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Established | 1993 |
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Location | 40 E St Clair St, Indianapolis, IN 46204 39°46′43″N86°09′25″W / 39.778702°N 86.156990°W |
Collection size | Over 7,000 objects |
Founder | Michael Bohr |
Owner | Indianapolis Public Library |
Website | https://www.indypl.org/books-movies-music/special-collections/chris-gonzalez-collection |
The Chris Gonzalez Collection, formerly the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives, is a special collection housed at the Central Library of the Indianapolis Public Library in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The collection contains more than 7,000 materials focused on local and national LGBTQ+ issues and history. Its namesake, Christopher T. Gonzalez, was a local LGBTQ+ activist and founder of Indiana Youth Group. In 2019, Indy Pride partnered with the Indianapolis Public Library to open the collection to the public.
The brainchild of Michael Bohr, a lifelong resident of Indianapolis and graduate of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School, 1966 and Xavier University, 1970, started the archive in 1993 with the donation of his personal collection, which contained 1,600 books and other memorabilia of gay life in Indianapolis. During the 1980s and 1990s, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) took the lives of many friends of Bohr's, and, thus, served as a catalyst in the creation of the library. Additionally, Bohr's awareness of other LGBT libraries, particularly the Gerber/Hart Library in Chicago served as inspiration for establishing a library in his hometown of Indianapolis.[ citation needed ]
From the beginning, Bohr’s inclination was to collect and preserve the history of gay life in Indianapolis. Thus, by erecting the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives, it became the place that espouses and commemorates the lives of same gender loving people and a repository of LGBT titles and memorabilia for generations to come. Gay and lesbian publications like The Mirror, The Works and The Screamer, which is believed to be the city's earliest gay publication [1] serve as examples. The Screamer was published on mimeographed paper in 1966 and its writers worked undercover by using pseudonyms. The Bob and Margaret Green drag scene video collection is also included. Other notable items in the archive are a collection of more than 200 T-shirts from GBLT festivals and parades across the United States, artwork by local artists, LGBT paraphernalia, mementos, and rare LGBT collectibles. [2]
The Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives became a reality in March 1995, [3] in collaboration with Diversity, Inc., a now-defunct LGBT community center in Indianapolis. While Diversity's focus was on the future, serving as a public identified central clearinghouse [3] for people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, the library's role was to keep a shining light on the past. Between 1997 and 2007, the library went through several changes and a few different sponsors. Indeed, with no other alternatives, the collection was placed in storage for approximately a year. However, Bohr continued seeking additional collections and some were simply donated by people in the community.
In April 2008, Indy Pride forged a relationship with The Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives and became its sole benefactor. [1] Indy Pride is a community-based, non-profit organization that seeks to "celebrate and educate others about the rich historical and cultural legacy of gay, bisexual and transgender peoples." [4]
In 2017, Indy Pride gave the majority of the collection to the Indianapolis Public Library to make it more accessible to the public. Over 7,000 items were incorporated into the public library's collection at its flagship location, each marked with an identifying plaque inside. The grand opening in 2019 included the unveiling of a permanent display in the Simon Reading Room. [5]
The collection is named for Christopher T. Gonzalez, a local supporter and activist of gay and lesbian youth in Indiana. He is credited with establishing the Indiana Youth Group in 1987, [6] an award-winning, non-profit organization that caters to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. He succumbed to AIDS in April, 1994 at age 30. [6]
The LGBT community is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality. LGBT activists and sociologists see LGBT community-building as a counterweight to heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexualism, and conformist pressures that exist in the larger society. The term pride or sometimes gay pride expresses the LGBT community's identity and collective strength; pride parades provide both a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the general meaning of the term. The LGBT community is diverse in political affiliation. Not all people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender consider themselves part of the LGBT community.
LGBT culture is a culture shared by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals. It is sometimes referred to as queer culture, while the term gay culture may be used to mean either "LGBT culture" or homosexual culture specifically.
The Utah Pride Center (UPC) is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization in Salt Lake City. It provides services, events and activities to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Utah. The center manages annual and ongoing projects including the Utah Pride Festival.
The Los Angeles LGBT Center is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, social services, housing, and leadership and advocacy. The center is the largest facility in the world providing services to LGBT people.
Unitarian Universalism, as practiced by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA), and the Canadian Unitarian Council (CUC), is a non-Creedal and Liberal theological tradition and an LGBTQ affirming denomination.
