Thank you for taking interest in continuing and preserving the narrative of LGBT history. LGBT scholarship is a fairly new field within academia, and any information you may have on LGBT persons and communities of the past are greatly appreciated.
Since most evidence of LGBT history was intentionally hidden from the public, or destroyed in an act of damning “shamefulness” from history, so much of our knowledge and research comes from you. Oral histories are one of the most useful forms of evidence we can have as researchers, and, in many cases, may be the only one.
Even if you fear you don’t have anything to offer, let this be known: preserve your story. Record all you hear, think, and see in the world. The historical discipline has only recently begun to see a multitude of perspectives and demographics as relevant to history, so any information you’d be willing to share may lead us down just the right rabbit hole.
If you would like to research more on LGBT history in Kentucky, we invite you to research with the Williams-Nichols Collection, founded by David Williams, at the University of Louisville Archives and Special Collections Library. You can visit the collection page here.
If you have anything to share or contribute, don’t hesitate to fill out this form. Thank you for sharing your story!