LibGuides: Historical Material from UNO Libraries' Archives & Special Collections: LGBTQIA+ Material in Criss Library Archives & Special Collections

Queer Omaha Archives

The Queer Omaha Archives includes digital material and information about the UNO collecting initiative. The Queer Omaha Archives preserves Omaha’s LGBTQIA+ history as part of the UNO Libraries’ Archives & Special Collections. Historical materials documenting Omaha’s diverse LGBTQIA+ communities are collected and made available to the public by archivists and librarians to more widely share Omaha’s stories.

LGBTQIA+ Material in Special Collections

David and Kathy England Papers
The David and Kathy England Papers document their engagement with several Omaha-area LGBTQ+ organizations when their son came out to them as a young man. The Englands were actively involved with and in some cases founding members of a number of Omaha area organizations and initiatives including PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), Proud Horizons, and ANGLE (Achieving New Gay and Lesbian Endeavors), and National Coming Out Day.
Nine boxes of material are divided into seven series that highlight the England's work from 1987 to 2010. The series are: ANGLE, Jane Pratt Show, The Names Project Quilt, PFLAG, Proud Horizons, Rainbow Outreach, Resources and Clippings, and United Methodist Church Reconciliation. Further description is available by clicking on each heading under "Navigate the Collection."
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The two largest sets of material relate to the Names Project Quilt and PFLAG. The Names Project Quilt series, 1989 to 1996, holds eleven folders about the national tour of the quilt called An Event in Three Acts, a lesson guide and annual report, the 1990 Names Project Quilt display in Lincoln, NE, a list of quilt names, four folders about the displays in Omaha, NE, Washington D.C. , a display handbook, a poster, one folder of photographs, and one folder of postcards using images from displays. The PFLAG series, 1982 to 2001, has 16 folders with information on the Board's strategic planning, the Equity for Our Invisible Minority Conference, other PFLAG conventions, PFLAG membership, PFLAG newsletters, and a collection of youth testimonials.

Several smaller series also illuminate the England's efforts. The ANGLE series, 1990 to 2012, contains three folders about National Coming Out Day, Omaha Pride Guides, and the annual recognition banquet. One folder holds ticket documentation and letters about the England's trip to New York to appear on an early 1990s talk show hosted by Sassy and Jane magazines founder and media personality Jane Pratt. The Proud Horizons series, 1991 to 2003, has four folders about youth group facilitators, the youth group's 10-year anniversary, and the Pride Prom. The Rainbow Outreach series, 2001 to 2003, contains a questionnaire and newsletter distributed by the Rainbow Outreach GLBT Center in Omaha. Resources and Clippings is ten folders and five items used by PFLAG and Proud Horizons for monthly meetings. The United Methodist Church Reconciliation series is five folders about Elizabeth and Robert Dorr, the trials of Reverend Gregory Dell and Reverend Jimmy Creech, and the relationship between the church and homosexuality. Finally, the VHS Series consists of five tapes and includes the Jane Pratt Show, educational content about HIV/AIDS, and a pre-trial interview with Pastor Jimmy Creech.

