35 20 689 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/320d437d44e058a1c10df596b65f542b.mp4 afd12d3e5bc94309d8993ee1619c5595 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/92880036a522ecbbf758f71b648fb7a0.pdf dd57b2cf9caee06bb59f00c1812ddc05 PDF Text Text 1 Oklahomans for Equality Oral History Interview with Michael James Interview Conducted by Toby Jenkins Date: July 21, 2026 Transcribed and Edited By: Mary Bishop-Baldwin using Reduct.Video AI July 24, 2026 Restrictions: Interviewee requested: N/A Oklahomans for Equality History Project 621 E. 4th Street Tulsa, OK. 74120 918.743.4297 historyproject@okeq.org �2 About Michael James: Summary In this in-depth interview, Michael James, known as MJ in the community, shares his journey living with HIV for nearly 30 years, his activism, and his extensive involvement in LGBTQ+ advocacy, community service, and HIV awareness initiatives in Tulsa. Discover inspiring stories, community efforts, and the importance of resilience and support. Keywords HIV, LGBTQ+, community activism, Tulsa, HIV awareness, advocacy, Rainbow Library, Pride, HIV retreats, community service Key Topics MJ's personal HIV journey and living with HIV for nearly 30 years Community activism and LGBTQ+ advocacy in Tulsa The significance of HIV retreats and community support programs Historical overview of LGBTQ+ bars and social spaces in Tulsa MJ's involvement with American Airlines' diversity and inclusion efforts The story behind the AIDS quilts and their importance in remembrance MJ's role in organizing Pride events and community fundraising The impact of healthcare policies on people living with HIV The importance of resilience, support, and community in health and advocacy Future directions for HIV awareness and LGBTQ+ support in Tulsa Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction 00:56 MJ's Volunteer Work and Community Involvement 03:51 The HIV Wellness Retreat and Its Impact 07:00 MJ's Personal HIV Diagnosis and Early Days 10:06 Living with HIV Since 1992 and Medical Care �3 14:59 MJ's Childhood and Coming Out Journey 19:58 MJ's Military Service and Awareness of Sexual Orientation 24:51 Early Social Life and LGBTQ+ Social Spaces in Tulsa 30:01 Career Transition and Work at American Airlines 34:45 Involvement in LGBTQ+ Employee Groups and Pride 39:55 Community Fundraising and Support Activities 44:59 The AIDS Quilts and Their Significance 55:01 MJ's Advocacy and Community Leadership 59:59 Future of HIV Awareness and Community Support 01:05:00 MJ's Message to Future Generations Michael James Oral History Interview July 21, 2026 Toby Jenkins: Good afternoon. Today we are in the Joe and Nancy McDonald Rainbow Library. It is July 21st, 2026. The thermometer outside is a hundred degrees, and it's a hot interview coming up for you. We look forward to it. Today, our special guest is: Michael James: Michael James. Toby Jenkins: Michael James, better known in the community as MJ, and he gives a whole new definition to the worker bee, and we are so honored to have him here. We are in the library, and this is the Oklahomans for Equality History Project interview in the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, home and headquarters of Oklahomans for Equality, which sits on Pride Street in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. Today our interview panelists are Dennis Neill, founder of Oklahomans for Equality; Mary Bishop-Baldwin, plaintiff in the Oklahoma marriage equality lawsuit. We are so glad to have you today, Michael James. Are you comfortable with us calling you MJ, since that's how we all know you, or would you rather use your Christian name? Michael James: MJ is fine. Toby Jenkins: Okay, we want to jump right in. Got a page full of yeah, yeah, amazing to have you. First of all, I want us to start with talk – kind of tell us some of your volunteer work that you do right now, today, here at the Equality Center, so people know kind of what you do, and do you still serve on the Advisory Board? Michael James: Unfortunately, no, in regard to the Advisory Board, because they did away with those at the – here just recently, so didn't have enough to go. So as far as volunteering, now I am, I manage the bar down in the Linn Riggs Theater. I'm here for every event. Within those events, I make sure that they have a crafted cocktail specific to their event to make their event just that much bigger, better, you know, for their, their �4 clientele. So I do that. I also do some volunteer work, and I'm part of a group called Positively Grateful, which is an HIV resource group, and we meet here every Friday at 6 o'clock and have a community meal. That is really open to the public. If you don't know anything about HIV, STDs, we have learning situations. Other than that, it's a place to just come and meet new folks that have the same issues that you do. You know. So. Toby Jenkins: So are there – do families attend these meetings sometimes who recently there maybe their loved one has got an HIV diagnosis, or I mean, is this … ? Michael James: So, my mother comes to every meeting that she possibly can. She hasn't here lately to her health issues. But, yes, we have partners; we have family; we have grandchildren; we have nieces, you know, and we also get that at our yearly retreat. That's the whole point of Positively Grateful is we fundraise for a yearly retreat every year at the end of August, and that just goes so, so that anybody who is newly diagnosed, has been living with HIV, or their caregivers, can come spend four days for a nominal registration fee of $50, meals included, all types of – you're out Choteau, Oklahoma, 45 minutes away, but yeah, it's so that they can know what to expect. Toby Jenkins: And how many years have y’all had this? Michael James: Positively Grateful is going on three years. Prior to that there was a group called Positively Grateful – no, Grateful -- anyway. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Grateful Day. Michael James: Grateful Day. Thank you, sorry. And I was with them about five years, and we started in a camp up in northeast Oklahoma – really great camp. But I've been supportive of those events. I have been a camper. I've been a volunteer. Anything I can do to help that go smoothly for not only the organization but the campers, I'm gonna, … Toby Jenkins: Maybe I – I may be merging some things. Was this originally, this HIV wellness retreat, wasn't it started by Hope Church, Michael James: Community of Hope. Toby Jenkins: Community of Hope by Rev. Bob Lawrence? Michael James: That is a true statement, yes. Toby Jenkins: So the retreat's been around at least 20 years probably. Michael James: Yes, and then it went away, and then we picked it up. The original founders of Grateful Day were Sabrina K. Marshall, Shana, I can't remember Shanna's last name. Toby Jenkins: Justice Flowers, aka Sabrina. Michael James: Yes, Shana, and then they brought, Toby Jenkins: Cozad �5 Michael James: Yes, Cozad, and then Chuck, they brought Chuck Courtney in, and that's how I really got involved with them was through Chuck. Chuck and I went to school together, so. Toby Jenkins: Now, is Penny Fruth still involved with this? Michael James: Unfortunately, Penny has left the group. Toby Jenkins: Okay, but she was involved. Michael James: She