The American LGBTQ+ Museum

FIGHTING BACK: QUEER ACTIVIST HISTORY

“Fighting Back: Queer Activist History” is a dynamic lecture series featuring a diverse roster of historians, activists, scholars, and organizers, offering unique insights into LGBTQ+ activism in the U.S. From Stonewall to the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the critical work of lesser-known organizers, movement workers, and collectives, this series examines the challenges and triumphs that have shaped the fight for LGBTQ+ rights and traces the trajectory toward queer liberation.

LECTURE 102: THE LAVENDER SCARE

Join historian David K. Johnson and the Up Until Now Collective for a thought-provoking virtual program on the Lavender Scare. Johnson will discuss his groundbreaking book, The Lavender Scare, revealing how the U.S. government targeted LGBTQ individuals during the Cold War. The creative team behind the Up Until Now Collective will discuss their acclaimed opera Fellow Travelers’ 10th anniversary national tour and their archival research with the Mattachine Society of D.C. This event highlights the rich history of LGBTQ resilience amidst political persecution.

DISCUSSANTS

John D’Emilio: A pioneer in the field of LGBTQ studies and the history of sexuality, John D’Emilio (he/him) is Emeritus Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies and History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the author or editor of almost a dozen books including Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities: The Making of a Homosexual Minority in the United States, 1940-1970; Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin; and Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America, co-authored with Estelle B. Freedman and now in its third edition. His awards include the Brudner Prize from Yale for lifetime contributions to gay and lesbian studies; the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Publishing Triangle, an organization of LGBTQ people in publishing; and the Roy Rosenzweig Distinguished Service Award of the Organization of American Historians. His biography of Bayard Rustin was a finalist for the National Book Award. The founding director of the Policy Institute of the National LGBTQ Task Force, he has also served as President of the Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, a community-based library and historical archives in Chicago, and wrote a book on Chicago LGBTQ history – Queer Legacies: Stories from Chicago’s LGBTQ Archives. His most recent book is Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood: Coming of Age in the Sixties, a memoir published by Duke University Press.

Up Until Now is a collective of artists and thought-leaders co-founded by Kevin Newbury, Jecca Barry & Brandon Kazen-Maddox in the Summer of 2020 at the height of the global pandemic. Up Until Now is committed to developing and producing interdisciplinary work that helps build new structures for artistic creation across all art and media platforms. We create inclusive, expansive, collaborative spaces that center stories of empathy, intimacy, and connection.

Kevin Newbury is an opera, theatre & film director & producer. Career highlights: three PBS Great Performances Broadcasts: Bernstein’s MASS (Ravinia Festival), and the world premieres of Doubt (Minnesota Opera) & Bel Canto(Lyric Opera of Chicago); dozens of other world premieres including GRAMMY-Winner The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs(Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Opera,) Fellow Travelers (Cincinnati Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Prototype Festival, etc., NY Times: “BEST of 2016”), Castor & Patience (Cincinnati Opera, NY Times: “BEST of 2022”). Kansas City Choir Boy, starring Courtney Love (Prototype Festival & National Tour) The Righteous (Santa Fe Opera), The Good Swimmer (BAM Next Wave Festival) and Candy & Dorothy (GLAAD Media Award Winner: Best Play). Kevin’s work has been nominated four times for “Best World Premiere” at the International Opera Awards. Kevin’s long association with the work of Leonard Bernstein includes directing six productions of MASS (Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, etc), and Candide (starring Bradley Cooper & Carey Mulligan, Philadelphia Orchestra). Kevin has directed seven productions for the Prototype Festival in NYC, more than any other director. TV/Film credits include Apple TV’s Dickinson (“Split the Lark,” named one of the best episodes of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly), dozens of Film Festivals and awards, and the Time Square Midnight Moment. Kevin served as the Co-Creative Director for Liz Phair’s 30th Anniversary Exile in Guyville Tour in 2023. Co-Founder: Up Until Now Collective.

ACCESSIBILITY

This program will be presented via Zoom with live captioning in English. We strive to host inclusive, accessible events that enable all individuals, including individuals with disabilities, to engage fully. Please reach out with any questions, requests or needs to info@americanlgbtqmuseum.org.

PHOTO

Photo credit: Diana Davies