Pride flag raising, 2022
Title
Pride flag raising, 2022
Description
On 15 October 2021, student members of Common Ground and Brave Space gathered at the Bradley Circle of Pride with alumni and other supporters to raise pride flags honoring National Coming Out Week and celebrating October as LGBTQIA+ history month. The flag raising, and the fundraising that made this possible, was organized by students and faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies. Significantly, this event marks the first public recognition of LGBTQIA+ history month by the university in collaboration with both student and community organizations after decades of student activism. The names of donors along with the speeches, correspondence, and other materials from that day, including the featured mini pride flag, are now part of our archival collections.
LGBTQIA+ activism has a rich history on campus but much more could be done to record and recognize that struggle. Common Ground began in 1994 and for almost thirty years its members have planned programs and promoted inclusivity. Two decades earlier, in September 1973, Christine Jorgensen spoke to a crowd of 700 in the Robertson Memorial Field house about her experience transitioning. Jorgensen, famously underwent the first documented sex-change operations (three total) beginning in 1951. She talked movingly about how her experiences in the army and college helped her to develop the courage and understanding to transform her life, and how telling that story of personal liberation was a “bit about everybody.”
If you have a story about your own life and its connection to the ongoing effort to make the university a place where all voices can be heard, recognized, and respected, please tell us about it. Special Collections is eager to build more inclusive collections and we need your help in making this happen. Please consider visiting, donating, or volunteering.
LGBTQIA+ activism has a rich history on campus but much more could be done to record and recognize that struggle. Common Ground began in 1994 and for almost thirty years its members have planned programs and promoted inclusivity. Two decades earlier, in September 1973, Christine Jorgensen spoke to a crowd of 700 in the Robertson Memorial Field house about her experience transitioning. Jorgensen, famously underwent the first documented sex-change operations (three total) beginning in 1951. She talked movingly about how her experiences in the army and college helped her to develop the courage and understanding to transform her life, and how telling that story of personal liberation was a “bit about everybody.”
If you have a story about your own life and its connection to the ongoing effort to make the university a place where all voices can be heard, recognized, and respected, please tell us about it. Special Collections is eager to build more inclusive collections and we need your help in making this happen. Please consider visiting, donating, or volunteering.
Rights
For official publication permission or to request high resolution images, contact Special Collections at specialcollections@bradley.edu or (309)677-2822.
Citation
“Pride flag raising, 2022,” Virginius H. Chase Special Collections Center, accessed May 8, 2024, https://bradleyspecialcollections.omeka.net/items/show/98.