Nancarrow, Mary

Founded in 1994, the Central PA Womyn’s Chorus “brings together a diverse group of women, united by the joy of singing, to celebrate and empower women and to affirm a positive image of lesbians and feminists.” This event program is from the Central PA Womyn's Chorus' fall 2006 concert "SAS: Singers and Songwriters," a celebration of female singer-songwriters held at the Colonial Park United Church of Christ in Harrisburg on November 18th. The concert featured special guests Janie Womack and Bobbi Carmitchell and received support from the Jump Street/Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

The Central PA Womyn’s Chorus is an all-women’s chorus group that performs concerts throughout the Central Pennsylvania region. Founded in 1994, the chorus made its debut at the Pride Festival of Central PA in Harrisburg. The chorus continues to perform concerts throughout the area which raise awareness about feminist and LGBTQ+ issues.

This collection contains eight series: Concert Programs; Concert Flyers; General Publicity; Gala Choruses VIIE Festival International, Montreal, Canada 2004; Articles; Miscellaneous; Posters; and Artifacts.

Concert Programs features an assortment of programs from the chorus group’s concerts between 1998 and 2022. Concert Flyers includes a series of flyers promoting the chorus group’s concerts between 2014 and 2019. General Publicity includes inserts, a postcard, and a membership brochure to raise awareness about the chorus group. The Gala Choruses VIIE Festival International, Montreal, Canada 2004 includes a booklet and a program from the festival at which the group performed. Articles features news stories documenting the work of the chorus group in the community. Miscellaneous includes music lyrics, notes, and a music catalog used by members of the chorus group. Posters features an assortment of the chorus group’s promotional concert posters. Artifacts include a chorus group polo shirt and t-shirt.

The Pride Festival of Central PA is an annual event celebrating the LGBTQ+ community in the Central Pennsylvania region. Founded in 1992, the festival takes place every year on the last Saturday of July in the city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Each July, approximately 5,000 individuals travel to downtown Harrisburg and attend the Pride Festival. It is the largest Pride celebration between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

This is the program for the second Pride Festival of Central PA. 

Mary Nancarrow at the First Community Recognition Banquet hosted at Miss Garbo's Tea Room in Carlisle, PA.

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 October 20, 1979 meeting. Minutes include: 

• Update on the ALleghany Voluntary Deviate Intercourse Case
• Department of Welfare Update
• Department of Aging
• General Annoucements
• "Racism, Sexism, and Homophobia" written presentation

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.

• Update on the Voluntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse Statute
• Update on Aging and Speaker's Bureau
• Update on Alcoholism
• Department of Welfare (DPW) Proposed Task Force 
• Pride '79
• General Announcements
• Update on Workgroups

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 April 17, 1979 meeting. Minutes include

• Update on attendance policy
• Status of the Council
• Update on Alcoholism
• Update on Advisory Council presentation to the US Civil Rights Commission
• Update on conference on LGBTQ+ Prisoner Sexual Assault
• Pride '79 planning
• Update on Speaker's Bureau
• Council Membership

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 January 31, 1979 meeting. Minutes include:

• Council Direction over the next four years
• Announcements
• Update on the Commonwealth Student Association
• Update on Media outlets to support the council
• Update on Alcoholism

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 April 12, 1978 meeting. Minutes include: 

• The future direction of projects undertaken by the council
• General annoucements
• Update on the Speaker's Bureau
• Health Committe Report
• Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) update
• Employment and Education Committees Reports 
• Pride 78 update

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.

This was the agenda and minutes for a September 1978 meeting. The meeting included:

• announcements
• an update on the Gay State-wide Support Network
• updates on Affirmative Action training
• training in the State Police Academy on sexual minorities issues
• disucssion about the Prison Rape Project
• discussion on how the council can support education on Gay Alcoholism

Born in 1951, Mary Nancarrow grew up in the Harrisburg area, and from a young age, she has been involved in the movements for LGBT and women’s rights, especially for Central Pennsylvania. She has worked extensively with NOW, serving as the president for Pennsylvania NOW in 1984 and 1985. As part of this involvement, she helped to plan the first march on Washington for LGBT rights, which was eventually held in 1987. Additionally, she was one of the founders of the Pennsylvania Rural Gay Caucus, and she was also very involved in the drafting and passing of the Harrisburg Human Relations Ordinance, ensuring that the legislation provided protection against discrimination for LGBT people. She recently retired from the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission after over 20 years. In this interview, she discusses what it was like to be gay in the ’70s, ’80s, and ‘90s, particularly in the Central Pennsylvania area, recalling discrimination she and others faced during that time period, her struggles with coming out to her parents, notable events of the era and her personal reaction to them, and her dedication to LGBT and women’s rights and its role in her life.

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, along with planning of Gay Lobby Day, concerns over the Helath Concerns Committe, and information surrounding Anita Bryant's ''Save Our Children'' campaign. 

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 minutes are reports as well as reports from the Legislative, Communication, and Education committees. 

Program for Pride '80, a statewide gay rights conference. 

Program for Pride '78, a statewide gay rights conference. The program also explains the "Dark Side" of planning Pride '78, specifically the controversy with the Americus Hotel in Allentown, PA. 

Minutes from the entirity of Pride'78, a statewide gay rights conference. 

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 sessions. The newsletter, Here’s How, was a way to keep group members up-to-date on news and events.

Mary Nancarrow grew up in a suburb of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in the 1950s and 1960s with divorced parents and two siblings. After graduating from Shippensburg University, she became prominent in the women’s movement and the LGBT movement in Central Pennsylvania, serving on the Governor’s Council for Sexual Minorities and the Rural Gay Caucus. Mary was also heavily involved in the National Organization for Women [NOW] and was elected NOW Pennsylvania President, working to pass marital rape legislation, funding and campaigning for political races, and fundraising money for the NOW PAC. After her presidency, she helped to plan the National March for LGBT Rights in Washington D.C. and volunteered for the Harrisburg Gay and Lesbian Switchboard. Today, Mary lives in Harrisburg and sings in the Women’s Chorus. In this interview, Mary discusses her childhood and early relationship to religion as well as her involvement with the anti-Vietnam War movement throughout high school and college. She also describes her contributions to Shippensburg Gays United, feminism within the gay rights movement, and the experience of coming out to her parents and friends. Mary concludes the interview by acknowledging the incredible extent to which the LGBT community has changed over her lifetime and expresses her hope to see ongoing growth in civil rights in the future.

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 this letter, Joseph Burns tells members of the departure of Lehigh Valley Homophile Organization (Le-Hi-Ho) from the group due to division among the group. He also goes on to talk about the protentional for growth and change within the caucus, starting with the next meeting, where they will decide if the caucus stays an organization or dissolves.