LGBT History Project: LGBT-027 Sharon Potter Collection

Number of Pages
1
Date
circa 1995

Sharon Mahar Potter was born in Buffalo, NY and raised in Scranton, PA. She began commuting to Harrisburg, PA for the first time when she was offered a position to build the early intervention system for disabled children in the city. Profoundly moved by a young gay man’s speech in a meeting of the House Education Committee, Sharon helped to establish and served as a leader for the Bi, Gay, Lesbian Youth Association of Harrisburg (Bi-GLYAH).

This collection holds items from Potter’s time as the organizer of Bi-GLYAH. Items include photographs of Bi-GLYAH youths at events and a stuffed Frog created during a Bi-GLYAH fundraising event.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Sharon Potter
Collection
Location
LGBT-027 Sharon Potter Collection

LGBT Oral History 032: Melinda Eash

Number of Pages
17
Date
May 15, 2017

Melinda Eash, child psychologist and LBGT rights ally, discusses her upbringing near the New York Metropolitan Area and the influence of the church. As a young adult she attended Susquehanna University, where she made friends with a gay student whom she helped sequester in the girl’s dorm in secret as he was unsafe in the men’s dorm. After college, Eash worked with developmentally disabled adults, going on to get her Master’s degree and open her own practice working with youth as a certified psychologist. After encountering a gay patient, Eash realized she was under-educated in this area, and began teaching herself how to help LGBT youth. At this point she contacted and began going to a local LGBT youth group, becoming an integral ally and leader of Bi-GLYAH. The organization, later renamed Common Roads, expanded greatly in the following twenty years. In this interview, Eash describes the changes she’s seen in the realities for LGBT youth, the changes in the organization, and the work done by current and former members of the group.

Topics
People
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Melinda Eash
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Eash, Melinda - 032