Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Lg Ms 052 Sage Hylton (-Lemons) Papers, K A. Perry

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Description:

Sage Hylton-Lemons grew up in Portland, Maine. In high school, Hylton-Lemons found sanctuary as a gay teenager in the youthdriven group Outright, where his involvement progressed from attending weekly meetings to being a member of the Board, then President of the Board. As an Outright member and activist, Hylton-Lemons spoke at schools and events, became a peer-advisor, and helped other communities organize their own Outrights. He was instrumental in conceiving and organizing Outright's first annual prom in 1998. He was profoundly influenced by Christian T. Chenard, a nurse practitioner for the City of Portland Public Health Positive Healthcare Program. …

Lg Ms 079 Steven G. Bull Papers, Jill Piekut Roy, Jeremy Rundstrom

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Description:

Papers include correspondence, photographs, publications, and ephemera documenting the beginning of the gay liberation movement in Maine and Steve Bull's participation in the movement both in Maine and nationally, especially through his involvement with the founding of the Wilde-Stein Club at University of Maine Orono in 1973 and his chairmanship of the first Maine Gay Symposium in 1974. Letters received by Bull and his friends, both personally and as Wilde-Stein Club officials, are evidence of the attitudes of both supporters of gay liberation and its opponents in the 1970s. Bull's research papers document the University of Maine's reaction to …

Aa Ms 29 African American Oral History Collection, Jill Piekut Roy, Lex Lecrone

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Description

The Center for the Study of Lives was established in 1988 by Robert Atkinson, professor emeritus of human development, multicultural studies, and religious studies at University of Southern Maine. Collection includes recordings and documents related to oral histories conducted by Jill Cournoyer and other students of Joseph Conforti. Interviewees are Eugene Cummings, Rev. Margaret Lawson, Ronald S. Lynch, Leola Marshall, Dana Richardson, and Gerald E. Talbot. Also includes a speech by Eugene Jackson. Interviewees speak about their lives and histories as African Americans in the United States, particularly in Portland, Maine.

Date Range:

1985-1996

Size of Collection:

0.25 Linear …

Lg Ms 160 Dale Mccormick Gay Side Story Interview, Jill Piekut Roy

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Description:

Collection includes two copies of an oral history interview (one edited) and an automatically generated transcript.

In the edited version of the interview, Dale McCormick recalls her role as producer of "Gay Side Story," an adaptation of the musical West Side Story, with Diane Elze, Miles J. Rightmire, Cheryl Ring, and others. The play was performed for two nights in Luther Bonney Hall at University of Southern Maine during the 10th Maine Lesbian & Gaymen's Symposium in May 1983. McCormick discusses her work on the writing team, the set design, and the positive reception of the production during a …

Lg Ms 005 Maine Lesbian Feminist Archives Finding Aid, Siobain C. Monahan, Jill Piekut Roy

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Description:

Maine Lesbian Feminist was a social and political group based in Downeast Maine which operated from 1976 to about 1984. The archives includes records of the group, their political task force, and their communications committee, as well as event ephemera from the third Maine Gay Symposium in 1976.

Date Range:

1976-1982

Size of Collection:

5 File Folders

Lg Ms 107 Karen Bye Papers, Katelynn Paul

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Biographical Note

Karen Bye was born and raised in Stonington, Maine on Deer Isle in 1952. Karen enrolled at the University of Maine’s Orono campus, joining the class of 1975. Karen was a member of the queer community and went on to join Gay Support and Action (GSA), a community organization located in Bangor, Maine. Karen advocated for GSA to start a group at the university, but was initially denied. Nevertheless Karen persisted and continued to advocate, and eventually formed a group of students that would soon become the Wilde-Stein Club. Karen held the role of secretary, and had been …

Lg Ms 111 Fortuna, Henderson, Prizer Collection, Caitlin E. Corrigan

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Donated collectively by Stan Fortuna, Susan Henderson, and Peter Prizer, early activists in Maine’s LGBTQ+ history, this collection of research material spans from 1974 to 2014, with the bulk of material from the mid-1970s.

