Whether it's same-sex marriage or laws prohibiting discrimination based on gender idenity, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø has been near the forefront in advancing LGBTQ causes.
But in the state's not-too-distant past, homosexuality was regarded as a mental health or personality disorder. A , jointly undertaken by Central ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø State University and the , details state psychiatric facilities' use of electroshock therapy, even lobotomy, to treat sexuality and gender variations.
Despite the risks, love letters going back more than a century attest to underground romantic same-sex relationships here.
Today, we look at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø's LGBTQ history, before and after the in New York City, which happened 50 years ago next month and gave rise to the modern gay rights movement.
Even before Stonewall, groups here in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, such as the , championed the .
We reflect on , and how the state's LGBTQ community rallied from tragedies, like the AIDS crisis and the , to bring about change.
Join the conversation on and .
GUESTS:
- William J. Mann - and historian who was of Central ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø State University's in 2018. From 1992 to 1995, he was co-publisher of Metroline, a former Hartford-based gay and lesbian news magazine.
- Eve Galanis - Central ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø State University student who's spent the past year working on a ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø as part of a joint effort between CCSU and the ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Historical Society
- Keith Brown - producer and host of the on at the University of Hartford
Chion Wolf and Lydia Brown contributed to this show, which originally aired on May 31, 2019.
RESOURCES:
ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Historical Society - - "The exhibit explores the idea of the LGBTQ community finding its voice, and moving from an underground existence to a claimed communal identity."
