LGBTQI History: Sources

Files in BRG83 (Councilmanic Services) detail the unsuccessful 1984 fight for the passage of City Council Bill 187 that “would prohibit discrimination on the basis of ‘sexual orientation’ in employment, public accommodations, education and health and welfare services.” (An early, identical bill was defeated in 1980.)

The files contain letters of support and opposition, City Council hearing attendance sheets, typescript testimony given at the hearing, and general research material on homosexuality and gay rights. Also included are reports entitled “The Prevalence of Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization in Baltimore: 1988,” by Dr. Kenneth B. Morgen, Chesapeake Psychological Services and “A Report of Discrimination Experienced by Gays and Lesbians in Baltimore City,” [1984?] by the Baltimore Civil Rights Coalition. A bill outlawing discrimination based upon sexual orientation was finally passed on May 23, 1988 and became law on July 1st of that same year.

Mayoral papers are also another source for LGBTQI history. Material from 1969-1985 can be found among the holdings of Mayor William Donald Schaefer (Click here for an word searchable box listing to the collection.) The Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke Papers contain a file on the Mayor’s Task Force on Gay & Lesbian Issues that includes its 1990 annual report and its recommendations.