was involved, yes. Very good ally. Toby Jenkins: Now, tell us how critically important this retreat is to a portion of the community that – it's kind of like the highlight of their year. Michael James: So it is. I mean, being a person diagnosed with HIV back in '92, you feel like you're on an island and, you know, yes, you have all these people that you see day to day and stuff, but you really can't truly just be yourself and, you know, and what this does is it gives them four days to come be themselves and not worry about any stigma. Just the people themselves, seeing them come in, you know, just kind of cornered up, you know, and then by the end of the retreat, it's just this big, beautiful … person, you know, that you didn't even expect to see. Things like that just really... Toby Jenkins: And where is the retreat taking place now? Michael James: Retreat now is at Camp Christian. Toby Jenkins: It's been there for now how many years? Michael James: Oh, uh … Toby Jenkins: Ten something? Michael James: Yes, yeah. I would say eight to 10. Toby Jenkins: Yeah. Michael James: So, very wonderful group. They shut down the camp altogether so that we can have that weekend to be ourselves. Toby Jenkins: We're gonna ask you to do something with either slip your watch in your pocket or something, so we don't... Yeah, sorry about that. Okay, and now that way you can feel free to use your hands. I love this retreat. It meant the world to me. For several years, I had to help secure the grants for this retreat, and they would gather here and transport up there. Now, I know back in the day, usually they had 30, 35 people. Is it still? Michael James: Yes, yes. Toby Jenkins: Okay. Michael James: They did have one of the lodges burned down. Yes, one of the newest lodges burned down, like, right after they referred. We had just left. It was their first year �6 to have it open, like, two months, and, yeah, it was scary. But wonderful group of people out there. We went to their grand opening, their groundbreaking ceremony for the new lodge. Very welcoming, you know, all different types of faiths. Toby Jenkins: So, the name of the camp is? Michael James: Camp Christian. Toby Jenkins: Now, is it a faith-based nonprofit, or is it tied to a particular denomination? Michael James: So, I can't remember. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: It's a camp of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Oklahoma. Toby Jenkins: So, it's the Disciples of Christ? Michael James: Yes, yes, yes, exactly, exactly. Toby Jenkins: So, it's an inclusive denominational... I guess the Disciples of Christ now are inclusive and affirming. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: I wouldn't say every congregation is, no. Toby Jenkins: But it's an official policy of the denomination, right? So, I'm glad that they work closely with you. Anything else about that retreat? Michael James: Oh, you know, I just, if you know somebody who is, please support them. Show them all the love you can. If you can go learn about the, you know, HIV or STDs, take the time to do it. Toby Jenkins: Okay, so you said you were diagnosed in 1992. Was that here in Tulsa? Michael James: Yes. Toby Jenkins: And can you tell us a little bit about that experience? And now that's, so that means you've been living with HIV for almost 30 years, 34 years? Michael James: Yeah. Toby Jenkins: Okay. Michael James: It was really scary. I had just gotten with my partner and something happened that made me go to the doctor. And I think I had just gotten insurance. Not always been the life of luxury for me, you know, just like everybody else. Ups and downs. You know, I was a hairdresser after I came out of the Army. Went to school to be a hairdresser, did that for a while. Met up with my partner, and in '92 found out that I was HIV positive and got kicked to the curb. Yeah. My mother was there and very supportive, went to my appointments with me. If it wasn't for our lab tech, Dorinda, you know, telling me, “Hey, you know, it's kind of like drugs. You don't worry. You don't let them work you. You work this disease. You tell it what's gonna happen.” And that's �7 pretty much how I've lived my life, you know. I'm not gonna let it get me down. I'm gonna do what I can. Toby Jenkins: Now in 1992, this would have been still during the ATZ years. Michael James: Compavir, yeah. Toby Jenkins: I mean, so was that what, were you started on it immediately? Michael James: Yes, yes, yeah. I wasn't diagnosed with HIV, with, AIDS. I was diagnosed HIV positive. I was just above. Toby Jenkins: Okay. So you had no symptoms? Michael James: Correct. So, yeah. Toby Jenkins: But you started on the medication? Michael James: Yes. Toby Jenkins: Because there was a period where if, unless you had symptoms, they didn't start you on the medication, but they started. Michael James: They gave me the option, yeah. Toby Jenkins: Okay, and that would have been in 1992. Had you had friends who had had HIV, and had you had friends who had died of AIDS? Michael James: At that time, I didn't know. I was fairly new to the coming out at that point in time. Yeah, so a small-town boy. Toby Jenkins: Yeah, so you weren't necessarily aware of … . You hadn't had a friend die of AIDS. Michael James: Correct. Toby Jenkins: I'm so glad that your mother was there with you and supported you. Let's talk a little bit about your childhood. Where were you born? Michael James: Cushing, Oklahoma. Toby Jenkins: Whoa, didn't know that. I had no idea. Michael James: My mother had to drive. We lived in Sapulpa. On Mother's Day, they drove to Cushing, Oklahoma, to deliver me. Toby Jenkins: Why did they go to Cushing? Michael James: That's where her doctor was. Toby Jenkins: Okay. Michael James: This was back in 1966, Toby. �8 Toby Jenkins: The good ol’ days. Michael James: Rural Oklahoma. Toby Jenkins: Yeah. Well, also would have had big oil influence. Rural hospitals in those days in Oklahoma were heavily funded by the petroleum industry, so that's a side fact. So, you were born in Cushing, but your family lived in Sapulpa. Michael James: I grew up in the Creek County area. My grandmother lived in Sapulpa. I had a Sapulpa address, a Kiefer telephone number, and I went to school in Mounds. Toby Jenkins: Oh, Mounds. Okay. Michael James: Not Liberty! Liberty is on the east side. We got nuts. Toby Jenkins: So, in school, were you athletic or in the music program or band? Michael James: I was actually in the choir. So, went to state several times. I was like a first soprano up until sophomore year, so, and then, yeah, I started smoking. Toby Jenkins: Okay, so you were used music in high school. When you graduated, what year would that have been? Michael James: 1984. Toby Jenkins: From Mounds High School? Michael James: From Mounds High School. Toby Jenkins: And how many were in your graduating class? Michael James: A little over 30. Toby Jenkins: Oh, really? Michael James: Yeah. Toby Jenkins: Okay, I thought Mounds was bigger than that. Michael James: No. Toby Jenkins: Well, I guess not. Michael James: Not back then. Yeah, yeah, it's grown tremendously somehow. Toby Jenkins: So, you graduate from Mounds High School in 19Michael James: 84. Toby Jenkins: Okay, now, just curious. How do you, what's your sexual orientation? How do you