LGBT Oral History Summaries

Number of Pages
120
Date
2018

Since August 2012 the LGBT History Project of the LGBT Center of Central PA has actively collected stories of LGBT history in central PA as told by those who lived them. This growing collection of oral history interviews is housed by the Dickinson College Archives and Special Collections. The attached PDF file contains summaries of each completed interview. To access the full video/audio file or transcription of an interview, contact archives@dickinson.edu or 717-245-1399.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Created by Dickinson Archives and Special Collections Staff
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History

Central PA Womyn's Chorus "Animated Women" Flyer - May 19 & 20, 2018

Number of Pages
2
Date
May 19 and 20, 2018

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 flyer promotes the Central PA Womyn's Chorus' spring 2018 concert "Animated Women," performed on May 19th at Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church in Mechanicsburg and on May 20th at Colonial Park United Church of Christ in Harrisburg.

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Mary Nancarrow
Location
LGBT-102 The Central PA Womyn’s Chorus Collection

Central PA Womyn’s Chorus “The Road Home” Program - November 17 & 18, 2018

Number of Pages
17
Date
November 17 and 18, 2018
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 2018 concert "The Road Home," performed on November 17th at Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church in Mechanicsburg and on November 18th at Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg.
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Mary Nancarrow
Location
LGBT-102 The Central PA Womyn’s Chorus Collection

Harrisburg Gay Men's Chorus ''Voices United'' Program Postcard - July 28, 2018

Number of Pages
3
Date
July 28, 2018

The Harrisburg Men’s Chorus, now the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus, was established in 1987 in memory of Joe Tucci. They are a non-profit organization comprised of amateur singers, and their performance schedule includes two major concerts (Spring and Christmas) along with singing engagements throughout the year. The Harrisburg Men’s Chorus aspires “to create entertaining, fun, and vibrant gay-friendly musical programs” and “celebrates the LGBT experience in song and performance.”

This is the postcard for the ''Voices United'' concert featuring the Harrisburg Gay Men's Chorus, Central PA Womyn's Chorus, Baltimoe Men's Chorus, and MCC Voices of the Spirit. 

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Barry Loveland
Collection
Location
LGBT-014 Barry Loveland Collection

Harrisburg Gay Men's Chorus Halloween Pop Cabaret Dance Party Postcard - October 27, 2018

Number of Pages
3
Date
October 27, 2018

The Harrisburg Men’s Chorus, now the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus, was established in 1987 in memory of Joe Tucci. They are a non-profit organization comprised of amateur singers, and their performance schedule includes two major concerts (Spring and Christmas) along with singing engagements throughout the year. The Harrisburg Men’s Chorus aspires “to create entertaining, fun, and vibrant gay-friendly musical programs” and “celebrates the LGBT experience in song and performance.”

This is a postcard for the Harrisburg Gay Men's Chorus annual fundraiser themed "Halloween Pop."

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Unidentified Donor
Location
LGBT-099 Drop File Collection

Pride Festival of Central PA Official Pride Guide, 2018 - July 28, 2018

Number of Pages
16
Date
July 28, 2018

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.

The Pride Guide was the official guide of all activities and events of Central PA Pride Festival (PrideFest) held at South RiverFront Park in Harrisburg, PA on July 28, 2018.

General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Barry Loveland
Collection
Location
LGBT-014 Barry Loveland Collection

LGBT Oral History 131: Cecelia Wambach

Number of Pages
22
Date
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 as a lesbian woman. She grew up as the second-oldest of 14 children, with a stay-at-home mother and a father who had a radio talk show and late-night talk show. She describes being very happy and satisfied with her upbringing. Raised as a devout Catholic, Wambach later became apart of a Convent and school named Sisters of Notre Dame. From there, she taught as a nun in several Parrish schools on the East Coast. She also worked with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. After leaving the Convent, Wambach received her Masters in Math and Fine Arts from New York University. She later got her PhD from Fordham University in Math Education. She explains that during this time in her life, she did not yet know she was lesbian.

Wambach got married to an ex-priest in 1973. It was not until the day after getting married did she realize she was lesbian. She had a son named Nathaniel and raised him while working as a teacher for public schools in New York City. In realizing her sexual identity, Wambach went through years of therapy to cope. She also became apart of many different Lesbian and LGBTQ+ communities and activist groups, such as the S.O.S (Shelter our Sisters), Mother Tongue, The Names Project, O.L.O.C. (Old Lesbians Organizing for Change) , and B.A.C.W (Bay Area Career Woman) and others. Currently, Ms. Wambach is deeply involved with refugees on the Island of Lesvos, where she and other LGBTQ educators teach children.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Cecelia Wambach
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Wambach, Cecelia - 131

LGBT Oral History 133: William ''Miss Tina'' Horn

Number of Pages
20
Date
November 25, 2018

William Horn, dressed as his drag persona “Miss Christina Louise,” Miss Tina for short, tells of their experiences growing up gay, performing as a Drag Queen and the various organizations they’ve been a part of in their life. After moving to Lancaster in their earlier childhood, they eventually performed in several plays with the Lancaster Kiwanis Club and the Fulton Opera House. Later, after moving out of their parents’ house due to several disagreements, they began performing Drag at age 21, going on to win several competitions such as Miss Tally Ho, and Miss Gay Lancaster County. They even went on to compete in the Miss Gay America Pageant in Atlanta, Georgia. They also spoke of the harassment they faced for being gay, both on the streets, in the workplace and by the Lancaster Police Department. They spoke of their work with Gays United of Lancaster and attending several government meetings while dressed as Miss Tina, as well as the various AIDs events they attended dressed as such to show solidarity. They described their want to join the Air Force only to be turned down because of medical reasons and about the discrimination they faced from the police and medical professionals.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of William ''Miss Tina'' Horn
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Horn, William ''Miss Tina'' - 133

LGBT Oral History 132: Robert "Bob" Deibler

Number of Pages
29
Date
October 27, 2018

Bob Deibler discusses his experiences as a member of both the Pennsmen and the Satyr Men, as well as what it was like to be a gay teacher and the surprising lack of discrimination, he faced in his life due to his sexuality. He also talks of his long-time and now deceased Partner Ron Think, who he helped run a popular gift shop and LGBT meeting place, The Bare Wall Gallery.

Organizations
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Robert 'Bob' Deibler
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Deibler, Robert 'Bob' - 132

LGBT Oral History 041: Steve Glassman

Number of Pages
18
Date
January 4, 2018

Steve Glassman was born on September 20, 1954 in Chicago. He was fortunate enough to grow up in a rather liberal household with accepting parents who were involved in political activism and social justice during the Civil Rights era. Glassman’s story is unique in that he utilized his privilege in both his upbringing and education to further the activism that his parent’s passed down to him. Glassman graduated from Brown University with a BA in Art History and Architecture and moved on to then receive his MA in Museum Curatorial Work from Yale University. In this interview, Glassman describes what it is like as a person of the LGBT community to work for a living while simultaneously dedicating their life to LGBT rights and the rights of other marginalized communities. He has owned his own architectural firm while successfully balancing governmental positions and organizational positions.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Steve Glassman
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Glassman, Steve - 041