Finding Aid for the Kent Gay Liberation Front records

Author: Kristin Silvestro, January 2024

Descriptive Rules: DACS 2nd Edition

Origination: Kent State University. Kent Gay Liberation Front

Inclusive Dates: 1973-1997

Bulk Dates: 1973-1982

Extent: .16 cubic feet (1 box= 1 slim document case and 1 oversize flat folder)

Physical Location: 10th floor

Language of Materials: English

Abstract: This collection is comprised of materials from the Kent Gay Liberation Front, today known as Pride! Kent. It consists of records related to the group’s early events and campus engagement.

History of Kent Gay Liberation Front: The Kent Gay Liberation Front (KGLF) was one of the first gay student organizations in the U.S. and is one of the longest continuously running LGBTQ+ student organization in the country. The group has undergone several name changes since its founding. In 1981 the name changed to Kent Gay Lesbian Foundation (KGLF) and in 1992 it changed to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Union-Kent (LGBU-Kent). Most recently in 2000, the group changed its name to Pride!Kent and continues to operate under that name as of 2024.

The group held its first official meeting in 1971 out of the house of, then-assistant professor of English, Dr. Dolores Noll. The meeting was attended by 70 people including Bill Hoover and Gail Pertz, who became the first co-chairs of the group. The group gained formal approval as a student organization and was given office space in the Student Activities Center and then later in the Kent Student Center. According to a January 5, 1972, Daily Kent Stater article Gail Pertz listed the purpose of the KGLF as threefold: to create awareness and visibility for the community, to provide a social organization for the community, and to reduce discrimination against the community. Along with weekly meetings and a speaker’s bureau, the group held annual dances including a Halloween ball and a yearly spring conference. The group received consistent coverage in the Daily Kent Stater and Akron Beacon Journal.

Scope and Content: The contents of this collection were compiled from several transfers and donations consisting primarily of flyers and newsletters. There are a few brochures for the spring conference the group hosted, as well as a poster for one of the early dances, and a shirt worn by a member to one of those early dances. While the group continues today as Pride!Kent these materials are primarily from the time when the group operated as Kent Gay Liberation Front (KGLF).

Statement of Arrangement: The collection is organized alphabetically by material type.

Preferred Citation: Kent Gay Liberation Front records. Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.

Related Material:  Further information concerning the LGBTQ+ community on Kent’s campus can be found in the Kent State University LGBTQ+ Student Center records.

Acquisition Information: This collection was compiled by Special Collections and Archives at Kent State University from several acquisitions and donations, including a 2019 donation from Fred Bess.

Box 1
Folder -- Contents

1. Articles: Kent Stater, 1973-1984
2. Award: Certificate of Honor Kent State “Fred Bess Kent Gay/Lesbian Foundation,” 1981-1982
3. Brochures: Spring Conference, 1982; undated
4. Correspondence, 1973
5. Correspondence, 1988
6. Correspondence, 1993; 1997
7. Flyers, undated
8. Flyers, 1973-1974; 1976-1978
9. Newsletter: “Shout It Loud,” February-April 1973
10. Newsletter: “SpotLite,” 1989
11. Photograph: Six KGLF Members 1982
    Scope and Content: People in photograph identified on back of image L-R Unknown, Steve Vansyyk (sp?), Jeff Converse, Fred Bess, Dave Kalish, Greg Delong. 
12. Poster: “Kent Gay Liberation Front Presents Dance at the R.A.P. Saturday April 19,” undated
    Physical Location: This item is filed in the map case. This item is fragile.
13. Shirt: Blue knit shirt with floral details, undated
    Historical Note: Worn by alum Richard Safarz to one of the early KGLF dances.
14. Sign: Safe Space Sign, undated
    Historical Note: The sign, sponsored by LGBU-Kent, was used to show a space was safe for LGBTQ+ individuals.