What do you think?
Rate this book
Out in Central Pennsylvania: The History of an Lgbtq Community
Outside of major metropolitan areas, the fight for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights has had its own unique and rich history--one that is quite different from the national narrative set in New York and California. Out in Central Pennsylvania highlights one facet of this lesser-known but equally important story, immersing readers in the LGBTQ community building and social networking that has taken place in the small cities and towns in the heart of Pennsylvania from the 1960s to the present day.
Drawing from oral histories and the archives of the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project, this book recounts the innovative ways that LGBTQ central Pennsylvanians organized to demand civil rights and to improve their quality of life in a region that often rejected them.
Full of compelling stories of individuals seeking community and grappling with inequity, harassment, and discrimination, and featuring a distinctive trove of historical photographs, Out in Central Pennsylvania is a local story with national implications. It brings rural and small-town queer life out into the open and explores how LGBTQ identity and social advocacy networks can form outside of a large urban environment.
Drawing from oral histories and the archives of the LGBT Center of Central PA History Project, this book recounts the innovative ways that LGBTQ central Pennsylvanians organized to demand civil rights and to improve their quality of life in a region that often rejected them.
Full of compelling stories of individuals seeking community and grappling with inequity, harassment, and discrimination, and featuring a distinctive trove of historical photographs, Out in Central Pennsylvania is a local story with national implications. It brings rural and small-town queer life out into the open and explores how LGBTQ identity and social advocacy networks can form outside of a large urban environment.
280 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2020
12 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 25, 2020
With Out in Central Pennsylvania, Burton and Loveland share previously unheard stories that clearly demonstrate decades of brave activism in Central PA for the LGBTQ+ community. This is an important book to read for anyone concerned about Pennsylvania’s role in LGBTQ+ liberation!
September 30, 2024
This is an incredible historical look at a microcosm of queer life in what is generally thought of as a deeply conservative area.
It was a delight to learn about the impact Central Pennsylvania LGBTQIA+ people had on the nation, including the very few politicians who helped, and even fewer clergy who lived their message of “love your neighbor”. Despite my studies of queer history, Central PA gets overlooked for splashier New York and California. In many instances, Pennsylvania was the predecessor to gay liberation in New York, California, and the entire US.
It’s an extraordinary book with the information of a textbook yet the spirit of personal stories, inspirational people, and really upsetting bigotry.
Trigger warnings: mentions of su*cide, anti LGBTQIA+ violence, AIDS/HIV deaths and some photographs of suffering patients, and a brief mention of marital r*pe (in the context of the queer Pennsylvania woman who helped get it recognized as r*pe)
It was a delight to learn about the impact Central Pennsylvania LGBTQIA+ people had on the nation, including the very few politicians who helped, and even fewer clergy who lived their message of “love your neighbor”. Despite my studies of queer history, Central PA gets overlooked for splashier New York and California. In many instances, Pennsylvania was the predecessor to gay liberation in New York, California, and the entire US.
It’s an extraordinary book with the information of a textbook yet the spirit of personal stories, inspirational people, and really upsetting bigotry.
Trigger warnings: mentions of su*cide, anti LGBTQIA+ violence, AIDS/HIV deaths and some photographs of suffering patients, and a brief mention of marital r*pe (in the context of the queer Pennsylvania woman who helped get it recognized as r*pe)
Read
May 5, 2025Fantastic, important book. As the author states, there’s an abundance of resources on LGBTQ+ history in major U.S. cities. Rural, small towns and cities are often overlooked, which is why this book is crucial. The history of the LGBTQ+ community is central PA is vast, diverse, and empowering. It was exciting to read about the history of the general area I grew up in. Though it was mostly focused on places like Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg, Danville and other nearby towns were mentioned a few times, which I loved! Geisinger treated HIV/AIDS patients! The history of my home state is disheartening at times, but this book illuminated a new side of Pennsylvania for me. Also, I really liked getting to read the bios of various LGBTQ+ activists throughout the book.