identify? Michael James: I'm gay. Toby Jenkins: Okay, and pronouns? �9 Michael James: He, him. Toby Jenkins: Okay, and so you're in Mounds, Oklahoma, and you're in the choir, which is like gay preschool, but especially if you went to state college. When did you begin to be aware of your orientation and that you might be gay? Michael James: You know, we all experimented when we were going through puberty and stuff, but it really wasn't until after high school. Like I said earlier, I went into the -- I graduated high school weighing 275 pounds and then went straight into the military from there. So that's really pretty much all I know out of high school. So. Toby Jenkins: So in the military, you got away from Mounds, Oklahoma, and you're now in the military. And where did you go to basic and all? Michael James: I went to basic at Fort Dix, New Jersey, in the middle of wintertime. Toby Jenkins: Oh, mercy. Michael James: Literally bivouac and having to do push-ups where the snow went in and touched my cheek. Yeah, buried my nose. Toby Jenkins: And so then you were exposed to a bigger world. Were you aware that you were gay? I mean, had you? Michael James: I thought about it, I mean, but I didn't take action on it, because I really enjoyed being in the military, and I didn't want to screw it up. Dennis Neill: So when you were in high school, did you do the typical dating girls thing? Michael James: Yeah, yeah. Had a girl. Took her to the … Dennis Neill: You had no inclination then that there was anything different? Michael James: No. Yeah, you know. You guys know me now. I love everybody, OK? And that's just how I've always been. So yeah. Toby Jenkins: OK. So when did you acknowledge your orientation, and when did you develop an intimate relationship with someone? Michael James: Well, it was around 1989, ‘90-ish, OK? Maybe a little earlier, because I graduated high school, went directly from high school into the military. And then about eight months later, I was discharged. Toby Jenkins: Came back to Tulsa. Michael James: Yep. 25-inch waist, shaved head, baby blues, youth on my side, yes. And that's kind of when I kind of let go and said, “Here I am, world.” You know, so. Toby Jenkins: So did you go to gay bars, or did you? Michael James: At one point, I got into a really popular bar when I was underage on a $5 well night. But other than that, I didn't really. �10 Toby Jenkins: Do you remember what the bar was? Michael James: Yes, Zippers. Michael James: Zippers? OK. Yeah. So tell us about the clubs you went to in those days. Michael James: Let's see. Zippers was the only one I went to when I was underage. Everything else, I waited until after the fact. We would go hang out. There was an afterhours club called Exile. I don't know if you remember that off of 11th Street, I think it was. So we'd always go do their hang out. Toby Jenkins: So during those days, you were going to, that's primarily how you were connecting with gay people, was at the clubs. OK. Do you remember some of the bars that were popular in those days? Michael James: Yes. Renegades, Levi's 501, Concessions, Bamboo, Yellow Brick Road. Toby Jenkins: End Up? Michael James: That was before the End Up, wasn't it? Toby Jenkins: OK. Michael James: Yeah. Trying to think, there was one, I think. Toby Jenkins: Did you ever go to Tim's Playroom? Michael James: No, no. My ex performed there, though. Toby Jenkins: Taj Mahal? Michael James: No. Toby Jenkins: Caruso's? Michael James: No. Dennis Neill: A lot of those were probably closed, weren't they? Michael James: Yeah. Dennis Neill: So tell us a little more about Levi's. Michael James: Strokes. Toby Jenkins: Strokes. Dennis Neill: Oh, yeah. Tell us a little bit more about Levi's 501. Where was it located? Michael James: Levi's 501, if you are standing in front of Renegades, looking at the front door, OK, this street over here, I think is like 17th or something like that. If you went straight down that road, like two blocks on the right hand side on the corner, there was �11 a big industrial looking barn type thing. And that was where Levi's 501 was. At that point in time, I was dating Marsha LaRue. Toby Jenkins: Which is? Michael James: Marsha LaRue was a local female entertainer. Michael James: And she was I believe a Miss Gay Something at one point. Toby Jenkins: Okay, so that was the drag name. Michael James: Yes. Toby Jenkins: What was the … Michael James: Mark Lanier. Toby Jenkins: Okay. So you were dating a title holder. Michael James: Yes, yes. I was the trophy husband, I guess. Toby Jenkins: And you went to the clubs, and that's how you connected. Michael James: Yeah. Tiki Nook. My dad actually went to that bar. Dennis Neill: And where was it located? Michael James: Tiki Nook was uh, corner of right there off of, so Camelot Hotel, Highway 44, there was a big hotel complex there, and it was upstairs. And then there was an after-hours bar downstairs called Buddies that Mike Treat ran, if I'm not mistaken, so. Toby Jenkins: Good lord, Dennis. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: These were gay bars? Michael James: Yes. Toby Jenkins: Where was Strokes? Michael James: Strokes, wasn't it where Concessions was? Dennis Neill: Yes. Same place. Michael James: Yeah. Dennis Neill: And then also, MJ, about that time close to Levi's, now that you explain it, was a bar called Ma Bell's. You remember that one? It may have closed before then, but Ma Bell's was at 15th and Boulder. Michael James: I don't remember Ma Bell's. I do remember SRO, which was at 15th and Boulder. And it's now that Mexican place, and then it became … Oh, what was it? Dennis Neill: No, SRO was at 18th and Boulder. �12 Michael James: Okay. So no. I'm sorry. Dennis Neill: Okay. No. Toby Jenkins: What does SRO stand for? Michael James: Standing room only. Toby Jenkins: Okay, none of these bars have I heard of – in all the interviews and research. Dennis Neill: And I’d forgotten about Ma Bell’s. Michael James: Delasandro’s, you know Delasandro’s? Yeah, you know that connecting little area with the patio there. That used to be SRO. Toby Jenkins: Oh, yeah. Dennis Neill: And that became Area 18. Michael James: That's right. That's, that's what I was. Yes, Area. Toby Jenkins: Yeah. Michael James: Hazmat symbol. Toby Jenkins: All right. So it was the gay bars that you were connecting with? Okay, so during this time were you out to your family? Michael James: No. Toby Jenkins: Okay. Michael James: Everybody probably knew, 'cause … Toby Jenkins: You mentioned earlier that you were a hairdresser by profession. Michael James: Correct. So after I came back, you know, like I said, everybody's got bad times in their life. Got into a little drug issue and, yeah, got down on my luck and just had to rebuild myself back up. So my mother was married to a vet who was very closed-minded and did not want me around. So unfortunately during that time I didn't see a lot of my family. Toby Jenkins: He didn't want you around because of the drugs or … Michael James: Because of my sexuality. Toby Jenkins: So you had told your mother you were gay? Michael James: Yes. Toby Jenkins: Okay. Do you remember that experience? �13 Michael James: I don't. I really don't remember coming out to my mother. The only really bad thing I was, you know letting her know that I was HIV positive, so, and that was really hard. Toby Jenkins: So this would have been in the late '80s, early '90s. And you, were you working at a hair salon, a commercial hair salon, or were you were your own? Michael James: I worked in a place called A Cut Above the Others owned by Woody – I cannot remember Woody's last name – but I started there as his apprentice and built my own clientele up, and then I got with my partner that kicked me to the curb when I found out I was HIV positive because he didn't like me working late nights. Of course, at that time we had also adopted a 5-year-old autistic child. Toby Jenkins: Okay. Didn’t know this. Michael James: Yes, so we were foster parents of this young man. Toby Jenkins: And how long did you have him? Michael James: We were together about five years, and two of that we had … Toby Jenkins: Had the child. