The Equal Rights Nevada (2000-2002) collection is comprised of organizational records documenting the group’s unsuccessful fight against Question 2, a referendum voted upon in 2000 and 2002 to amend Nevada’s state constitution to forbid same-sex marriage. It includes campaign files, financial records, publicity, correspondence, ephemera, and other supporting documentation from national and regional marriage equality organizations.
Oral history interview with Pat Spearman conducted by Lisa McAllister on March 03, 2016 for the African Americans in Las Vegas: a Collaborative Oral History Project. In this interview, Spearman discusses her experiences in the military and becoming a minister at United Methodist Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. She describes what it was like to serve in the military as a gay woman and telling church members about her sexuality. Spearman then talks about the African American gay community in Las Vegas and the intersectionality of race, class, religion, sexuality, and politics. Lastly, Spearman discusses her plans to get re-elected as a Nevada State Senator.
Sam Gay was the Sheriff of Clark County, Nevada between 1911 and 1931. He was born March 1, 1860 in Prince County, Canada and grew up in Massachusetts. Gay moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1905 to work as a bouncer in the Arizona Club. He was chosen by the first Sheriff of Clark County, Charles C. Corkhill, to be his deputy in 1909, and he later became Sheriff himself. He died August 24, 1932 in Las Vegas.