January 16, 2022
My backyard is central PA, so I recognize the places and some of the names being discussed here. I just never knew all this was going on! This is a very well researched book with cited sources in every paragraph. This is a detailed story of facts, with extra focus on the lives of prominent lbgt activists in Pennsylvania. Surely every state has these stories of fighters who paved the way. Laws got passed, but much prejudice remained (and remains).
The historical timeline is here in this book, but I most liked the individual stories about activists:
Mary Nancarrow spearheaded the passage of the marital rape law in 1983: ...which is rape by a boyfriend or husband. No district attorney was taking these cases, because it was not seen as rape. It was more or less an environment in which the man is entitled to sex with his girlfriend or his wife and that harkened back to women as property.
"You must remember what the condition of gay people was at that point in history. We were fighting to allow lawyers to pass the bar. If a doctor became known as a gay person, he might've not gotten his license, he wouldn't have gotten into a hospital; governments would fire you; people who had a liquor license might lose their liquor license if they served gay people."
This book reminds me of The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America A large amount of time is captured in this book, from 1950s to present. There are b/w pictures on almost every page, but the text-story dominates. I found it quite readable. There is a detailed Trans chapter near the end of the book too.
This book's style could be a blueprint for any state/region that wants to assemble their lgbt history.
Easy 5* for quality of research and presentation.
The historical timeline is here in this book, but I most liked the individual stories about activists:
Mary Nancarrow spearheaded the passage of the marital rape law in 1983: ...which is rape by a boyfriend or husband. No district attorney was taking these cases, because it was not seen as rape. It was more or less an environment in which the man is entitled to sex with his girlfriend or his wife and that harkened back to women as property.
"You must remember what the condition of gay people was at that point in history. We were fighting to allow lawyers to pass the bar. If a doctor became known as a gay person, he might've not gotten his license, he wouldn't have gotten into a hospital; governments would fire you; people who had a liquor license might lose their liquor license if they served gay people."
This book reminds me of The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America A large amount of time is captured in this book, from 1950s to present. There are b/w pictures on almost every page, but the text-story dominates. I found it quite readable. There is a detailed Trans chapter near the end of the book too.
This book's style could be a blueprint for any state/region that wants to assemble their lgbt history.
Easy 5* for quality of research and presentation.
April 26, 2022
(4.75/5)
Reading book about lgbt history in my area ahhhhhh. I never in a million years would’ve thought that there would be a book that was about Central PA in this way. Getting to read about local gay people and getting to hear about the history of my community in the place I grew up is really really cool. I care a lot about lgbt history, so getting to know more about my specific area makes me really happy. It was really cool hearing them talk about the town i grew up in or like them mentioning a street and me knowing exactly where the thing is. It was just a really cool experience for me to read this and I’m really glad I did :)
Reading book about lgbt history in my area ahhhhhh. I never in a million years would’ve thought that there would be a book that was about Central PA in this way. Getting to read about local gay people and getting to hear about the history of my community in the place I grew up is really really cool. I care a lot about lgbt history, so getting to know more about my specific area makes me really happy. It was really cool hearing them talk about the town i grew up in or like them mentioning a street and me knowing exactly where the thing is. It was just a really cool experience for me to read this and I’m really glad I did :)
November 27, 2024
amazing! as a lesbian from a tiny town in central pa, this was an outstanding book to connect me to the people who came and fought before me. i am so excited to champion this book in all sorts of environments and i am so grateful it was made 💖💖💖
February 21, 2022
I read primarily to look for examples of what we might do on the basis of the LGBTQ oral histories that we are collecting. I got some insights, but their situation was quite different than ours in many ways--gay bars much earlier, a much, much bigger impact from AIDS, and a far more supportive state government.
May 7, 2024
Fantastic. Emotional. Historical. Important. Read it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews