:

  • the withdrawl of Le-Hi-Ho from the Caucus
  • the strucutre of the Caucus was disucssed
  • elections were held when multiple chairpersons resigned
  • the tragic news of a young LGBTQ teenager's suicide
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Time Period
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Origin
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

PA Rural Gay Caucus Report - August 1976

Number of Pages
4
Date
August 1976

The Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus is 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. In this newsletter, the editor describes the purpose of the newsletter and explains how someone could become involved in the Caucus, as well as the different committee they could be involved in.

The newsletter then gives the meeting minutes from the August, which cover:

  • the recognition of the in-house Gay Rights Advisory Committee under the Department of Education and the sensitization sessions in the works for upper members of the Pennsylvania Department of Education
  • the scheduling of sensativity sessions for student workers at Bloomsburg State College
  • an invitation to join the National Coalition of Gay Activities
  • follow-up on the responses from senators and representatives about the letter sent to them in July about Gay Pride Week.
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Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns

PA Rural Gay Caucus Report - May 1977

Number of Pages
3
Date
May 1977

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. In this newsletter, the PA Rural Gay Caucus provides the location and time for the June meeting, and the minutes from the May meeting that include:

  • Communications and Legislative Committee Reports
  • Youth Committee Report
  • Concerns over PA Senate Bill 83
  • Call for nominations for the Secretary Postion
  • Budgets for committees
  • 3rd World Commitee Report.
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Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

Gay Era (Lancaster, PA) - June 1976

Number of Pages
16
Date
June 1976

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

Gay Era (Lancaster, PA) - May 1976

Number of Pages
16
Date
May 1976

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)

 

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Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Location
LGBT - 001 Joseph W. Burns Periodicals Collection

Gay Era (Lancaster, PA) - April 1976

Number of Pages
13
Date
April 1976

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