Sites of Joy and Resistance in the Oklahoma City Metro

How did 2SLGBTQ Oklahomans organize to survive 50 years ago? This exhibit shares findings about thriving queer social scenes in 1970s Oklahoma City via four panels titled:

•     Gay Liberation Takes Off in Oklahoma
•     An Ever-Changing Political Atmosphere
•     The Reign of Curtis Harris
•     What Became of 1970s Queer Networks?

Thanks to the digitization of Oklahoma City's Gayly newspaper, we can easily explore arts, politics, and social spaces important to many queer people living in Oklahoma City during the 1980s - 2000s. For sources prior to this period, the curator relied on archives, oral histories, scholarly works, student and underground newspapers cited within the panels. Though this was their first exhibit install, they will publish the ongoing research as a project thesis for the UCO Museum Studies masters in 2025.

If you or someone you know would like to contribute to the historical record by sharing experiences with 2SLGBTQ+ spaces in the metro during the 1990s and prior, please reach out to UCO Archives and Special Collections by emailing blefler@uco.edu or archives@uco.edu