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: And did the child stay with him or? Michael James: Yes, yeah, yeah. Dennis Neill: So, MJ, you adopted together as a couple? Michael James: It was, not legally. Yes, it was a foster program type thing. And really I don't know all the specifics of it because he worked in that area, so he knew all the bells and whistles, the ins and outs. Dennis Neill: So he was a state employee? Michael James: Not a state employee, okay, because at that point in time they were getting away from state employees. They were doing – Hissom (Memorial Center) was no longer; they were putting everybody out of Hissom, so there were a lot of developmentally disabled individuals moving into the community, and this person worked with those. Dennis Neill: I see. Toby Jenkins: So, you were a hairdresser, and we come up to the point where in 1992 you were diagnosed. When did you change careers, and, because I know you've been with American Airlines, how many years now? Michael James: I've been with American Airlines for 25. Toby Jenkins: 25 years, okay. So did you go from hairdressing to American Airlines, or was there... �14 Michael James: No, there was a period of time in there, okay, I mean, screw it, here I go, you know, party boy. So that's, yeah, and then I was about, what was it, I guess 35ish. Actually, it was before that. I was, oh, I was working in a bar downtown called The Underground. And what was the name of the bar that was next to that? Dennis Neill: The Dance Park. Michael James: Yes, Regina was there. Dennis Neill: I can't remember the name of it. It's very simple. Michael James: Yeah, yeah, I was working at The Underground, and this... Toby Jenkins: Well, you've already listed 12 bars that I have been to. Were there any straight bars in Tulsa in those days? Michael James: So actually there, so at the place where The End Up is, okay, you asked about End Up, there was actually, it was an Irish-named bar, I think it was called The Shamrock, and Marsha LaRue, Amanda Love, Trudy Tyler, oh, gosh, Bobby, Bobby, I cannot think of his name, Randy, yeah, they went there and did a show. Toby Jenkins: At the Shamrock? Michael James: At the Shamrock, yes, straight, I mean, and that was, yeah, but it was a great time. It was really neat. Dennis Neill: Just real briefly, back when you were diagnosed and you were living in Tulsa, how did you find, one, the medical care here to support you with your diagnosis and any of the support groups that you got associated with? Michael James: So my doctor referred me to Tulsa Cares, and I went through the program, and I actually, like a former director here, I utilized the system to get me through until I could take and provide for myself, you know, so. Dennis Neill: And the doctor, is it somebody you can name? Michael James: So Int to say his name was Dr. Lewis. Dennis Neill: So it wasn't one of the doctors that was? Michael James: No, it was nobody, not at that time, so, yeah. Dennis Neill: And you continued to get medical care through Dr. Lewis? Michael James: So I used the system up until I got my job with American. So as I was saying, I was working at Underground, and a gentleman would come in every day, a really nice gentleman, and we became friends. Well, he just happened to own a local computer software company, and his secretary was getting ready to retire, so he offered me that position. So during my downtime as a receptionist, I taught myself how to use the computer. I mean, I had keystrokes, the whole nine yards. I did that for seven years, and then I was hired March, went to work at American, January the 2nd, 2001, and then got hired on March 19th full-time. �15 Toby Jenkins: And American Airlines has been through multiple transitions, and you never lost your job? Michael James: This close. This close to 9/11. So back then it was a management/staff clerk type position, and now it's a union position, so I got time. Toby Jenkins: And so with American Airlines came insurance and a lot of resources for your personal life. Michael James: Yep. So at that point in time, you know, I had to jump ship. Toby Jenkins: Jump ship? Michael James: As far as I was making too much money for the Ryan White program at Tulsa Cares, so I had my own insurance and stuff, went to my own private care. I went to Dr. Haas. She was my doctor for forever. Toby Jenkins: Let's just take this opportunity for our viewers to understand this. Health care, medical insurance was a defining moment because prior to the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare as we call that, which decided you could not refuse treatment or you could not deny somebody based on a pre-existing condition. So that was a life-saving … So all of a sudden we had this surge of people who were able to return to the work force, because in those days, Michael, you went to work for American Airlines, you got insurance, your pre-existing illness didn't disqualify you. But did you always be afraid that if you ever lost your job with American Airlines that you would lose your health insurance? Because your health insurance didn't travel with you. Michael James: Correct. Toby Jenkins: And so I just want our viewers to understand historically it was the difference in people who were able to work and have health insurance, but sometimes you would stick with the job you hated because you had health insurance and you didn't want to lose your health insurance, which people still do for other reasons, too. Okay, so you went to work at American Airlines. I notice that there's so many things that you've been involved in. I want to … You went to work for American Airlines. Were you out at work? Michael James: I was myself, okay? No matter what, I'm kind of a back, shied off guy, but I'm gonna be myself no matter what. And I mean everybody knew. Whenever I came out and joined the pride group and started our pride group out there, I didn't have to do any. I didn't have to come out, you know. Toby Jenkins: What year would that have been? Michael James: About ten years ago? Toby Jenkins: I thought longer than that. Michael James: No, it's been about … Mary Bishop-Baldwin: And this is an employee resource group? �16 Michael James: Employee business resource, the Pride Employee Business Resource group that started in 1984, I believe it was, right when the AIDS epidemic was in full swing and they wanted American Airlines to burn the blankets and pillows and everything