Resource Guides: LGBTQIA+ Communities and Allies: Activism and Advocacy

LGBTQIA+ Activism in Atlanta

Atlanta has had an active culture of LGBTQIA+ activism since the 1960s. Over the years, this community has struggled against those who deny or criminalize their existence. The website OutHistory has a timeline of notable Atlanta events since the Stonewall Uprising in New York galvanized national LGBTQ communities into action.

In fact, just one month after the Stonewall riots, Atlanta's LGBTQ community rose up to protest a raid on a theater in a predominantly gay district in mid-town, sparking the creation of the Georgia Gay Liberation Front. Read more about this event here.

LGBTQIA+ Georgians are an essential and vibrant part of the local community. Below is an introduction to those in the community making a difference now from OutGeorgia

For further reading about LGBTQIA+ history, see the following:

Gay and Lesbian Atlanta by Wesley Chenault; Stacy Braukman
ISBN: 9780738553771
Publication Date: 2008-06-09
For much of the 20th century, Atlanta was a magnet drawing newcomers from around the nation. Atlanta's growth from a small Southern town to a Sunbelt colossus in many ways parallels the changes that shaped America during those 100 years: industrialization, technological innovation, suburbanization, and battles over racial equality. Largely overlooked in the Atlanta story, however, are the experiences of lesbians and gay men. In a city governed by powerful business interests and an ethos of Christian conservatism, gays and lesbians maneuvered in ways both large and small, public and private, to find personal happiness, professional fulfillment, and, eventually, a political voice. Until recently, Atlanta's gay and lesbian history survived and perished with the memories of the men and women who lived it. Now a small part of that history has been preserved in this collection of unforgettable images.
Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered History in America by Marc Stein (Editor)
ISBN: 0684312611
Publication Date: 2003-12-05
This 3-vol. set is an accessible and scholarly reference that provides a comprehensive survey of lesbian and gay history and culture in the United States. Long needed by researchers, the Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History in America includes approximately 545 articles ranging from short biographical entries to longer essays surveying topics such as the Stonewall riots, federal law and policy, same-sex institutions and AIDS. Wide-ranging in scope, this new encyclopedia complements courses in a variety of disciplines, including history, American studies, literature, psychology, sociology and others. Features include a guide to archival sources, a chronology/timeline, a historical overview essay and a comprehensive index.
The Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History by Howard Chiang
ISBN: 0684325535
Publication Date: 2019-02-08
A three-volume set, The Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History (Charles Scribner's Sons) will provide a global view of the history of LGBTQ, covering significant figures and events worldwide. Wide-ranging in scope, this encyclopedia complements courses in a variety of disciplines, including history, literature, psychology, sociology and others. This title is being created under an international editorial board, led by Howard Chiang (University of California, Davis).

VIDEO: After Stonewall America's LGBT Movement
Narrated by Melissa Etheridge. In 1969 the police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, leading to three nights of rioting by the city's gay community. With this outpouring of courage and unity the Gay Liberation Movement had begun. After Stonewall, the sequel to Before Stonewall, chronicles the history of lesbian and gay life from the riots at Stonewall to the end of the century. It captures the hard work, struggles, tragic defeats and exciting victories experienced since them. It explores how AIDS literally changed the direction of the movement.

Archiving local activism

Several archives in Atlanta contain resources documenting the history, activism of and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ communities:

Georgia Tech Archives
- Georgia Tech Pride Alliance Records
  - Correspondence, email, reports, charter and by-laws, marketing materials, meeting minutes and agendas regarding the business and activities of the Pride Alliance and its predecessors from 1978 to 2010.
Georgia State University Digital Collections
- LGBTQ Collection
  - Materials documenting the Georgia LGBTQ community representing a wide-ranging assortment of topics and events including the Gender & Sexuality Oral History Project, OutTV Atlanta television show, and papers from Atlanta-focused activist groups.
Emory University Rose Library
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Collection
  - Collection of items spanning 1969 to 2019 relating to the history of the LGBTQ community in Atlanta, such as scrapbooks, printed material, and photographs, including various gay pride celebrations. Some portions of this collection are digitized.
Atlanta History Center
- LGBTQIA+ Topics
  - Stories, projects, and collections about the LGBTQIA+ community and activism in Atlanta.
Georgia LGBTQ History Project
- Resources
  - Local archivists, librarians, and community volunteers dedicated to preserving Georgia’s LGBTQ+ history.

LGBTQIA+ at Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech LGBTQIA+ student activists have been working for equality for many years.

Scout Shultz was a leading LGBTQIA+ activist on campus, tragically killed in 2017. Scout's death further galvanized the community to work towards positive change. This story from 2018 memorializes their activism and legacy. GT Pride Alliance raised funds for a memorial bench in their honor, to be installed on campus.

J. Jeffrey and J. Luo, “One year later: memorial and vigil remember Scout,” Technique. Sep. 18, 2018. https://nique.net/news/2018/09/24/one-year-later-memorial-and-vigil-remember-scout/

Georgia Tech's digital repository contains many full-text issues of the student newspaper the Technique spanning 1911-2014. These contain articles about the Pride Alliance and its predecessor the Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA) from 2000-2014.