This collection documents the development and activities of the Maine Gay Task Force, including the creation and publication of a newsletter from 1974 to 1980. It opens with planning materials and news coverage of the first statewide gathering for gay people, the Maine Gay Symposium held at the University of Maine’s Orono campus, an event which sparked statewide organizing efforts, including the creation of the Maine …

Lg Ms 141 Artistic Amazon Bookstore Collection, Emily Newell

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The Artistic Amazon Bookstore was a feminist bookstore operated by Cherie Monnell
and Dottie Logue in New Hampshire and Maine from the early-1990s through the mid-2000s. The store was first located at 28 Chapel Street, Portsmouth, New Hampshire before it moved to 182 Clay Hill Road, Cape Neddick, Maine in late 2001, when it became the only feminist bookstore in Maine. In addition to books, the store sold jewelry, clothing, artwork, and gifts.

The store’s website, artisticamazon.com, is archived on web.archive.org through 2008. The website lists examples of merchandise include pages for news and events in the local feminist and …

Aa Ms 19 Eugene Jackson Papers, Emily Margaret Newell

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This collection is comprised of family photographs, photo albums, bibles, hymnals, and newspaper from the early 20th century onward. The collection is organized into three series:

Series 1: Photographs

This series includes the personal photographs of Eugene Jackson’s friends and family as far back as the early 1900s. The most common themes and activities found in these photographs are leisure activities such as trips to the beach or the mountains, family get-togethers, professional portraits, and Christmas greeting cards.

Subseries 1.1: Loose Photographs

Loose photographs are organized into topical folders.

Subseries 1.2: Ruby Family Photograph Album

The photograph album includes black-and-white …

Aa Ms 01 Gerald E. Talbot Collection Finding Aid, David Andreasen, Kristin D. Morris, Karin A. France, Marieke Van Der Steenhoven, Caroline Remley, Andrea Harkins, Kara Kralik, Anya O'Meara

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Description:

Gerald E. Talbot was the first African American to be elected to the Maine State Legislature. He served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1972 to 1978, and worked with the Maine chapter of the NAACP and the State Board of Education. He also took part in the struggle for civil rights in other parts of the country, as well as in Maine. The Collection includes Talbot’s personal papers, records of his term in the Maine House of Representatives, of his work with the NAACP in Maine and with the State Board of Education. The Collection contains books, …

Lg Ms 045 Howard Solomon Collection, Anthony Marvullo

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The Howard Solomon Collection documents the art, activism, and scholarship of Howard Solomon, spanning the late 1960s to 2017.

Because Howard was the scholar-in-residence from 2002 to 2008, much of the material acts as a survey of the larger LGBTQ+ Collection. See Appendix C for a full list of cross-referenced papers, archives, and collections.

Lg Ms 013 Equalitymaine Archives Finding Aid, Karin A. France

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Description:

The Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance (MLGPA) was formed in 1984 to advocate for LGBT issues and to educate the public, media, and politicians about them. Now known as EqualityMaine, over the last twenty-five years, the organization has worked to secure civil rights legislation, pass hate crimes protection laws, promote workplace equality and ensure responsible HIV/AIDS policies. The Archives contains organizational records of MLGPA and EqualityMaine, and other materials.

Date Range:

1984-2009

Size of Collection:

14.5 ft.

Lg Ms 035 Ryan Conrad Collection Finding Aid, Katharine Renolds Thomas

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Description:

Ryan Conrad is a radical queer activist. He is co-founder of Naughty North, an inter-generational radical queer/trans direct action collective in Maine. He participates as a volunteer, board member, and/or advisor for a number of community organizing groups, including EquityFund (board member 2008-present), Outright Lewiston/Auburn (Special Projects Coordinator and volunteer advisor, 2006-present), Maine HIV Prevention Community Planning Group (2009-present), and Maine Video Activist Network (co-founder and volunteer, 2006-present), among others. Conrad curated the June 2009 exhibition "Future of the Past: Reviving the Queer Archives" at Maine College of Art. The Collection contains materials related to radical queers in Maine …

Lg Ms 024 Lgbt Rights Legislation Collection Finding Aid, Julie Cismoski

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Description:

The Collection contains materials related to LGBT rights legislation from 1978 to 1995, gathered by Prof. Erica Rand of Bates College. The bulk of the Collection is copies of press articles, with a press kit and campaign materials from Equal Protection Lewiston. The legislation covered includes Proposition 6, also known as The Briggs Initiative, in California in 1978; the 1992 Human Rights Ordinance in Portland, Maine; the Lewiston Anti-Discrimination Ordinance in 1993; and the statewide referendum, Question 1, in 1995. Some articles on LGBT issues other than rights legislation are included.

Date Range:

1978-1995

Size of Collection:

0.5 ft.

