Saving Our LGBTQA+ History In NWPA

Many LGBTQA+ people live in Erie and Northwestern Pennsylvania.  We have our friends, our families, and our social groups. We also experience many of the same problems social isolation, physical and mental health issues, poverty, and housing. But we do lack one very important thing in our communitya record of our lives and our community over time, a community-based archive that brings us all together to celebrate our similarities and our differences and to ensure that our stories, our culture is not forgotten or overlooked in the history of Erie and Northwestern Pennsylvania.  There are LGBTQA+ Archives throughout the United States and here in Pennsylvania including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Harrisburg.

There is a small LGBTQA+ collection of materials that already exists in in the area. Materials in various formats were donated by multiple individuals and are now held or will soon be held at the John M. Lilley Library at Penn State Behrend. Led by the group Aging with Pride, work is getting underway to develop a fully functional LGBTQA+ Community Archive in collaboration with Penn State.

Community Archives are growing in number across the United States and are often born from the interests of marginalized groups that wish to preserve their history.  Erie has a long history of LGBTQA+ culture and it has been represented by many separate groups over the years. Some of these are groups of interested individuals aligning around a single purpose, some are more formally organized non-profit organizations, and others may have some governmental connection. Although many LGBTQA+ organizations exist and serve diverse needs, there is often no communication and coordination among the groups. There is even less history being gathered. There has been no particular group or coordinated groups that have addressed the archival issues of LGBTQA+ culture in Erie.

It is time for the LGBTQA+ organizations to come together to create that robust archive now and for the future.

Some archival materials are already being cataloged and prepared for the new archive. Plans are underway to do the following:

• In early 2025, distribute a letter and survey to as many LGBTQA+ organizations as can be identified.  That survey will ask about on-going involvement, types of documentation, and an archive management plan.  Interested individuals may also participate, particularly if they have collections of LGBTQA+ materials for inclusion in the archive.
• Based upon the results of the survey, convene a meeting of interested parties with staff at Penn State Behrend to develop next steps and to begin the process of adding materials to the new archive. 

The creation of the LGBTQA+ Community Archive will be an on-going process over a number of years, but the result will be an archive that represents our LGBTQA+ culture and that will be open and available to the public for study and research. For more information, contact Blane Dessy at bdessy@gmail.com