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Ann Arbor 200

Ann Arbor District Library's LGBTQ+ Walking Tour

Ann Arbor District Library's LGBTQ+ Walking Tour image

The Ann Arbor District Library’s LGBTQ+ Walking Tour documents historical locations important to the queer community, pulling from interviews with community members in podcasts like AADL’S Gayest Generation, LGBTQ+ Washtenaw oral histories, and other archival collections. We heard from community members about their favorite hangouts over the decades, including bars, bookstores, and sites of political advancement for LGBTQ+ rights. This tour walks you through important locations, some of which have changed over the years and may no longer exist.

Ann Arbor 200
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AADL Talks To: Jerry DeGrieck, Former Human Rights Party Council Member

AA City Councilman Jerry DeGrieck in 1973
Ann Arbor City Council Member Jerry DeGrieck, September 1973

In this episode, AADL Talks To Jerry DeGrieck. Jerry was the first elected official to come out as gay in the U.S. alongside council member Nancy Wechsler in 1973. Both were members of the Human Rights Party, and in 1972 beat out local democrats and republicans for two seats on Ann Arbor’s City Council. Jerry recalls his time in Ann Arbor and discusses influential moments in his life politically and personally. Though Jerry moved to Seattle in 1974, he still remembers his time in Ann Arbor fondly, has visited several times over the years, and has maintained lifelong friendships that began here.

 

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AADL Talks To David Fenton

While he was in town during the 40th anniversary of the John Sinclair Freedom Rally, we had the chance to sit down and chat with David Fenton about his time in Ann Arbor during the late 1960s and early 1970s. During these years David lived at the Hill Street Commune, worked on the Ann Arbor Sun, and helped with the campaign to free John Sinclair. David discusses Sinclair's influence on his personal and professional life; reflects on the excesses - both good and bad - of the countercultural movement as he experienced it, and its legacy 40 years later in its modern counterparts, including moveon.org and the Occupy Wall Street movement.

David also participated in our panel discussion, Culture Jamming: A Long View Back.

Hrp: Toward Community Control

Hrp: Toward Community Control image
Parent Issue
Day
31
Month
March
Year
1972
Copyright
Creative Commons (Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-alike)
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Media

AADL Talks To Jim Toy and Jackie Simpson

November 18, 2011 marked the 40th anniversary of the University of Michigan’s Spectrum Center, making it the oldest LGBT student organization in the country. AADL spoke with Jackie Simpson, the director of the Spectrum Center, and Jim Toy, one of the two people who founded the organization in 1971. Jackie and Jim talked about the beginning of the organization, its history and ongoing development, and the challenges and joys of the center today.