The Artifacts series rounds out the collection nicely with items that illustrate the England's support of LGBTQ+ organizations and initiatives. Items include name tags, numerous t-shirts, plaques and awards. Each item is described individually by clicking on the Artifacts heading.
Ephraim Marks and David Rice Papers
The Ephraim Marks and David Rice collection is composed of personal material about this white, gay, Omaha couple. The collection includes a scrapbook kept by David Rice showcasing some of his work as an interior designer in the 20th century in Omaha along with biographical information about Ephraim Marks and David Rice from the time around Rice’s death. A copy of an oral history interview David Rice did with the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society is also available. Also included are photos of their home, 1960s vacation in Mexico with a swordfish, their 40th anniversary party, and Rice’s 70th and 80th birthday parties.
Fredrick J. Zydek Papers
The Fredrick J. Zydek papers primarily document his work and career as a poet. Zydek’s collection thoroughly documents his poetry with a folder of material about each of his poems containing drafts and final versions of the poems as well as correspondence with publishers when the poems were published, which was frequently the case (15 cubic feet). Many of Zydek’s poems were published and they covered a range of topics. The collection also includes his short stories. Folders of material about Omaha’s Metropolitan Community Church, personal correspondence, and other topics are also part of the collection. The collection also includes information about courses Zydek taught for the Writer’s Workshop at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and the College of St. Mary in Omaha. A scrapbook about Omaha’s Metropolitan Community Church where Zydek and his spouse Garold F. Storm were founding pastors contains news clippings about the founding and early years of the church in Omaha. Two boxes containing bound pamphlet binders primarily of Zydek’s class notes from his student days as well as his poetry and short stories are also part of the collection.
Heartland Gay Rodeo Association Records
The records of the Heartland Gay Rodeo Association document the organization’s rodeos and other activities. The collection includes newsletters, photographs, posters, meeting minutes, and other material. A small amount of material, such as newsletters, from other LGBTQ+ organizations are also part of the collection.
Imperial Court of Nebraska Records
The records of the Imperial Court of Nebraska (ICON) include photographs, albums documenting twelve of ICON’s reigns, newsletters circa 1996-2000, and one binder containing other ICON documents such as copies of incorporation documents, correspondence, and other material. The photographs are largely unidentified and require arrangement and description. The albums for twelve of ICON’s reigns include programs, fliers, news clippings, photographs, and other material documenting the reigns of the empresses, emperors, and their courts.
Lavender Couch Records
The records of Lavender Couch include fliers, posters, and photographs documenting the alternative rock, all-lesbian band's shows or gigs in Omaha, Lincoln, and other locales. Publicity photos and casual photos of band members are also available. A small number of contracts or agreements are part of the collection along with ephemera such as a sticker. A copy of the band's eponymous 1994 audiocassette tape is part of the collection. Lavender Couch was an alternative rock band active in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, beginning in the mid-1990s. Lavender Couch was Omaha's first all-lesbian band. Band members were: Cami Rawlings, guitar, bass, vocals; Allison Ravnholdt, bass, guitar, vocals; Ariann Anderson, vocals; and Roselle Ledesma, drums.
Meredith Bacon Papers
The papers of Prof. Meredith Bacon document her research into LGBTQIA+ topics over many years and include transgender topics such as gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder. Her papers also document her transition from Wally Bacon to Meredith Bacon through media coverage along with correspondence from family, friends, colleagues, and strangers. An album of photos and negatives documenting Bacon’s dressing as a woman and posing for photos from approximately 1970 to the early 1990s is also part of the collection. The collection also includes documentation of Bacon’s involvement with national organizations, networks, and local Omaha and regional activities.
Metropolitan Community Church of Omaha Records
The records of the Metropolitan Community Church of Omaha (MCC Omaha) document the church’s activities, initiatives, members, and buildings. The collection includes photographs organized by event and date with some of the material well-identified and minimal identification for other photographs.
Nebraska AIDS Project (NAP) Records
The Nebraska AIDS Project (NAP) collection is primarily composed of photographs in print along with negatives and some digital images. The topics of the photographs include a variety of NAP activities including the annual AIDS Walk, Night of 1,000 Stars, volunteer appreciation events, other events, as well as NAP’s former building. Celebrities participating in events include Olympian Greg Louganis, actress Shirley MacLaine, and comedian Joan Rivers. Documents are primarily related to marketing and include posters, programs for events, and other information.
Queer Omaha Archives Ephemera Collection
The Queer Omaha Archives Ephemera Collection is material collected or received from various sources including organizations, businesses, and individuals. The collection includes brochures, fliers, business cards, and other similar material documenting events, services, businesses, and other activities.
Rainbow Outreach GLBT Center Records
The records of the Rainbow Outreach GLBT Center documents some of the activities of the center such as providing information and support to the LGBTQ+ communities. Material in the collection includes brochures from Omaha area organizations such as GLSEN and PFLAG, educational reports and brochures on topics such as health and aging, buttons from local events such as Pride in the early 1990s, signs displayed at the center, and other material.
River City Gender Alliance Records
The records of the River City Gender Alliance (RCGA) include copies of the organization's newsletters, brochures, fliers, and other documents. The collection also includes material from other local and national organizations.
River City Mixed Chorus Records
The records of the River City Mixed Chorus include meeting minutes, marketing materials (fliers, posters, etc.), grants, audiovisual recordings, correspondence, and other material documenting the organization.
Robert Gilmer and René Orduña Papers
The Robert Gilmer and René Orduña collection is composed of personal and professional material from Gilmer and Orduña’s lives together. Most of the material covers the lives of Gilmer and Orduña in Omaha from the period after they left New York City in 1986 through the 2010s. The collection includes photographs, posters, programs, items from Gilmer and Orduña's wedding, and news coverage of Dixie Quicks, René Orduña, and RNG Gallery.
Scott Winkler Papers
The papers of Scott Winkler document his activism for LGBTQ+ issues and organizations in Nebraska, such as Citizens For Equal Protection of which he served as executive director. The activities documented included National Coming Out Day events in Omaha in 1995-1996 (KETV news coverage for 1995), testifying before Nebraska unicameral legislative committees, Omaha Pride 1995 (KETV news coverage), and other activities. Notably, Candace Gingrich, LGBTQ+ activist and sister of Georgia politician Newt Gingrich, was the keynote speaker at the 1995 National Coming Out Day event, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign. The collection includes press releases, yard signs, fliers, VHS videotapes, diskettes, a movie poster for the documentary "The Brandon Teena Story" from a screening at UNO, and other material.
Terry Sweeney and Pat Phalen Papers
The Terry Sweeney and Pat Phalen Papers document some of their interests and life together in Omaha, Nebraska in the late 20th and early 21 centuries including participating in Marches on Washington (1987, 1993), writing the regional newsletter/magazine The New Voice for a decade, Phalen’s reign as ICON Emperor, the Omaha leather scene, safe sex and HIV/AIDS education, workplace activism, and other activities of the local LGBTQ community. The collection includes newsletters, event programs, a photo album from Omaha Pride 1987, photographs, signs from protests and rallies as well as memorabilia including buttons, pins, medallions, a sash from Omaha Pride in 1991, hats, and other artifacts.
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During Pat Phalen’s reign as Imperial Court of Nebraska (ICON) Emperor VI he was known as the Flamingo Emperor and Sweeney was the Prince Royale. Phalen collected flamingos and their likeness can be found throughout the memorabilia such as his crown as well as in the scrapbook documenting his reign as Emperor 6. As part of the community service of the reign, Project Concern was created and led by Sweeney to provide safe sex and HIV/AIDS education. Project Concern was active for two years. Some of the collection’s other notable artifacts include: a personalized brick from Omaha’s Diamond Bar presented to Pat Phalen from the bar; the Nebraska banners from the Marches on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights; Pride Week at US West (1988-1989); and others.
UNO Demonstration and Rally Collection
The UNO Demonstration and Rally Collection documents local, national, and international demonstrations, rallies, protests, and other similar actions. The collection includes posters, signs, handbills, and photographs documenting specific events as well as general movements or actions. While there is a specific interest in documenting activities in and around Omaha, example material about demonstrations in other cities can also be found in the collection. For example, the collection includes handbills and posters against the Vietnam War and supporting the war effort that were produced for specific rallies and organizations in other U.S. cities. Topics covered in the collection include the Vietnam War, women’s movement, Civil Rights Movement, anti-Apartheid movement, support for President Barack Obama, and Omaha and UNO rallies opposing the January 2017 ban on immigration from 6 majority Muslim countries. The UNO Demonstration and Rally Collection is a teaching collection and is not intended to be comprehensive.