Lg Ms 023 Roland Blais Papers Finding Aid, Julie Cismoski

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Description:

Roland Blais was born in Rumford, Maine in 1939, and knew by the time he was in high school that he was "different". He saved money and moved to Los Angeles in 1958, where he got a job with Broadway Department Store, and went to gay bars for the first time. He joined the Navy and served from 1959 to 1963, leaving with an honorable discharge. He then enlisted in the Army, serving 1963-1966, stationed at Walsrode, Germany, working with missiles. He returned to the United States, retrieving the car he bought in Germany from Newark Port, New Jersey, …

Lg Ms 044 Lewiston-Auburn Gay Youth Collection, Naomi Hawkes

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Provenance: The Lewiston/Auburn Gay Youth Collection was donated in August, 2008 by Heidi Conn, a former Guidance Counselor at Edward Little High School. Additional materials were donated by Ryan Conrad, the Edward Little Gay Straight Alliance, Penny Sargent, and Sarah Holmes. The Lewiston Auburn Gay Youth Collection contains print material and photographs of activities of Outright Lewiston/ Auburn and the Edward Little High School Gay Straight Alliance between the years 2008 and 2011.

Ownership and Literary Rights: The Lewiston/ Auburn Gay Youth Collection are the physical property of the University of Southern Maine Libraries. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to …

Lg Ms 042 Am Chofshi Archives, Anthony Marvullo

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Administrative Information

Provenance:

The Am Chofshi Archives were donated by Gail Kass and Susan Horowitz in 2004. Kass was Am Chofshi’s treasurer and as such these archives contain financial documents and fundraising materials, some of which are restricted.

Total Boxes: 3

Linear Feet: 4.25

Lg Ms 043 Aids Lodging House Archives, Anthony Marvullo

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Provenance: The AIDS Lodging House Archives were donated by Shawn LeGrega on September 3, 2014.

Restrictions on Access: Some materials are restricted until 2081 to protect privacy rights.

Lg Ms 010 Rochow Papers Finding Aid, Bjorn Swenson, Susannah Clark, Anthony Marvullo

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Description:

Eugene Rochow was an early member and served on the board of the Matlovich Society, a Portland-based organization that provided an educational and cultural forum for the local gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning community during the 1990s. The Papers document the Matlovich Society between 1991 and 1996 and other organizations and events in the LGBT community. The majority of the papers in this collection are records of the Matlovich Society which Rochow retained after the organization ceased in 1999. The collection also includes documents related to Equal Protection Portland, an initiative in 1992 to pass and protect a …

Lg Ms 007 Sturgis Haskins Papers Finding Aid, Siobain C. Monahan, Dani Y. Fazio, Anthony Marvullo

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Description:

Sturgis Haskins was a long-time activist in Gay and Lesbian communities, and was one of the organizers of the annual Maine Gay Symposium started in 1974 at University of Maine, Orono. Haskins was a co- founder in 1973 of the Wilde-Stein Club, the first openly Gay student organization at the University of Maine in Orono. The Papers contain material documenting Haskins’ personal life, pamphlets, correspondence, memorabilia, and information on organizations in which Haskins was interested, and clippings covering topics relating to the Gay and Lesbian communities and homosexuality.

Date Range:

1966-1999

Size of Collection:

24 ft.

Lg Ms 041 Jean Vermette Papers, Anthony Marvullo

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Provenance: The Jean Vermette Papers were donated by Jean Vermette in 2009. Ownership & Literary Rights: The Jean Vermette Papers are the physical property of the University of Southern Maine Libraries. Literary rights, including copyright, belong to the creator or her legal heirs and assigns. For further information, consult the Head of Special Collections. Cite as: Jean Vermette Papers, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer+ Collection, Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine, University of Southern Maine Libraries. Restriction on Access: Some materials are restricted until the year 2061 to protect privacy rights.

For further information, consult the Head of …

Lg Ms 040 Harbor Masters Archives Finding Aid, Natalie Hill

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Harbor Masters of Portland, Maine, Inc. is a private nonprofit organization whose members share an interest in the leather/levi lifestyle. The organization was originally incorporated in Maine in 1984 to serve as a social club for like-minded gay males. However, members of any sex are allowed to join Harbor Masters. The club was founded with the goals of promoting fellowship among and tolerance for individuals interested in the leather lifestyle and continues to work toward those goals.

