January/ February 2018

Black History Month is a remembrance of significant people and events in the history of African heritage. It is celebrated in the United States in February.

The remembrance was originally started by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, a leading historian who founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. Woodson felt the contributions of Black Americans were overlooked or misrepresented, so he began lobbying for Negro History Week. It began in 1926.

By Brian Burns and Judd Proctor 02.2018

March 2017

Born in 1880 in England, Radclyffe Hall is best known for the novel The Well of Loneliness, a groundbreaking work in lesbian literature. Hall herself was an open lesbian. In her twenties she pursued a variety of women. One was singer Mabel Batten. She gave Hall the nickname John, which stuck for the rest of her life.But in 1915, Hall fell in love with Batten’s cousin, Una Troubridge. They lived together until Hall’s death in 1943.

By Brian Burns and Judd Proctor 03.2017

January/ February 2017

The disco-era singing group, The Village People, formed in 1977. Their ensemble included an American Indian, police officer, cowboy, construction worker, biker and military man -  all macho types that attracted a gay male audience. Their appeal quickly spilled over into mainstream pop, with the general public quite unaware of the hidden meanings of their lyrics and attire. In their 1979 song, “In the Navy,” they sang of the joys of being in the Navy with other young men. 

By Brian Burns and Judd Proctor 01.2017