Gay Liberation -- 50 years and change
Fifty years ago, homosexuality was classified as a mental illness, and same-sex relations were considered a felony-level crime. People who are in their 70s today grew up in that closeted environment, came of age with the beginnings of the Gay Liberation Front, nurtured the movement from its infancy, and have watched it grow ever since. Robin Will, a local LGBTQ historian, teaches a little bit of history and shares some reminiscences about how times changed, how he changed, and what work remains to be done in the LGBTQ community.
Robin Will attended Rigler School in Portland's Cully neighborhood, and graduated from Benson Polytechnic High School in 1966. HIs education involves mostly journalism and the social sciences, and his work experience is mostly in the publishing industry. A class at Portland State University introduced him to local LGBTQ history, and he joined Gay & Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest in 2006, and has been president of the organization since 2014.