after pride flights, yes. Yes, ma'am. And we formed a pride – or actually it was called GLEAAM back then. Yes, Gay Lesbian Employees of American Airlines, so. Toby Jenkins: Because of the discrimination and the stigma? Michael James: Correct. If you're gay, you got AIDS. Toby Jenkins: So did you have to revive the chapter here in Tulsa or did you have to start it? I mean, had they ever had … Michael James: We had to revive it. So, as you said, American’s been through a lot of stuff. At one point they really brought DEI to the forefront, and it really wasn't DEI back then, though. This was before all that came around. They had a chapter, but it was a downlow chapter. They would meet off base. You know, they wouldn’t let – you had to be part of the group to know where to meet. They were that afraid. Toby Jenkins: So you began to organize in 2016? Michael James: Yep, something like that. Then we started coming out. Toby Jenkins: Did you have the support of American Airlines corporate? Michael James: Yes. Toby Jenkins: And HR personnel? Michael James: We had the entire Tulsa base behind us. Corporate down south was behind us. Of course, we had many other chapters that we had to share with. I was fortunate for the time that I was there to be able to be a proud $10,000 sponsorship for several years for our Pride. Toby Jenkins: Yeah, so you said they had to share for other chapters. You mean other chapters at other cities in American Airlines? Michael James: Correct. Toby Jenkins: Or other affinity groups at the …? Michael James: No, it's that there are different pride chapters everywhere throughout the world.. Toby Jenkins: So you would network with all them and get ideas? Michael James: Yes, yeah. We would go down and have meetings and stuff. Toby Jenkins: Now, when you, did a group of you decide, did you find out American Airlines had this out there and you said, I want to do this? Or did y'all begin to meet and say, hey, we need to organize here? �17 Michael James: So I found out there was a group, and then I really wanted to become more involved. And this was the time that they started pushing the employee business resource groups at that time. So I'm like, sure, I'll step up. So took it from there, got it ... Toby Jenkins: So in the regular workforce, so the people you worked with, the other employees who were not gay, were they aware this group had formed? And was there any, I mean, if you went, if people went to it, was there people, I just assume that meant they automatically knew they were sexual? Because I know you had several straight allies involved. Michael James: Yes, yes. And there's that stigma once again. Yes, if you're part of a queer club, a gay club, whatever, straight alliance, gay alliance club, you're automatically gay no matter what. That was the biggest issue that I had. Unfortunately, a lot of the guys and the ladies and all those in between would come up and say, I appreciate you wearing that shirt to work. I couldn't do it. But you were online and married and everything else is about, so. Toby Jenkins: Ah. Interesting. So y'all had T-shirts that you could wear in the workplace that were American Airlines. Michael James: American branded, uh-huh. Toby Jenkins: Okay. So that let other people know. Yes. When you were wearing that Tshirt, did people come up? Hey, I'm gay, and did they not know about the group and they started coming into the group? Michael James: Nope, nope. It was, you know, I never, yes, I got people who wanted to come join the group. Nobody who actually came out, okay? Believe it or not, I, … there were more straight allies joined during my time than anything, so, yeah. And I really, they're still there for me. Toby Jenkins: So previously, American Airlines had been one of our big corporate sponsors of Tulsa Pride back in the early 2000s, and then when the economic downturn happened, we lost State Farm, Cox Cable, and American Airlines, and then when you got involved, you brought them back to the table in a big way. Michael James: So wasn't this before that? Toby Jenkins: Yeah, it would have been, this would have been the early 2000s, and then, you know, 2007 when we had the big, 2007, 2008, all corporate support went away. I mean, that's why we moved Pride from the park to here. We couldn't afford to have it over there anymore. But you brought them back to the table. Yes. Yeah. So, and how did you, where did y'all jump in? I mean, you not only brought them back as a Pride sponsor. Michael James: I jumped in, I mean, you know, I knew the Equality Center. I had been to Prides before. I had never been on the other side of that. Toby Jenkins: The organizing. �18 Michael James: You're correct, so our group, hey, let's get some community, you know, going here. So we started volunteering through the Equality Center when we did drag bingos to raise funds for our Pride Festival in January through May, you know? Toby Jenkins: Every year, we would, about 10 years ago, we started doing Pride bingos here at the center. Dale Hogan helped start that, and companies would buy tables or individuals, and. Michael James: And then we would come out, we would take and serve them. We would be behind the bar. We would have people coming out to their tables, making sure that they were full and happy and having a great time, and then. Toby Jenkins: And y'all would wear your American Airlines shirt. Michael James: Yes, sir, yep, yep. Toby Jenkins: So that people knew we had our volunteers running drinks. It was, … Michael James: We even, I think we brought some bar cart out here at one time and pushed it around. Toby Jenkins: Yeah, some bar cart like you see on the flights. Michael James: Flight attendant carts. We then started working, okay, well, if we can do this, you know, I know that there are other corporations out there that have these groups, you know? So we all started working together, and that's when we started getting Blue Cross Blue Shield to come in and all that stuff. Toby Jenkins: PSO. Michael James: Right, yep, yep, yep. Toby Jenkins: One Gas. Michael James: Uh huh. Yep, we had volunteers out at the wazoo, and it was fabulous. It was fabulous. Bingos would sell out. Toby Jenkins: Both rooms. Michael James: Yes. Yes. Yes. Toby Jenkins: And it helped us pay for Pride. Michael James: Mm-hmm. Toby Jenkins: Yes. So you created that, you recruited them and got them involved, and they were just wonderful volunteers. And then I know that you also, while you were at American Airlines, y’all began to do some diversity training, and you would invite us to come and do presentations. Michael James: Yes. If I recall, you'd come out and do how to be an ally. They did some youth training – abuse and stuff. There was also one, yes. �19 Toby Jenkins: I know we did a presentation on marriage equality. Didn't you serve on that panel? Mary Bishop-Baldwin: I don't recall. Toby Jenkins: But I know you had us come out and talk about why marriage mattered. Michael James: Yeah. Equality time. Yeah. Very well-attended events. Toby Jenkins: So you were helping with Pride Bingo, but then you also, I know American Airlines kind of stepped up with the Grateful Day Foundation and helped with their big fundraisers, too. Michael James: Correct. Yes. We would just do different portions of proceeds. I mean, yeah. Toby