Over time, the Harbor Masters took on a more active role in New England’s LGBT community. The organization has regularly participated in charitable …

Lg Ms 034 Gayla Archives Finding Aid, Megan Hendrix

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Description:

GAYLA is a brotherhood of gay and bisexual men, “expressly designed to provide mutual support, nurturance, friendship, loving, and mentoring of one another,” in order to maximize personal and collective growth. It meets annually for a week in the summer at Ferry Beach in Saco, Maine. The brothers sustain their spirit through the year by organizing periodic winter reunions, area social events and pot-lucks; publishing a newsletter; and establishing a virtual network through email and a GAYLA brothers only Yahoo group. The Archives contains documents and artifacts from the annual conferences, including photographs, audio cassettes, video cassettes, schedules, planning …

Lg Ms 038 Frances Peabody Papers Finding Aid, Katharine Renolds Thomas, Christina E. Walker

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Description:

Frannie Peabody was one of Maine's leading AIDS activists. Best known in Maine and nationally for her exceptional leadership in the AIDS epidemic, she also gave significant service on historic preservation, child welfare, and gay rights issues. She was a founder of Portland’s The AIDS Project and of the Frannie Peabody Center (formerly Peabody House), as well as of Greater Portland Landmarks. The Papers contain Peabody's personal papers, including her work with The AIDS Project and bereavement counseling.

Date Range:

1981-1999

Size of Collection:

24.5 ft.

Lg Ms 039 Maine Frontrunners Archives Finding Aid, Katharine Renolds Thomas

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Description:

Maine Frontrunners was founded April Fool’s Day, 1995, inspired by the enthusiastic leadership of the legendary runner John Bean. The group has run Saturday mornings since then, through all kinds of weather. The Maine group is part of International Front Runners, an affiliation of GLBT running/walking clubs that have organized in many of the larger cities around the world. Inspired by Patricia Nell Warren's novel The Front Runner, the first Front Runner club began in San Francisco in 1974, and other FR clubs quickly began forming in the United States and then in Canada and abroad.

Date Range:

1994-2003 …

Lg Ms 037 Penny Rich Collection Finding Aid, Katharine Renolds Thomas

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Description:

Records and artifacts documenting the Maine Lesbian Gay Film Festival and Women's Community Project of Portland

Date Range:

1980s-1990s

Size of Collection:

7 ft.

Lg Ms 036 Michael Rossetti Collection Finding Aid, Megan Hendrix

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Description:

Michael Rossetti was chiefly responsible for creating and running Southern Maine Pride, and was the grandmaster at the 2006 Pride festival. The Papers contain records and artifacts documenting Southern Maine Pride and other Gay and Lesbian events from the 1980s to 2000.

Date Range:

1980s-2000

Size of Collection:

4 ft.

Lg Ms 033 Dawn Fortune Papers Finding Aid, Christina E. Walker

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Description:

Dawn Fortune revitalized the Gay-Straight People's Alliance and ran the student newspaper at theUniversity of Maine at Farmington in the early 1990s. The Papers contains photographs and contactsheets, 2 folders of Pride materials, 4 VHS videos of programs/events by GASPP, a Central Maine Needs Assessment of LGBT teens compiled in 1996 by Fortune for the group Equal Rights For All (ERFA), and an essay Fortune wrote in 1988 entitled 'AIDS kills.'

Date Range:

1988-2002

Size of Collection:

1 ft.

Aa Ms 08 N. T. Swezey's Son & Co. Tin Sign Finding Aid, Christina E. Walker

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Description:

N. T. Swezey (Noah Terry) (1814-1888) was a flour merchant in New York City. He ran a successful business for over forty years at 176 South St., and was one of the founders of the New York Produce Exchange. This collection contains a reproduction of a sign advertising Northwest Consolidated Milling Company flour. The sign depicts the figure of a black child standing behind and slightly below the figure of a white child. The white figure is sitting on a container of the Northwestern Consolidated Milling Company’s flour and is holding a slice of white bread. Both children have …

Lg Ms 022 Larry Bliss Collection Finding Aid, Maeve Wachowicz, Elizabeth Sistare

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Description:

Lawrence (Larry) Bliss was born and raised in California, lived in Maine for twenty years, and returned to California in 2011. He holds Bachelor’s Degrees in History and Political Science and a Master's Degree in Urban Public Administration all from the University of California. He has worked as a middle school and high school teacher and coach and as Director of Career Services and Professional Life Development at the University of Southern Maine. He was elected to the Maine Senate in 2008, representing the 7th district, which includes his hometown of South Portland, as well as Cape Elizabeth and …