Oral history interview with Marge Jacques conducted by Dennis McBride on November 19, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Jacques discusses her friendship with the former Governor of Nevada Grant Sawyer. She talks about LGBTQ supporting policies that Sawyer contributed in, and his involvement with the progress of LGBTQ civil rights in Nevada. Lastly, Jacques describes Grant's social obligations during his time in office.
Oral history interview with Sarah Serna conducted by Dennis McBride on December 04, 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. Serna opens her interview by discussing her move to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1993, and her first assignment as a Methodist minister to a small congregation in North Las Vegas. Serna then explains how she became involved in LGBT social justice issues after witnessing expressions of homophobia and prejudice within her church. She discusses her involvement with the Las Vegas LGBT community and the development of a pastoral care outreach program, the development of the World AIDS Day prayer vigil, and the foundation of the Community Counseling Center, later renamed Lighthouse Ministry. Serna then talks about her decision to transition from the Methodist Church to the Episcopalian Church and becoming the first Episcopalian priest in Las Vegas to bless same-sex marriages. She also discusses the development of a transitional housing program, changes in the LGBT community in Las Vegas, and many individuals involved in LGBT social justice programs in Las Vegas.
This collection is comprised of research files dating from approximately 1980 to 2021 created by Boulder City Nevadan, Dennis McBride, primarily in support of his book, Out of the Neon Closet: A History of Gay Las Vegas on the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, gay, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in Southern Nevada. Materials in this collection also include ephemera and clippings documenting LGBTQ establishments and organizations in Las Vegas, biographies of individuals, and other issues pertinent to the LGBTQ community. This collection also includes some materials about the LGBTQ community and their issues in Northern Nevada. The collection represents McBride's overall efforts to document and preserve the history of the LGBTQ community in Nevada.
Out of the Neon Closet: Queer Community in the Silver State records (2007-2017) are comprised of Dennis McBride's research and working files for his book on the history of the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) community in Nevada. The records include correspondence from Dennis McBride to different publishers detailing his research. The collection also includes copies of his book proposal, peer reviews, manuscript drafts, and proofs.
Oral history interview with Rose Pry conducted by Dennis McBride on August 24, 2008 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Pry discusses arriving to Las Vegas, Nevada in the 1980s and describes the lesbian community at the time. She talks about Women United of Nevada (WUN), a lesbian-identified organization founded in 1987, the events that they held around the community, and the women who were leaders in the organization. Lastly, Pry then discusses her employment writing for the Las Vegas Bugle under Rob Schlegel.
Oral history interview with Ida Browder Kelley conducted by Dennis McBride on April 21, 2004 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In this interview, Kelley discusses how she met the former Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, Fred S. Alward, through her mother, who was active in politics. Kelley talks about her own thoughts about Alward, including the type of person he was and how he carried himself. Kelley later describes her own experience in politics including attending session meetings and campaigning.
Oral history interviews with Rob Schlegel conducted by Dennis McBride on various dates in March and April of 1998 for the Las Vegas Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Archives Oral History Project. In the interviews, Schlegel recalls his early life in Port Angeles, Washington, his conservative Baptist upbringing, and his early experiences with literature. Schlegel then discusses working with newspaper publications in high school and college, understanding his sexuality during college, his first gay sexual experience, and his first trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. He recalls working with Robert Lloyd "Bob" Brown at the Valley Times during this visit. Schlegel talks about moving to Las Vegas and working full-time as the production manager for the Valley Times. Schlegel explains becoming active in politics through his newspaper work, meeting notable casino executives, and financial and political controversies the Valley Times experienced in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He then describes coming out as gay, and working at the Nevada Gay Times beginning in 1985. Schlegel also talks about opening and managing the Bright Pink Literature bookstore in 1987 and starting a separate publication Night Beat in 1992. He then recalls co-founding Las Vegas Gay Pride and Southern Nevada Association of Pride, Inc., conflicts he had within the Las Vegas gay community, and working at the Gipsy nightclub as a secretary. Lastly, Schlegel discusses the repeal of Nevada's sodomy laws, homophobia, and memories of individuals and organizations associated with the Las Vegas gay community.
The Dennis McBride LGBTQ Poster and Sign Collection (1977-2018) contains posters and signs created by the Las Vegas, Nevada Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) community, collected by historian Dennis McBride. These handmade and commercially printed signs cover events of particular interest to the Las Vegas, Nevada LGBTQ community, including social events, entertainment venues, political rallies, and Gay Pride events.
Oral history interview with Lavern Cummings and Tony Midnite conducted by Dennis McBride on August 29, 2000 for the Las Vegas Gay Archives Oral History Project. In the interview, Cummings and Midnite discuss their work as female impersonators in Las Vegas, Nevada during the late 1960s and 1970s. They also talk about other impersonators and performance venues in Las Vegas and around the United States. They explain the distinctions between transgender and straight performers, and the perceptions of transgender and straight audience members. Other subjects Cummings and Midnite cover include their early lives and arrivals to Las Vegas, and the history of sex reassignment surgeries beginning in the 1930s.
The Ron Lawrence Photograph Collection contains mainly photographs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) events (approximately 1980-1994, 2013) around Las Vegas, Nevada taken by Ron Lawrence. The collection consists primarily of photographs of the First Annual Gay Pride Banquet and Awards hosted at the Moyer Student Union at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), events at the Gay Academic Union at UNLV, and the first Gay Pride celebration in Las Vegas. Also included are photographs of the First Annual Honorarium by the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, personal photographs of Ron Lawrence and his friends, and parties at the home of Ron Lawrence and Ernie Egyd.