Religion and Spirituality

Eva O'Diam
April 6, 2015

Eva O’Diam was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1953 to her mother, a school teacher, and her father, an engineer. Growing up in conservative, rural Ohio, Eva lost her father at the age of 12 and moved to Covington, Ohio where she graduated from high...

Ray Davis
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...

LGBT History Project Logo
April 20, 2015

Lori Hatch-Rivera was born in Rockville Central, New York on Long Island in 1958. After Lori’s family moved to South Florida, Lori enrolled into what is now Palm Beach Atlantic University and graduated in 1989 with a degree in...

Cathy Nelson
November 11, 2015

Cathy Nelson was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Staten Island, New York, at the age of two with her strict Italian-Swedish family. As a child, Cathy loved music and did well in school. She also participated in Catholic youth group...

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Coming Out

Organizations: Central PA Womyn's Chorus

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LGBT History Project Logo
November 14, 2015

Don Haines was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and grew up there. In this interview he discusses his experience in Lancaster County as a gay man. He also discusses his experience in Columbia, PA and the acceptance that he has from his family and...

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: PDF icon Transcription of LGBT Oral History 043: Don Haines

John Barns
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...

Sabrina Valente
April 9, 2016

Sabrina Valente was born in Baltimore, MD and lived most of her childhood and adolescence in Littlestown, PA in Adams County. She attended Eastern University for an undergraduate degree in Biblical Studies and Wagner College for a Master’s degree...

Jude Sharp
August 22, 2016

Jude Sharp was born in November of 1947 in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania and graduated from the Philadelphia High School for Girls. She then attended the Tyler College of Art and studied the art of making jewelry. When she was 21, Jude married...

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: PDF icon Transcription of LGBT Oral History 106: Jude Sharp

Hannah Smith-Brubaker
October 27, 2016

Hannah-Smith Brubaker was born in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, and spent most of her childhood in Port Allegany, McKean County. She began to identify as a lesbian at the start of college, and she entered the political sphere for the first time...

LGBT History Project Logo
January 19, 2017

This is an interview with Steven Leshner of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He conveys his struggles of coming out in the 1970s and being a gay man in central PA through a series of anecdotes. Steven also talks extensively about his work at Dignity and...

LGBT History Project Logo
March 8, 2107

This is a story circle with Barry Loveland, Richard Hause, and Stephen 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...

LGBT History Project Logo
April 25, 2017

Kerry Wiessman was born on October 26, 1954 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. She grew up in Wayne, New Jersey in a lake community. Kerry discusses her upbringing in a large family and her relationship with her mother. Kerry also discusses her career in...

Marty Tornblom
June 9, 2017

Marty Tornblom was born in Utah and was raised in the greater Salt Lake City area, as a member of the Mormon Church. She decided to get a degree in education which lead her to teaching. Following her marriage, she converted to Presbyterianism and...

Cassidy Frazee
July 27, 2017

Cassidy Frazee was born in 1957 in Cedar Lake, Indiana. Cassidy grew up in Cedar Lake with her younger sister, father and mother. They had a Catholic upbringing, but Cassidy explains she was no longer interested in religious affairs by the time...

LGBT History Project Logo
July 29, 2017

Robert Sevensky was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1948. Despite having an unpleasant experience in early education and having financial issues, Robert persevered and ended up pursuing an academic career in college. After two years at the...

Sophie Kandler
September 28, 2017

Sophie Kandler was born in Spring City, Pennsylvania in 1966. After being bullied at home and at school, Sophie finally graduated from high school. After graduating and applying to colleges, Sophie decided to attend Drexel University. After...

LGBT History Project Logo
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...

Alex Reber
October 4, 2017

Barry Loveland interviews Alex Reber, now 32, who relates fascinating stories of what it was like growing up as an only child of an Evangelical Christian family raised on a farm in Bethel, a rural town between Harrisburg and Allentown and...

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics: Coming Out

Organizations: LGBT Center of Central PA

View Item: PDF icon Alex Reber

Cecelia Wambach
July 30, 2018

Cecelia Wambach was born on May 26th, 1942 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Cecelia begins the interview by talking about her family life, the dynamics of her relationship with her parents and religion, and how those facets shaped her adult identity...

Collection: LGBT Oral History

Topics:

Organizations:

View Item: PDF icon Transcription of LGBT Oral History 131: Cecelia Wambach

Dignity/Central PA Brochure - undated
undated

Dignity/Central PA brochure explaining the mission of this Harrisburg, PA chapter of the national Dignity organization. This local chapter was founded in 1975.

Collection: LGBT-036 - Valerio

Topics:

Organizations: Dignity/Central PA

View Item: PDF icon Dignity/Central PA Brochure - undated

Membership Application (Dignity/Central PA) - undated
undated

Membership Application for Dignity/Central PA.

Passover Program from Dignity/Central PA
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...

Dignity/Central PA Anniversary and Holiday Bulletin
1980 - 1986

Richard H. Hause was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on May 21, 1947, and moved to Harrisburg 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...

Various items with Valerio's artwork
1980 - 1994

These materials contain artwork designed by Lawrence Valerio for LGBT events and organizations in Central PA, including Dignity of Central PA, a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation...

Gay Switchboard of Harrisburg Items
1979, 1980 - 2009

Colin Kreitzer was born in 1947 in Enola, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Wormleysburg, PA with his parents and his younger sister. He attended West Chester College (now West Chester University) and moved to Harrisburg in 1977, where he began...

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