Out in Central Pennsylvania: The History of an LGBTQ Community

On Thursday, October 13, authors William Burton and Barry Loveland will join LancasterHistory virtually for a lecture on their new book, Out in Central Pennsylvania: A History of the LGBTQ Community. They will discuss the efforts for passage of a non-discrimination ordinance in Lancaster, the KKK protest, the two bombings of The Closet bookstore, and other stories and histories.

Outside of major metropolitan areas, the fight for LGBTQ+ rights has had its own unique and rich history – one that is quite different from the national narrative set in New York and California. Drawing from oral histories and the archives of the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project, Out in Central Pennsylvania recounts the innovative ways that LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians organized to demand civil rights and to improve quality of life in a region that often rejected them.

William Burton is the author of Out in Central Pennsylvania, and is a writer living in Provincetown, Massachusetts. He has a master’s degree in History from the University of Massachusetts and his thesis was in LGBT history. He is currently a contributor to The Provincetown Banner newspaper and The Gay and Lesbian Review magazine.

Barry Loveland is a cofounder and chair of the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project and is retired after a 32-year career with the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. He has B.S. in Building Sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an M.S. in Historic Preservation.

EVENT DETAILS & HOW TO REGISTER

This event will take place online via Zoom on Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 7pm Eastern. This is NOT an in-person event. The event will be recorded and made available on LancasterHistory’s YouTube Channel in the days after the event.

The program is free and open to the public but requires advance registration. Register online by clicking “Get Tickets” below or by calling (717) 392-4633. Your link to the Zoom event will be emailed to you upon successful registration. If you are unfamiliar with Zoom, we highly recommend reading our Virtual Event Guide & FAQ in advance the of the event. Registration will close online on October 13 at 6:50pm ET.