Out in the Archives: An Exploration of LGBTQ+ History at Union College

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This exhibition seeks to highlight the stories and experiences of LGBTQ+ people at Union College, using the archival material available at Special Collections and Archives. Featuring materials identified in the 2023 Ruth Anne Evans Research Fellowship, the goal is to uncover and bring to light queer history at Union that has either been buried or has yet to be recognized as queer.

On display are glimpses into the wide variety of experiences that queer people have had at Union, from separatist to assimilationist, from closeted to openly out, from stories of triumph to stories of struggle. 

This exhibition does not masquerade as an exhaustive composite of the wide variety of experiences that LGBTQ+ people have had across the centuries. Rather, it is a singular look at some of the individuals, both students and faculty, whose work increased queer solidarity, activism, or visibility on campus.  We are excited to make the existing information in our archives accessible to the campus community with this exhibition, and we look forward to expanding the scope of our work.

Location

This exhibit can be found in the Beuth Atrium, which is on the 1st floor of Schaffer Library, just behind the reference desk and before the glass doors into the Lally Reading Room. 

Visit the online exhibition

An accompanying digital exhibition, Out in the Archives: An Exploration of LGBTQ+ History at Union College, can be found at digitalcollections.union.edu/s/out-in-the-archives

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Schaffer Library College Librarian Frances Maloy, Sarah Schmidt, Joseph Lueck, Matthew Golebiewski, Becky Fried, Jenn Byrd, Ryan Cudworth, and Professor Jennifer Mitchell for their help in making this website possible. 

Gabriella Baratier

Class of 2025

Student Curator and Inaugural Ruth Anne Evans Research Fellow