A new archive at the University of Akron wants to share stories of the city’s LGBTQ+ history — and it needs the community’s help.
The new Akron LGBTQ+ Archive is collecting oral histories and materials related to the years 1940 to 2000. Hillary Nunn, a professor in the English department, and Tony Pankuch, the education and outreach coordinator for the Cummings Center for the History of Psychology, are overseeing the collecting initiative.
The idea for the archive came from a class the two taught in the fall of 2024 about local LGBTQ+ history. Students ended up finding a wealth of information, Pankuch said, so much so that they decided to keep the project going by creating an archive.
Using archives from the Akron-Summit County Public Library and the Akron Beacon Journal, the class pieced together a history of the city’s LGBTQ+ community. That history focused on a time in America when many LGBTQ+ people faced sometimes violent repercussions for being publicly out. Oftentimes, that history was “there but not recognized,” Nunn explained.
“That was the first thing that we had to help students understand is that often, there were hints at stories and there was language that might not immediately resonate [to] them as being appropriate for the LGBTQ subject matter, but thinking historically about the ways that people used to say things makes all the difference in figuring out what the story actually was then and translating it into something that we know now,” she said.
Akron LGBTQ+ Archive to serve as tool for community
The goal for the archive’s first year is to collect 15 to 20 oral histories from people. While they couldn’t share the names of any potential interview subjects yet, Pankuch said they’ve identified people to contact. Two University of Akron students are assisting Pankuch and Nunn with gathering oral histories for the archive.
They are also collecting physical materials such as papers, organizational records, photos, videos and three-dimensional artifacts.
“The dream for a project like this is that you find that person who has a box full of old flyers and memorabilia and letters and all of these things that can then be brought in as a physical addition to the archive,” Pankuch said.
The students in Pankuch and Nunn’s class looked at LGBTQ+ history in a variety of areas, from the history of drag performers in the early 20th century to nightlife on South Howard Street in the 1960s to the work of the late Walter Sheppe, a University of Akron professor and gay rights advocate. The goal is to reflect that diversity in the archive as well.
“We’re trying to fill [in] that blank for people, as well as to show that there are many different ways that these experiences have unfolded in the past,” Nunn said. “There’s not just a cookie cutter approach to LGBTQ identity in Akron. This is something that, at least for me, is really important to think of as a service to members of the community who are trying to figure out their place in that community.”
For Pankuch, the archive is a way to show people that LGBTQ+ history didn’t just happen on the coasts or in America’s big cities. Ohio — and Akron — played a role as well.
“I think it’s really important that there be a record of the fact that we have been here, and we will continue to be here,” Pankuch said. “I hope that this archive, for one, can help to inspire other cities to dive into this history, and I hope that it can help to raise awareness of the fact that LGBTQ people and LGBTQ history have a place in a small Midwest city like Akron.”
Those interested in learning more about the Akron LGBTQ+ archive can email LGBTQarchive@uakron.edu or call 330-972-6872. Nunn and Pankuch will also have a booth at Akron Pride Festival on Aug. 23.