LGBTQIA+ Material in University Archives

LGBTQ+ Oral History Collection
The LGBTQ+ Oral History Collection is the home for oral history interviews conducted with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual individuals from various communities with a focus on those with a connection to Omaha, Nebraska. The interviews were consciously collected to be part of UNO’s Queer Omaha Archives.
Queer Film Class Blogs
Prof. Tammie Kennedy’s students in the spring 2016 English course Queer Film were required to create and use a blog platform as part of their coursework. The University of Nebraska at Omaha students discussed various films on their blogs including Pariah, The Kids Are Alright, Weekend, Boys Don’t Cry, Milk, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Dallas Buyers Club, The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Paris Is Burning, and How to Survive a Plague. Students also reflected on their enrollment in the course and their favorite queer film.
UNO Gender and Sexuality Resource Center Ephemera Collection
The collection includes material produced as well as collected by the UNO Gender and Sexuality Resource Center. Please see component records for specific details.
UNO Queer and Trans Services Records
The records of the Queer and Trans Services (formerly Gender and Sexual Orientation) student agency include posters and fliers, handmade signs for protests or rallies, training and orientation material, office files, photos, and other material. Some of the handmade signs were made and used in response to an itinerant evangelical preacher who frequently visits campus and espouses his beliefs that include condemnation and hate outside of the Milo Bail Student Center. The collection documents the agency’s organization as part of UNO Student Government as well as its activities and the activities of other campus and Omaha-area LGBTQIA groups.
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New material added 2016-01-22: The binder contains material created and collected by the GSO and Women’s Resource Center Student Agencies. The binder is particularly notable for including a document from the 1970s about the initial organization of the Women’s Resource Center.