Indy Pride Festival is the annual week of LGBT pride events in Indianapolis. The week is organized by LGBT organization Indy Pride, Inc., and has been held under this name and organization for over a decade. In recent years, more than 95,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and heterosexual people have attended the festival. Indy Pride's Parade and Festival is held the 2nd Saturday in June, with a week of events leading up to it, in honor of the Stonewall Riots and in accordance with other United States pride festivals. Indy Pride Festival is the largest LGBT pride event in Indiana.
The Think Before You Speak campaign is a television, radio, and magazine advertising campaign launched in 2008 and developed to raise awareness of the common use of derogatory vocabulary among youth towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) people. It also aims to "raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBTQ bias and behaviour in America's schools." As LGBTQ people have become more accepted in the mainstream culture more studies have confirmed that they are one of the most targeted groups for harassment and bullying. An "analysis of 14 years of hate crime data" by the FBI found that gays and lesbians, or those perceived to be gay, "are far more likely to be victims of a violent hate crime than any other minority group in the United States". "As Americans become more accepting of LGBT people, the most extreme elements of the anti-gay movement are digging in their heels and continuing to defame gays and lesbians with falsehoods that grow more incendiary by the day," said Mark Potok, editor of the Intelligence Report. "The leaders of this movement may deny it, but it seems clear that their demonization of gays and lesbians plays a role in fomenting the violence, hatred and bullying we're seeing." Because of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression, nearly half of LGBTQ students have been physically assaulted at school. The campaign takes positive steps to counteract hateful and anti-gay speech that LGBTQ students experience in their daily lives in hopes to de-escalate the cycle of hate speech/harassment/bullying/physical threats and violence.
Indy Pride is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is a community-based, non-profit organization that seeks "to unite and serve its members and the LGBTQ community of Central Indiana through leadership development, educational and support programs, and community events that achieve inclusivity, equality, strong community connections, and awareness of LGBTQ issues." The organization started in 1995 as the coordinator of the city's annual gay pride parade and event—Indy Pride Festival—but later grew into an umbrella for multiple LGBT community entities, including the Chris Gonzalez Library and Archives, Indy Bag Ladies, and Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival.
Christopher T. Gonzalez,, was an LGBTQ+ rights activist from Indianapolis, Indiana. He founded the non-profit organization Indiana Youth Group (IYG), one of the first organizations in the country to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender youth.
Youth pride, an extension of the Gay pride and LGBT social movements, promotes equality amongst young members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Queer (LGBTIQ+) community. The movement exists in many countries and focuses mainly on festivals and parades, enabling many LGBTIQ+ youth to network, communicate, and celebrate their gender and sexual identities.
The demographics of sexual orientation and gender identity in the United States have been studied in the social sciences in recent decades. A 2022 Gallup poll concluded that 7.1% of adult Americans identified as LGBT. A different survey in 2016, from the Williams Institute, estimated that 0.6% of U.S. adults identify as transgender. As of 2022, estimates for the total percentage of U.S. adults that are transgender or nonbinary range from 0.5% to 1.6%. Additionally, a Pew Research survey from 2022 found that approximately 5% of young adults in the U.S. say their gender is different from their sex assigned at birth.
The National LGBTQ Task Force is an American social justice advocacy non-profit organizing the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Also known as The Task Force, the organization supports action and activism on behalf of LGBTQ people and advances a progressive vision of liberation. The past executive director was Rea Carey from 2008-2021 and the current executive director is Kierra Johnson, who took over the position in 2021 to become the first Black woman to head the organization.
The Tucson Gay Museum maintains an extensive collection of archival materials, artifacts and graphic arts relating to the history of LGBT people in the United States, with a focus on the LGBT communities of Tucson, Arizona and Phoenix, Arizona. It became a member of the Arizona LGBTQIA+ Archives in 2020.
In the post-Stonewall era, the role of libraries in providing information and services to LGBTQ individuals has been a topic of discussion among library professionals. Libraries can often play an important role for LGBTQ individuals looking to find information about coming out, health, and family topics, as well as leisure reading. In the past 50 years, advocate organizations for LGBTQ content in libraries have emerged, and numerous theorists have discussed various aspects of LGBTQ library service including privacy concerns, programming, collection development considerations and librarian/staff education needs, as well as special services for juvenile and teen patrons.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBT topics.
Austin, Texas, has one of the most prominent and active LGBT populations in the United States. Austin was acclaimed by The Advocate in 2012 as part of its Gayest Cities in America, and was recognized by Travel and Leisure as one of America's Best Cities for Gay Travel. Much of Austin's gay nightlife scene is clustered around 4th Street. LGBT activism groups Atticus Circle and Equality Texas are headquartered in Austin.
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