{"id":26351,"date":"2023-06-21T19:38:10","date_gmt":"2023-06-21T23:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/?p=26351"},"modified":"2023-06-22T09:48:43","modified_gmt":"2023-06-22T13:48:43","slug":"timeline-chronicles-pivotal-moments-in-lgbtqia-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/timeline-chronicles-pivotal-moments-in-lgbtqia-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Timeline chronicles pivotal moments in LGBTQIA+ history"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Jeffrey Makala<\/a>, the idea for a public-facing LGBTQIA+ timeline<\/a> at Furman University percolated for years. \u201cAs university archivist, I wanted the resource to show everyone that Furman is a welcoming place, and to show Furman\u2019s diversity and inclusivity over time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nRead more stories >><\/a><\/h4>\n

A member of the Women\u2019s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies<\/a> (WGSS) oversight committee, Makala strategized with English Professor Nick Radel<\/a> to flesh out the concept. But Makala didn\u2019t have the \u201cbandwidth,\u201d he said, to bring the project, spanning five decades, to fruition. Enter Nashieli Marcano<\/a>, archivist for Digital Collections, the brains behind the timeline\u2019s design who also lent her expertise to the editorial content.<\/p>\n

They eventually circulated a working version of the timeline to faculty, both current and emeritus, involved in the WGSS curriculum for feedback. The team was overwhelmed by the response and delighted to receive new documents, stories and photos to enrich the chronicle. By November 2022, the timeline was published on the Special Collections website for James B. Duke Library.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really was an inclusive effort by a lot of people who helped make it a reality and who were involved in this history, and rightly so,\u201d Makala said. He said the WGSS program and student groups like Furman Pride Alliance injected a sense of change on campus with respect to acceptance and academic study.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to invite further contributions from alums and other viewers to make it even more deep and rich; it\u2019s certainly not finished,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

To commemorate Pride Month, here are a few of the pivotal moments in LGBTQ+ history at Furman. Be sure to visit the full timeline<\/a> for clippings from The Paladin newspaper, posters, photos and more.<\/p>\n