Jenkins: Yes? Michael James: Yes. I don't know where else to go with that. Toby Jenkins: Another big spaghetti dinner every year, y'all. Michael James: So, no. We didn't really do, we did more for the Equality Center. Wasn't really more for Grateful Day. That was more of a personal thing on the Grateful Day side of it. So now, did my people take in, also come and volunteer at those events? Yes. I had my people from American and other organizations that did that as well. But yes, we go out and we volunteer for the awards dinner. Toby Jenkins: So tell us a little bit about how you got inspired to come up with the beverage carts, which were branded. We had an OkEq branded one, and then we had a, whatever the Pride logo was. Michael James: Yes, we did. There were two or three years that we were able to, our leadership donated flight attendant carts, and they would take and refurbish them. I would use the theme of that year's Pride to put – one year we did it on one side, I think. One side was Pride; one side was OKEQ. And then the next year, when we did the Tulsa to Oklahoma City theme, that wrapped all the way around the flight attendant cart. They would take exotic woods and carve them out to specific bottles, like crown bottles, glassware, ice bin, the whole lot, lights, remote control. We donated. Toby Jenkins: And we would sell these for $10,000. Michael James: Yes, at Gala. Toby Jenkins: People would go nuts. And I remember one year, he was with the chamber, and his partner was a flight attendant, and they bought that. His flight attendant partner asked, “Why in the world are you buying that?” He said, “Well, I thought it was neat,” and he said, “I have to deal with one of those all the time.” Gary Meadows and his partner bought one one year. �20 Michael James: And then, yeah, somebody bought one, and then we, they matched it but didn't want the cart or something like that. And then somebody donated on top of that. I mean, that year it was like $30,000. It was amazing. I mean, I was very proud. Toby Jenkins: And then American Airlines would sponsor a Gala table. Michael James: Yes, yes. Toby Jenkins: And they would sponsor Pride. Michael James: We'd sponsor bingos. Very, very great. Toby Jenkins: Because they would walk in, if I remember this correctly, you would keep a list of the people that volunteered, and then we would verify that, and then they, American Airlines, would match those volunteers? Or was that ConocoPhillips that I'm thinking of? Michael James: No, that’s ConocoPhillips. Dennis Neill: So, MJ, what is your thought about why that has changed so much? Where we lost all of these affinity groups, this corporate support. Toby Jenkins: Diversity. I mean, do you still have this at American Airlines? Michael James: So, it's tough to say. I don't know if we overdid things, you know? I mean, at the end of my tenure with the EBRG, our DEI group made me want to DIE. I mean, it was just shove it, you know. I get that, okay? But I don't, it's tough to say. Unfortunately, we had COVID that came around. Nobody wanted to be around anybody, and then you became that recluse, and how hard is it to get out of that, you know? So, and it's just a lot, it takes a lot to build back, and we're building back. Dennis Neill: You are building back? Michael James: We are building back. Dennis Neill: So the corporation isn't blocking you from building back? Michael James: No, they still have, they're called team member resource groups now. We no longer have a chapter in Tulsa, so we can't get sponsorship. However, I still have my management sponsor that we have a core group of people that still, to this day, we drive shuttles for Pride. They'll be the back of the thing so that people can walk behind and dance and just be themselves for Pride. So they, our local is still very involved, so. Toby Jenkins: So you're still in Pride, the Pride parade and all that? Michael James: Not since I've been bartending. Toby Jenkins: Oh, okay, all right. I was thinking I’d seen American Airlines in the parade. Michael James: So yes, we, yes, like I said, they bring up the rear of the parade. We've got music on the back. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: So you're saying American is still in the parade? �21 Michael James: American is still, yes. Me, I'm behind the bar. Toby Jenkins: Yeah, and when he says bar, he means he's running the bar for Pride. Michael James: Yeah. Toby Jenkins: For thousands of people pouring and overseeing all the volunteers with that. Okay, I want to talk about, a little bit about you were involved with Friend for a Friend and tell kind of what that is and what you. Michael James: So when I got diagnosed, resources are there. One of the resources was an organization called A Friend for a Friend, and it was started by Alice Bates. And if I'm not mistaken, it was in her son's memory. Excuse me, he was diagnosed with HIV, and he had a dog, and “Who's gonna care for that poor dog?” she thought. So she started A Friend for a Friend. I used their resources, and then I actually started volunteering for the organization. Toby Jenkins: And so Friend for a Friend provided pet food, veterinarian care, helped out financially if there was some kind of issues associated with someone living with HIV/AIDS and they didn't have the resources to care for their pets. Michael James: Correct. Toby Jenkins: Okay. Dennis Neill: In that, did you have a physical location, and did you have a paid staff person that ran the program, or is this all volunteers? Michael James: I was, to my knowledge, it was just all volunteers. And when I was delivering, we went and picked the dog food up from Alice's house. And then. Toby Jenkins: And you say as a client, you had benefited from it. Michael James: Yes. Toby Jenkins: Okay. So you believed in it. Michael James: Yes. And then when Alice passed away, my best friend, Jason Eddingfield, was her right-hand person, and he took it over, and then we carried on. I was still volunteering with that. And unfortunately we lost all the other support when we lost Alice. So it had to go. Dennis Neill: So what year do you think that was? Michael James: It's only been, what, five years ago? Toby Jenkins: Less than five years. Dennis Neill: Because they had her service at Unity, right? Toby Jenkins: Yeah. Dennis Neill: And that's kind of when things stopped. �22 Michael James: Yeah. Toby Jenkins: Well, nobody could tell Alice no. She would ask, but. So did you help with the big fundraisers they'd have here at the center where Al Triggs would cook carrot cake cupcakes? Michael James: Yes, yes, that's correct, yes. We would have our like fall meals, and Al would make his infamous carrot cupcakes and, oh my gosh. But yes, we would volunteer with that for Grateful Day Foundation for that. Toby Jenkins: So, yeah. Toby Jenkins: So just to talk about that, you said that you had been a client at one time. Toby Jenkins: So you had a pet, and obviously you were struggling financially and on disability taking care of you or however the rhyme went. Were there times that you were afraid you were going to have to give up your pet because …? Michael James: That wouldn't happen. Toby Jenkins: It wasn’t going to happen. Michael James: No, that wasn't going to happen. No. No. Ride or die. Toby Jenkins: But it meant a lot to you to know that this resource was available for you. Michael James: It did. It meant a lot that it was there for me, able to keep my security while I didn’t have my mother. Dennis Neill: So were you dealing with symptoms at this period of time? Michael James: No, no. I was dealing with drug and mental issues at that time. Dennis Neill: But you were on disability? Michael James: No. Dennis Neill: Okay. Michael James: No, I was on the Ryan White program. Dennis Neill: Okay. Sorry. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: And what did that provide for you? Michael James: That provided me, let's see here, doctors. Okay, that's where I – OSU. I got in on at OSU. Food, whatever. Toby Jenkins: Did they help with housing? Michael James: Housing, yes, and they helped with housing in the days. Toby Jenkins: Bus passes? �23 Dennis Neill: And this was all through the Tulsa Cares case worker? Michael James: Yes. Dennis Neill: And that's when they were on Admiral, I assume. Right? Michael James: Yes, correct. Toby Jenkins: Did you ever do anything with the Lambda Bowling League, which is the LGBT bowling league? Michael James: So, yes. Every year they would have a yearly bowling tournament. And when Grateful Day was around and Chuck Courtney, we would always go out to their big fundraiser and sell raffle tickets and donate our time there. So, got to meet lots of people, spread, you know, lots of people would ask about our group and stuff. And we'd sit down and tell them, and they’d … . Toby Jenkins: And in those days, the bowling league was huge. Michael James: Huge. I mean, it's at Sheridan Lanes. And, I mean, yeah, it's a good thing I didn't track my steps back then because... Toby Jenkins: Yeah, I'd say probably as many as 25 lanes. And there would be five to six team people in each. Michael James: Yep, and then you've got their people with them and so, yeah. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Once a week? Toby Jenkins: Yeah, every week. Michael James: Well, no, this was for their yearly bowling tournament, but yes, they would. Toby Jenkins: Oh, yeah, they had a huge tournament. Oh, yeah, it'd be bigger than that, yeah. And so, that helped them fund Grateful Day Foundation. So, tell us a little about Chuck Courtney. You've mentioned him. Michael James: Chuck Courtney. Toby Jenkins: And how did you meet him? Michael James: Oh, Chuck Courtney and I met somewhere out between Mounds and Kiefer. Back in the '80s, the late '80s, after I came back from the military. Went our ways, and then somehow or another we ended up connecting somehow. And it was like, bam, bada bing, bada boom. I got involved with Grateful Day at that point in time, like I said. Wonderful man, very knowledgeable. Toby Jenkins: You were roommates for a while. Michael James: Yes, yep, and we lived back-to-back. So, great guy. Like I said, he was part of one of the founders of Grateful Day. Just so much about him, you know. �24 Toby Jenkins: Yeah, he's just like you – a workhorse. He just was a doer. Michael James: You ask him a question. If he didn't know he was going to dig until he found out, yeah. Needed the shirt off your back, yeah, he'd give it to you. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: And you were both from Mounds. Michael James: He was from Kiefer. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Oh, he was from Kiefer. Michael James: Yep, and I was from Mounds. But remember, I had a Kiefer telephone number. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Yes, I understand that. Toby Jenkins: There's a legend here that people probably think is a legend, but we're going to tell the true story on the legend. So you and Chuck, and you all were involved, I guess, with Grateful Day Foundation, which eventually became Positively Grateful. But during that time, if I remember correctly, there was a group of people that wanted to do a documentary on HIV/AIDS in Tulsa, and I can’t remember the name of the people that were wanting to do that. And so they connected with Chuck, and Chuck was helping with that. Michael James: Chuck spearheaded that with them. Toby Jenkins: And so they wanted to do a story on Alice's Our House. She headed Our House, which was an HIV/AIDS resource house for people in the community and Friend for a Friend and all the work she had done. And during that time, there began to be questions about the AIDS quilts. And you all got involved in that. Michael James: Yes, yes. Chuck came to me one day and said, “Hey, break out the mystery machine. We're going to solve a mystery.” So, and he told me that the Center had received a call saying that they were missing quilts. We had help find them. Toby Jenkins: AIDS quilts. Michael James: AIDS quilts. Toby Jenkins: So when the Equality Center opened at this location at 621 East 4th Street, we were one of the few places in the United States that it was our permanent home that we were going to own. And it was very common for the NAMES project, which was based in Atlanta, they would allow LGBT community centers, resource centers, they would allow them to permanently display the quilts. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Certain panels. Toby Jenkins: Certain panels. Michael James: Right, and so there was an organization from there that was local. Toby Jenkins: Right. And we had a NAMES Project committee here, and so they reached out, and those individuals, who are no longer with us, got the quilts. All I know �25 is that from the day when we opened the building, we always had the AIDS quilts hanging on the wall, the original AIDS quilts that were Oklahoma specific, and we had at least four. So we had two, and we would take the others out for World AIDS Day. OSU sometimes would request them, sometimes Tulsa Care, All Souls would come and, you know. But we only had four that I knew of. Then when they decided to move the NAMES Project to the National AIDS Museum in San Francisco, they said all the AIDS quilts need to return to the NAMES project. And we went into this legal battle with them, because we kept saying we have the paperwork saying we could have these here on permanent display. And we kept telling – they said, you've got 10 quilts, and we said, we've got four. And so pick it up there. Michael James: So Chuck, being the guy he is, he picked it up and ran with it. I worked during the day, so I wasn't able to do a lot of stuff, but he would do a lot of the background work. We got to go into the Catholic archives and look in it. It was very, oh my gosh. Just the search. Go, go, go. Toby Jenkins: St. Joseph’s House. Michael James: Look, look, find this … . We'd go look. Finally, we found them at the 11th hour before, I can't remember what they said. They were going to charge us some outrageous amount. Toby Jenkins: They were going to sue us. Michael James: Yeah. And American Airlines helped pay cargo for those. Toby Jenkins: And you found them where? Michael James: We found them in... Toby Jenkins: Now, you checked multiple locations, Tulsa Cares, St. Jerome's. Michael James: St. Jerome's, OSU, because they had even borrowed it to hang from their, several locations. And we found them in the shed. And I can't remember – we said it. Toby Jenkins: Ray Chance. Michael James: Ray Chance's house. Still in a box. Very minimal damage, thank goodness. So we were able to bring them back here. Toby Jenkins: Weren't they buried under newspapers, like gay magazines? Michael James: Yeah, they were in a big. Yeah, they were buried, but there was a little bit of... Mary Bishop-Baldwin: How many were in the box? Michael James: Six. Toby Jenkins: Six. There were six. We had four, and they had six. Dennis Neill: What led you to Ray's location? �26 Michael James: So Chuck got a lead. Seriously. