Oral history interviews with David Parks conducted by Dennis McBride on February 16 and 21, 2000 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In the interviews, Parks talks about his early life in Boston, Massachusetts, his education, and his service with the United States Air Force, where he was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, Nevada in 1967. Parks then recalls understanding his sexuality during his military service and policies regarding gay military personnel. He remembers coming out as gay in 1972, when he attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and worked for the City of Las Vegas as a computer operator. He then talks about getting involved with politics, his involvement with gay support organizations including Aid for AIDS of Nevada, and his experiences running as the first openly gay Nevada State Assemblyman in 1996. Lastly, Parks discusses same sex rights legislation that was brought forward during his time in office.
Oral history interviews with Judy Corbisiero conducted by Dennis McBride on September 05, 2003; and April 21, July 02, and December 10, 2004 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In the interviews, Corbisiero recalls her early childhood in New York City, New York, coming out in the late 1970s, and meeting her then-partner, Janice Summers. She describes forming Summercor, Incorporated (a portmanteau of their last names) with Summers to produce women musicians, with a focus on lesbian artists, while living in New York. Corbisiero also talks about musicians she worked with, running political fundraisers during music events, and meeting her next partner, Gudrun Fonfa. She then explains moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with Fonfa in 1983 to promote women's music and culture in Las Vegas and throughout the West Coast.
Oral history interview with Lori Lipman Brown conducted by Dennis McBride on September 12, 2005 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Brown discusses Question 2 in the Nevada state elections of 2000 and 2002, which added an amendment to the Nevada constitution that banned same-sex marriage. Brown describes the process of introducing legislation that advocated for equal rights for the gay community and an incident where parties opposing her efforts hired a spy to observe her work. Lastly, Brown talks about the involvement of the Church of Latter-Day Saints and their opposition to same-sex marriage.
Oral history interview with Esther Lynn conducted by Dennis McBride on August 24, 2000 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. Lynn moved to Las Vegas, Nevada from Los Angeles, California in 1976. She is a writer and editor, focusing on the Las Vegas entertainment scene, with by-lines in many local and national publications.
Oral history interview with Ralph Denton conducted by Dennis McBride on June 05, 2007 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Denton discusses Fred Alward, Lieutenant Governor of Nevada in the 1930s, and his political campaign running for Governor in 1938. Denton talks about Alward having to drop out of the race because of the backlash he received for being gay.
Oral history interview with Rodney Sumpter conducted by Dennis McBride on January 20, 2004 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Sumpter discusses Fred Schoonmaker, a Reno, Nevada gay activist, and his efforts to create Stonewall Park, a town for LGBTQ members in Nevada that was never realized. Sumpter describes his professional relationship with Schoonmaker as his attorney. He also recalls the early stages for Stonewall Park, including finding a location and struggling to find financial and local support for the town. Lastly, Sumpter talks about Schoonmaker's HIV health issues and his personal thoughts on the LGBTQ community.
Oral history interview with James A. (Jimmy Gay) Gay III conducted by Joyce M. Wright in 1973 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. In this interview, Gay recalls details about his education in Arkansas and his training in mortuary science in Chicago, Illinois and discusses the nine-year delay in obtaining his license to practice as a mortician in Nevada because of racial discrimination. He recounts his move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1946, his experiences as a recreation director and as a personnel and communications director for the hotel industry, work that he took while waiting for his licensure to practice. He also talks about his career as a mortician with Palm Mortuary in Las Vegas, the atomic testing of the 1950s and 1960s, and his long involvement with the NAACP and the Freedom Fund. He closes by reciting two poems that have inspired him and express his philosophy.
The Get Booked Financial Records (1993-1998) comprise the early business records of Get Booked, a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) bookstore located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The collection documents the initial purchase of the business as well as monthly financial records and promotional coupons.
Oral history interview with John Warfel conducted by Dennis McBride on March 11, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Warfel discusses his personal history and his experiences as a gay priest within the Episcopal Church. He recalls moving to Las Vegas, Nevada and interviewing for a ministry job at Christ Church. Warfel describes same-sex blessings and marriages in the Episcopal Church and the pressures of vestry approval that he dealt with during his career.
The collection includes materials from the Nevada Test Site (1955-1967) including newsletters published by the Reynolds Electrical & Engineering Co., Inc. and photographs of Southern Nevada flora, fauna, and archaeology. It also includes photographs of test explosions at the Nevada Test Site, as well as photographs documenting a visit from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officials and a visit from John F. Kennedy to the Nevada Test Site. The collection also contains an oversized poster of an atomic explosion and one of a nuclear rocket development station.