Columbia, SC

About the Exhibit:

(Provide a summary of changes in your local community here)

Preliminary Exhibits:

-I. Echoes of Same-Sex Desire: Evidence from the Archive (19th Century to mid-20th Century)

   A. James H. Hammond Collection (19th Century)
   B. Connie Guion Collection (Early 20th Century)
   C. George Dan’l Hoffman Collection (Mid-20th Century)

-II. Finding "Family": Columbia's Sexual Geography (1940s - 2000s)

   A. Public Spaces
   B. Bars
   C. Gay Neighborhoods

-III. Establishing Visibility: To Party or to Be Political? (1970 - 1989)

   A. Gay Liberation Front (1970) 
   B. The Alliance (1974 - 197?) 
   C. Lambda Alliance (1978 - 1980) 
   D. South Carolina Coalition for Sexual Minorities (1979 - 19??)
   E. Columbia Gay Coalition/ Omega (1982 - 198?)
   F. ACT UP March (1989)

-IV. Confronting Institutional Homophobia: LGBT Encounters at the University of South Columbia (1972 - 200?)

   A. Party Raided by authorities (195?)
   B. Student Group attempt #1 (1972)  
   C. Gay Student Association (1982)
   D. Pam Parsons and Improper Relations with Student (198?)  
   E. Ed Madden and Student Harassment (1995) 
   F. Carolina Creed adopts Sexual Orientation (200?)

-V. Cultivating Cultures: Minority communities in LGBT Columbia (197? - 20??)

   A. Drag 
   B. Leather 
   C. Bear 
   D. Racial and Ethnic Minorities

-VI. Sustaining Communities: Growing "Political" Movements (1974 - 2005)

   A. Metropolitan Community Church (1974)
   B. Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (1982)
   C. Palmetto AIDS Life Support Service (198?)
   D. Gay and Lesbian Pride March (1990)
   E. Gay and Lesbian Pride Movement (1990)
   F. The Committee on Civil and Human Rights for Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals (1991)
   G. Queer Nation (1991)
   H. Gay and Lesbian Business Guild (199?)
   I. South Carolina Equality Coalition (200?)
   J. South Carolina Black Pride (200?)

-VII. Reflecting on the Recent Past: The Current Climate of LGBT Columbia (2003 - Present)

   A. Marriage Amendment (2006)
   B. Evolving Organizations (2003 - 2008)
   C. Human Rights Ordinance (2008) 
   D. Twenty years of Pride (2010)

Timeline:

(Describe important events in your local community's history here)

Preliminary Sources/References:

Manuscript Collections

The GLBTQ Archival Collection. The South Caroliniana Library, Columbia, South Carolina.

Guion, Connie. Connie Guion Collection. The South Caroliniana Library, Columbia, South Carolina.

Hammond, James H. James H. Hammond Collection. The South Caroliniana Library, Columbia, South Carolina.

Hoffman, George Dan’l. George Dan'l Hoffman Collecton. The South Caroliniana Library, Columbia, South Carolina.

Sears, James T. James T. Sears Collection. Duke University Special Collections Library, Durham, North Carolina.

Vertical Files. The South Caroliniana Library, Columbia, South Carolina.

Newspapers

The Daily Gamecock (Columbia, SC)

The Front Page (Raleigh, NC)

Q-Notes (Charlotte, NC)

The State (Columbia, SC)

Oral Interviews

Barnes, Robert and Jerry Kelly. "Growing Up Gay in South Carolina." Rainbow Radio

"15th South Carolina Pride: Remembering the First March." Rainbow Radio

The GLBTQ Archival Collection. The South Caroliniana Library, Columbia, South Carolina.

Sears, James T. James T. Sears Collection. Duke University Special Collections Library, Durham, North Carolina.

Published Materials

DiAna, DiAna. "Talkin' that Talk." In Women, AIDS, and Activism: The ACT UP/ NY Women & AIDS Book Group. Edited by Cynthia Chris and Monica Pearl. Boston: South End Press, 1990.

Duberman, Martin. "'Writhing Bedfellows' In Antebellum South Carolina: Historical Interpretation and the Politics of Evidence." In Hidden From History: Reclaiming the Gay & Lesbian Past. Edited by Martin Duberman, Martha Vicinus, and George Chauncey, Jr. New York: Meridian, 1989.

The Greater Columbia Community Relations Council. "Achieving Full Participation: Extending Civil Rights to Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals in the Columbia Area. A Report of the Committee on Civil and Human Rights for Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals."

Sears, James T. Rebels, Rubyfruit, and Rhinestones: Queering Space in the Stonewall South. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, 2001.

Contact Person:

Santi Thompson, santi.thompson@gmail.com

Columbia, SC OutHistory Committee: Travis Ferrell, Carrie Giaque, Ed Madden, Nicholas Meriwether, Beth Sherouse, Santi Thompson, and Ryan Wilson.