Why this project?
The experience of an LGBT+ person living in rural America is vastly different from those in urban populations, given the small population size and differing attitudes arising from such an environment. It was even more different back in the 1970’s to the 1990’s, when being an LGBT+ person could lose you your job or worse. This Digital Humanities project provides an overview of key moments that shaped the LGBT+ experience and livelihood throughout Central Pennsylvania beyond the major cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia through the examination of local newspapers. While many parts of LGBT+ history are limited to oral histories or the remains from organizations, local newspapers have also documented many events throughout Pennsylvania that they saw as notable.
As someone who was born and raised in Central PA, I began this project to connect with my own local history and create a page where young people in the LGBT+ community can see that they aren’t alone and aren’t the first.
About LANGUAGE
The language used to describe marginalized populations from different time periods varies wildly and may be alarming for some readers.
why purple?
Purple shades have long been linked to LGBT+ resistance. In ancient times, poet Sappho described young women wearing violet tiaras in her poetry, but the color was not truly as associated with homosexuality until the invention of synthetic dye in the 19th century.
By the 1930s, being told you had a “dash of lavender” became a derogatory term. During the “Lavender Scare” in the 1950s, President Eisenhower tried to remove LGBT+ people from government jobs. Lavender later became a symbol of resistance after the Stonewall riots. In the 1970s, lesbian activists protested Betty Friedan’s comments of a “Lavender Menace” in 1969 by wearing purple shirts with “Lavender Menace” written on top at a women’s rights conference. Lesbians in Central Pennsylvania adopted the color for the Lavender Letters newsletter, which was a calendar of events for the local lesbian community.
About Me
Katie Lauriello (she/they) is a rising senior with an English major and minor in business who studied abroad in England in fall ’23. Originally from Boiling Springs, PA, they joined the Digital Humanities Fellows in summer ’24 to expand their knowledge of digital tools and tell a story to a wider audience through their research. Katie is the Lead Copy Editor for The Gettysburgian and will take on the role of Managing Editor in spring ’25. Since fall ’22, they have interned in writing for the Gettysburg College Communications and Marketing team.
Acknowledgements
This project was created during the Digital Humanities Fellowship in summer 2024.
I would like to give special thanks to the DHF cohort, Dean Wagner, and Musselman Library for providing me the opportunity to pursue this project. I would also like to thank the other fellows in my cohort.
Finally, I would like to give a special thanks to Dickinson College for providing me with access to their wealth of resources on my topic through the LGBT History project.
Tools
- WordPress
- TimelineJS
- ArcGIS StoryMaps
- Flourish