Hiding In Plain Sight

Of late I have been interested in learning more about the gay and lesbian history of Atlanta. On the web there is little to be had so I have learned. It seems that our little gay minds are not interested much in the past and we are more ready to shop, hook up or look at porn online than anything else. I guess I cannot blame people, I have engaged in all that myself.


Richard Evans Lee was kind enough to forward me a link to a site that did begin to help in my search for information about gay Atlanta history. Thank you, Richard.


After that I decided to visit the Southern Voice (SoVo) site and after scrolling to the bottom of the page I found a recent article about an upcoming exhibit at the Atlanta History Center that is focused on the gay and lesbian history of Atlanta. 

 

Voila! Finally something to get excited about.


The exhibit is to be called Atlanta's Unspoken Past. The history center has been gathering material for this collection since 1991 and even had a booth set up at Pride this year. Somehow I missed it.


According to the SoVo article the history center will spend the next year interviewing older men and women to provide an oral history component to the exhibit. The exhibit is expected to open in May 2005 and run through July of next year.


I am thrilled to see this happening. I have been wanting to know more about the Atlanta gay and lesbian community of the past. I want to know their struggles, joys, what the city was like, how attitudes were then and how they've changed.


Bravo to the Atlanta History Center for taking on this endeavor.