Gay community--History--20th Century

Andrew Agelink Papers

kschmeling — Mon, 25 Feb 2019 15:37:23 -0500

Andrew Agelink, born in 1970, was an undergraduate student at Wayne State University in the 1990s. He became Vice President of the WSU Gay/Lesbian Union in 1992 and then went on to be President and again Vice President of the organization from 1992-1994. As President, he initiated a proposal for the formation of a Gay and Lesbian Programs Office staffed with a paid full-time employee. Under his persistence the position was created a year and a half later. Agelink was also actively involved in a number of local gay and political organizations including: Affirmations, The Triangle Foundation, the gay softball league MDSL, and an AIDS activist organization ACT-UP! Detroit. This collection documents his personal story as a young gay man in Detroit and how it fits into the larger gay rights movement.

Ernest L. Horne Papers

drice — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:17:13 -0400

Ernest L. Horne, a retired General Motors Research Laboratory Librarian and Archivist, has been a known activist in the Detroit gay civil rights movement since 1979, holding membership and leadership positions in several area GBLT organizations. His papers document the activities of the gay and lesbian liberation movement in Detroit, primarily through the records of three organizations: The Association of Suburban People (ASP), South East Gay and Lesbian Council (SEMGLA), and Detroit Area Gay and Lesbian Council (DAGLC).

LGBT Detroit Records

kschmeling — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:51:43 -0400

LGBT Detroit started as Kick Publishing Company in 1994. Based in Detroit, Kick was the third Black American LGBT media company created in the United States. Distributed nationally, Kick Magazine provided the LGBT community with information, awareness, and a way to organize. In 2003, Kick Publishing Company was revitalized into the non-profit organization: KICK- The Agency for LGBT African Americans. KICK focused on health, education, employment, and social justice for the African American LGBT community in the Detroit area. Their mission was to increase awareness and to support Detroit’s dynamic LGBT culture through education and advocacy. They organized and sponsored many expos, exhibits, summits, and other social gatherings. In 2015, KICK was rebranded as LGBT Detroit to better reflect their leadership and connection to the Detroit LGBT community.

Marvin P. Marks Papers

srafferty — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 10:37:06 -0500

Marvin Marks, a Metro-Detroit area accountant, participated in many LGBT community organizations in 1980s and 1990s. This collection includes many important papers of two of these organizations: Detroit Area Gay Lesbian Council and Motor City Business Forum. Marks served as President of the Detroit Area Gay Lesbian Council, and as both founder and President of Motor City Business Forum. The Detroit Area Gay Lesbian Council brought together many of the organizations serving the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community to promote unity and communication between organizations. The Motor City Business Forum was founded in 1980 as a forum for exchanging ideas, serving professional needs, and increasing the influence of the gay and lesbian community.

South Eastern Michigan Gay and Lesbian Association Records

drice — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 10:19:08 -0400

The South Eastern Michigan Gay and Lesbian Association (SEMGLA) was formerly known as the Association of Suburban People (ASP). Primarily a gay male social organization, the group originally held meetings in Berkley, Michigan. Organization activities included fundraising, a political action committee, and collaboration with the Whitman-Brooks foundation to produce a conference called, “Establishing a Positive Gay & Lesbian Identity.” In an effort to recruit more women to the organization, ASP officers encouraged Nita Firestone to join them in a leadership position. By the mid-1980s, with increased visibility in the community, ASP evolved into Michigan’s largest LBGT educational organization and in 1985 changed its name to more accurately reflect its mission.

Records of the association show the organization's evolution as a group. Activities are documented and material includes membership directories, conference and promotional materials, meeting minutes, publications, and photographs.

Collection Spotlight: Gay Liberator

Public Relations Team — Wed, 10 May 2017 11:49:39 -0400

This blog post was contributed by Autumn Diaz, a student in Wayne State University's archives program in Winter 2017.

The Reuther Library holds many important historical collections, and as history inevitably repeats itself, many are more relevant than ever to current events. The Gay Liberator collection, in the space of just two compact boxes, offers a history unique to Detroit and its LGBT community. Published from 1970-1976, the Gay Liberator also reflects growing political awareness read more »

Collection Spotlight: LGBT Materials at the Reuther Library

Public Relations Team — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 10:10:14 -0400

The Reuther Library is pleased to announce the opening of several new collections related to LGBT History in Southeast Michigan.

Though collecting material related to civil rights and social movements in Southeast Detroit has always been a mission for the Walter P. Reuther Library, we aim to grow the LGBT collection to include a broader range of voices. To this end, the Reuther will have a table at Detroit’s Hotter Than July! picnic on July 30th at Palmer Park to bring greater awareness to our archival collections. This event is part of a week-long celebration of Black LGBT pride and is sponsored by LGBT Detroit.

In conjunction with this festival the Reuther is pleased to announce that the LGBT Detroit Records are open for research. read more »

Guest Post: Ciera Casteel on the Wayne State University Oral History Course Oral Histories

aorchard — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 11:05:31 -0400

Please note: The oral history course collections mentioned in this post have been consolidated into one collection: Wayne State University Oral History Methodology Course Oral Histories. Please refer to the finding aid here: https://archives.wayne.edu/repositories/2/resources/3381.

Over the course of the last few months I had the opportunity to work at the Reuther Library processing oral history collections. This was an incredible experience through which I was able to create tools to increase researchers' access to four relatively new collections: the Wayne State University Oral History Course Oral Histories. These four collections are a treasure for researchers studying a number of topics. read more »

(4923) Demonstrations, Free Speech, LGBTQ Rights, San Francisco, 1992

eclemens — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 12:26:32 -0400

Members and supporters of the IWW hold signs that support free speech and advocate for gay rights within organized labor through the creation of "militant queer unions." The demonstration took place outside of the EndUp night club located at Sixth Street and Harrison in San Francisco.

(4930) Pickets, "The EndUp," San Francisco, 1992

eclemens — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 12:26:32 -0400

IWW demonstrators picket “The EndUp” night club in San Francisco. Signs read: “What we demand - rehire fired Wobs, recognize our union,” and “End-Up Unfair to workers.”

(35866) Gay Liberator, Black Caucus, 1970

eclemens — Wed, 19 Apr 2017 10:14:25 -0400

An illustration featuring a young black man with a hand near his face. Copy reads: “Gay is Beautiful! What do you think? Join the Black Caucus!”

Graphic found in Vol. 1, Issue 7, pg. 6 of the Detroit Gay Liberator.

(35943) Clipping from the Gay Liberator, 1970

mcourtney — Wed, 10 May 2017 11:44:03 -0400

This Union Cause: The Queer History of the United Automobile Workers

teller — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 16:54:57 -0400

Wayne State history PhD candidate James McQuaid discusses his research on the gradual cognizance and acceptance of queer autoworkers in the twentieth century, leading toward the UAW’s rapid embrace of LGBTQ-friendly policies and initiatives in the 1990s. read more »

Gay Liberator

kchinery — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 11:22:03 -0500

Processed. Vol. 1:1-48. Previous title: Detroit Gay Liberator, 1970-1971. No issues published April-August 1971. Published in Detroit, Michigan.