New material added 2016-03-28: Five signs created by members of GSO to use in cheering on other students during the 2015 UNO Homecoming Battleship competition. The signs read: "We're here and we're queer," "Let the gaymes begin," "GSO," and "Get wet and have fun!!" One of the signs does not include text and features an outline of an actual student's head and arm along with the symbols for male, female, and intersex or transgender. The signs were constructed on white poster board using markers, glitter, feathers, and other applique.
University Archives File Cabinet Collection (University of Nebraska at Omaha Records)
This collection includes organizational records from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and its predecessors, the Municipal University of Omaha and the University of Omaha, dating from the institution's founding in 1908 to the present. Records originated from many colleges, schools, departments, offices, committees, faculty and staff organizations, student organizations, and alumni. Materials include publications, event programs, conference materials, publicity material, meeting minutes, correspondence, budget information, internal reports, policies, architectural drawings, photographs, and miscellaneous records from various UNO and UNO-affiliated groups or relating to UNO people, buildings, events, and academic programs.

LGBTQIA+ Books and Magazines

In addition to all of the content available in licensed databases and the general collection on the third floor, generous donors are doing their part to grow a significant and varied collection of books and printed material in UNO Libraries' Archives & Special Collections. Search "Queer Omaha Archives" in the library catalog to browse what is available for use in Archives & Special Collections. A few highlights:

Dr. Meredith Bacon's Collection of Books and Magazines
The books and other printed material collected by Dr. Meredith Bacon cover LGBTQ+ topics from the mid-20th century to the early 21st century. Her collection is especially strong in its coverage of transgender and queer topics. Holdings are scattered for many of the magazines. Those with sizable number of issues include: Ladylike (1987-2004), TV Fiction Classics (1988-1997), The TV-TS Tapestry (1984-1995), Transvestia (1981-1986), TVia Revisited Magazine, Transgender Tapestry (1995-2004), Contemporary TV Fiction (1989-1997), The Female Impersonator, Female Impersonators (1969-1970), and Female Mimics International (1980-1993).
Collection of Mid-20th Century Popular Fiction
A collection of popular fiction and other books received from an anonymous donor on August 24, 2017. The majority of these books are erotic or romance pulp fiction featuring lesbian characters or relationships, including books by both lesbian authors and heterosexual male authors. The collection also includes a small amount of erotic fiction featuring only heterosexual characters, beat fiction, and nonfiction books on sexual topics. Using the library catalog, search for: kw:("Queer omaha Archives") AND kw:(August 24, 2017)
Rainbow Outreach GLBT Center Library
The Rainbow Outreach GLBT Center in Omaha was home to a large lending library of over 2,000 volumes when it closed. The titles cover a range of topics including LGBTQ+ fiction, memoirs, history, self-help, and more. The library was donated to UNO Libraries in 2017 with books by LGBTQ+ authors or on LGBTQ+ topics retained in Archives and Special Collections.
Jim Medder Library
Dr. Jim Medder donated his personal library of over 1,000 volumes to UNO Libraries in 2017. The collection is predominantly composed of contemporary gay popular fiction and literature along with books on history, art, and other topics.
The GayZette
Collection contains electronic copies of the Gayzette, published in Omaha, Nebraska, by the Rainbow Outreach GLBT Center, every two weeks from June 18, 1999, until December 23, 2016.
The New Voice of Nebraska
The New Voice of Nebraska was published in Lincoln, NE beginning in 1984 before moving to Omaha where it continued to be published until 1998. All issues have been digitized and are available online. Paper issues along with attached ephemera are available in UNO Libraries' Archives & Special Collections.
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Information about the management of the New Voice is available in the Terry Sweeney and Pat Phalen Papers in UNO Libraries' Archives & Special Collections.
Omaha Zine Collection
The Omaha Zine Collection is predominantly zines produced by local and regional creators with selected national zines. Topics include perzines, social justice, self-care, art, music, comics, LGBTQIA+, and many other subjects. The majority of zines in the collection were acquired at Omaha Zine Fest beginning in 2017 with other notable additions by students creating zines for their UNO classes.
Gateway Digital Archive
Nearly every issue of UNO’s student newspaper, The Gateway , is available on-line stretching back to the 1920s.