Note About LGBTQIA+ History

The resources gathered within this LibGuide represent a starting point for this area of historical research, and we acknowledge that much work remains to be done on the topic of LGBTQIA+ History at UVA Health. Some of the sources included in this guide relate more broadly to LGBTQIA+ history across the University of Virginia, rather than just specifically at UVA Health.

This guide will use the acronym "LGBTQIA+" as its preferred term, unless referencing an existing or historical resource which uses an alternate acronym or designation (e.g. LGBT, Queer, etc.) Please be aware that researching topics related to LGBTQIA+ history will often cause the researcher to encounter anachronistic language, including terms now considered derogatory and pathologizing. 

Questions, comments, and suggestions regarding this LibGuide and/or research into the topic of LGBTQIA+ history are welcome. Please contact us at hsl-historical@virginia.edu.

Online Resources

• "All the While We Grew Stronger:" Queering the University Exhibition, 2019-2022. An exhibition created to uncover and promote the histories of LGBTQIA+ groups and individuals at the University of Virginia. An installment of the exhibition was displayed in Newcomb Hall in 2019, and a full digital version is in-progress. The current website also provides historical references and related resources. The project was curated by UVA student Chad Kamen (Class of 2020).

• Gale Archives of Sexuality and Gender. [Access available to UVA affiliates.] A digital collection of primary sources related to the historical study of sexuality and gender. Materials in the archives come from hundreds of institutions and organizations; included are several references to Charlottesville and the University of Virginia.

• LGBTQ Center Archive, 1993-1999. This collection of digitized documents from the UVA LGBTQ Center was gathered as part of the Take Back the Archive project at UVA.

• qMD Website. The website of a medical student organization at UVA dedicated to promoting awareness surrounding LGBTQIA+ issues in medicine.

• The Serpentine Society. The website of the Serpentine Society of UVA, an inclusive alumni/ae organization established in 1998. The website includes an archive of awards dating back to 1999, which have been given to recognize contributions made to advancing LGBTQIA+ causes at UVA.

• UVA Queer History, 2003. An online project to collect historical documents related to LGBTQIA+ history at UVA, created by the Queer Student Union and the LGBT Resource Center. Note that the original website is no longer active, but an archived version dating from 2003-2012 is available through the Internet Archive.

• Women's Center Archive, 1979-2022. This resource consists of digitized documents from the UVA Women's Center, covering issues of race, gender, sexuality, and their relation to sexual violence. These materials were gathered as part of the Take Back the Archive project at UVA.

Books, Articles, and Presentations

Below is a list of books, articles, and presentations related to the history of LGBTQIA+ at UVA Health. The list is arranged in chronological order.

• Thorup, Oscar, Milton T. Edgerton, William M. Sheppe Jr., and U.G. Turner. (1977). Transsexualism: An Insight Into the Power of Psychologic Gender. A Presentation for the Medical Center Hour Lecture Series. A lecture given by several faculty members at the UVA School of Medicine; the topic of the lecture relates to transgender surgeries being performed at UVA Hospital. 

• Cavalier Daily: Articles about LGBTQ Issues, 1979-1998. This resource includes 26 digitized articles from the Cavalier Daily which document cases of reported LGBTQIA+ discrimination and violence, including but not limited to events at UVA and in Charlottesville. This resource is part of the Take Back the Archive project at UVA.

• Cavalier Daily: Articles Discussing Queerness, 1999-2012. A collection of linked articles related to LGBTQIA+ topics from the UVA student newspaper, the Cavalier Daily. This resource is part of the "All the While We Grew Stronger" exhibition.

• Tobias Beard, J. (2012). Across 30 Years and an Epidemic, Charlottesville's Gay and Lesbian Communities Came Out Together. C-ville Weekly, November 13, 2012.

• Owen, Karen Van Neste. (2013). "The Good Old Song:" Is It Beloved by All? Virginia Magazine. Fall 2013. This article, written by a UVA alumna, discusses the inclusion of an anti-gay chant in the traditional UVA football song. Several letters to the Editor in the following issue of Virginia Magazine (Winter 2013) also address this subject.

• Jaffee, Michelle Koidin. (2015). The Pioneer: Remembering Bernard Duncan Mayes. Virginia Magazine. Summer 2015.

• Kelly, Jane. (2019). UVA Ranked 7th Most Welcoming School to LGBTQ Students in the Nation. UVA Today. June 18, 2019.

Records and Other Archival Materials

• Department of Student Health Records, RG-17-6. This collection of records from the UVA Department of Student Health includes a few items relevant to the history of LGBTQIA+ individuals at UVA. See Sub-section: RG-17-6-19: Consultation Services.

• Milton T. Edgerton Biographical Files. [Part of the UVA School of Medicine Records, RG-17-1] Dr. Edgerton was head of the UVA Department of Plastic Surgery and a pioneer in the field of transgender surgery. These biographical files include press releases and newspaper clippings related to his career.

• School of Medicine Annual and Biennial Reports, 1970-1986, UVA School of Medicine Records, RG-17-1-2. This group of reports includes information on the activities of individual medical departments (including the Department of Student Health) and lists faculty research topics and publications. Faculty members of interest may include: Milton T. Edgerton, Norman J. Knorr, Vamik D. Volkan. 

• Vamik D. Volkan Papers, MS-35. Dr. Volkan was a longtime professor of psychiatry at UVA whose publications include articles on gender, sexuality, and identity.

This is a short list of suggested resources for research into the broader area of LGBTQIA+ history in Virginia.

Online Resources

• Rainbow Richmond: LGBTQ History of Richmond, VA. An online exhibit detailing the LGBTQIA+ history of Richmond, VA, focused on the years between 1969-2010. The exhibit was created by Cindy Bray in connection with the Gay Community Center of Richmond. It is hosted by OutHistory.org, a platform for sharing research into LGBTQIA+ histories.

• Our Own Community Press Digital Collection. A digital archive of a prominent Norfolk, VA-based LGBTQIA+ newspaper, published between 1976-1998. The collection is hosted by Old Dominion University.

• Southwest Virginia LGBTQ+ History Project. A community-based history initiative founded in 2015 and dedicated to telling the stories of LGBTQIA+ individuals and organizations in the Southwest Virginia area. The project maintains digital exhibitions, a digital collection in collaboration with Roanoke College, plus a physical archive and oral history collection housed with the Roanoke Public Libraries.

Books

• Marschak, Beth and Alex Lorch. (2008). Lesbian and Gay Richmond. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. A community-based history of LGBTQIA+ people in Richmond, VA, compiled and written by an activist-archivist team of authors.

• Ford, Charles H. and Jeffrey L. Littlejohn. (2016). LGBT Hampton Roads. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. An overview of the history of the LGBTQIA+ community in Virginia's Hampton Roads area.

• Rosenthal, Gregory Samantha. (2021). Living Queer History: Remembrance and Belonging in a Southern City. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. [Access available to UVA affiliates.] This work documents the story of an LGBTQIA+ community in Roanoke, VA; the community-based history project is based on over forty interviews with individuals from the Roanoke area.