Message from Podcast Creators

This is the first podcast we have created. From an activist perspective, we know storytelling is the foundation of social change. When it comes to histories and stories of the marginalized we find oral histories and narrative audio work to be not just of interest in terms of shedding light on a hidden tale, but also quite necessary, due to its immediacy and its accessibility.  The LGBTQIA+ history of resistance is inspiring and profound, but the work is not done. Histories are meant to inform our futures, and we believe this podcast will continue the hard work of resistance and transformation from the generations before us that live in the stories and histories at the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives. We hope to bring people into the library and archive and inspire listeners via the living histories that we plan to share with Chicago and because the technology allows it, the world. 

We hope you will listen to these episodes and be inspired to learn more about the LGBTQ history of Chicago and the Midwest. We also hope this will inspire you to see the value in preserving queer history. Please select each episode for more details on the individuals and collections discussed. Each episode lists a section of sources to learn more. 

Please visit Gerber/Hart to learn even more. Archives exist to preserve and make history accessible. We are very excited to share these stories with you. 

Ari Mejia (Producer), Erin Bell (Co-editor) and Jen Dentel (Co-editor).