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: This should be a movie. Michael James: No, like I said, the mystery machine, you know? We were like, yeah, Scooby and Freddy or something. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: That’s amazing. Michael James: Brought them back here. And then at that point in time, we were able to do some high-resolution stuff, get the quilts back to the National Archives, and now we have local copies here. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Facsimiles, essentially. Full size. How did you do that? Michael James: With the talents of … Toby Jenkins: Jeremy Stevens and his partner Alan Mueggenberg, if I'm saying that right. Alan's company was able to create those, and so they paid for that, and then we were able to send them away. And we had a big ceremony that they would be, we told people, we had them on display and told people to come down and see them. Michael James: We had them right there in the Bruce Goff, World AIDS Day, if I'm not mistaken. Toby Jenkins: All of them, not just the... We've probably got video of that somewhere. And so I quit fighting with the National Names Project, and y'all paid to have them boxed up and mailed back. They're there, available. I mean, you can pull it up on their website. Yes. And we now have what are high-resolution facsimiles. Most people don't even realize they're not the original quilts. And we just recently found about one. We know we have four, but we found a third one. So I want to thank you and Chuck for doing that. That was a pretty historical event. Michael James: It was very interesting, learned a lot, and made me even want to get into it more so. Toby Jenkins: Now I know you were also involved in T.U.L.S.A., which is the Tulsa Uniform and Leather Seekers Association. Michael James: Correct. I was in that organization for a couple of years, started out as a pledge. How I got started was my friend, Richard Ziese, a former Mr. Tulsa Leather, and it was more of a fun thing to me. I didn't really fit the lifestyle, but the people were cool, you know, and it's just another form of drag, right? You put on your leathers and, you know, and they're an organization that go out and do fundraisers, okay, not only for themselves, but they'll join with other organizations and help fundraise for them as well. So they ended up disbanding as well, I think. Toby Jenkins: You used to meet here. Michael James: Yes, met here. �27 Toby Jenkins: You would have a room full of 30 or 40 people. Now, did you help with Richard when they did the leather archives? Michael James: Yes, that was when I was being initiated, and we were actually ribboncutting, and yeah, it was a very wonderful thing. Toby Jenkins: Thank you. So you know the details on the display case that has... Michael James: I know several of the people in there. Toby Jenkins: Okay, very good. That's helpful information. Because eventually it will move down here, right? And this area is going to be redone, and the library's ... Is it all right to say that? Dennis Neill: Uh huh. Toby Jenkins: It's going to be moved out there … Michael James: Oh, right on. Toby Jenkins: … to make it more accessible, and you know, we've got kind of a dead space. Used to, we had a computer lounge there, and we don't necessarily do that. And so the leather archives will eventually be here. Michael James: Right on. Okay, that's cool. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Along with other archives. Michael James: And then during that time... Toby Jenkins: So you and Richard were the ones that put all that together? Michael James: Yes, along with some of the other... Toby Jenkins: David Howell down in Florida, I think. Didn't he help some? Michael James: I think so. And then somewhere down the road, with Grateful Day, I got involved, not as a member, but working with the Imperial Court of all Oklahoma, as well. And we would, as the organization Grateful Day, we would go volunteer with them, help them raise funds. We were a... What am I looking for? At the end, they take in, they pay their, we're like a benefactor. We benefit the organization, so. And then, ever since then, I go every year for their coronation and volunteer as their bartender for their hospitality. Toby Jenkins: Tell our viewers a little bit what the Imperial Court is. Michael James: So, Imperial Court of All Oklahoma is, it's a court system all throughout the states. And they go around raising funds for different, they're another fundraising organization. That's really what I know about them. Toby Jenkins: So, they're modeled after the European court system. There's kings and queens and dukes and duchesses and princes and princesses and ... �28 Michael James: Tiaras. Toby Jenkins: We have Carolyn Wiley's interview. She was an empress. Michael James: She was, yes, like the main mama entry. Toby Jenkins: Yeah, yeah. So, we had her as part of our archives. Okay, I forgot about that. Anything else, Michael, that you, since you've just sit on your hands and you've not done anything for the last 15, anything else that you were involved in that we, well, you served on for years here on the advisory board. Michael James: Yes, I served for a couple years here on the advisory board. I volunteered, I've been a volunteer here for 10 years. I’ve managed the bar in the theater for three now. Yeah. Toby Jenkins: And it's kind of seen a resurgence. Will you be helping this weekend with the Fringe Fest? Michael James: I'll be right here with two signature cocktails. Dennis Neill: So, MJ, of all of your activities that you participated in through these many years, what is kind of the high point that you can think of that has been so meaningful to you personally? Michael James: My high point is seeing our community benefit from some of the things that I can do. Whether it be getting them dog food, whether it be hanging with them for a weekend at a retreat, whether it be behind the bar making a cocktail. I just love our community. And that’s, yeah. Toby Jenkins: I know recently I've been able to attend a new thing that's happening in the Lynn Riggs Theater with Jason and Bill Nelson called Broadway Clubhouse, and that's capacity crowds. And are you enjoying, I know you just seem to be flying with the energy that you feed off of. Michael James: Oh my gosh. That's been an idea of Mr. Neill's for quite some time to bring something very similar to Marie's Crisis here to Tulsa. We started it. Unfortunately, that didn't work out, but we have two wonderful people who are in charge of it now, and I'll tell you what. I mean, being a former choir boy and just hearing all that, coming right, not at me, but just up, it's just the energy in the house and the energy that I feel when I'm here. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Show tunes. Michael James: And it's not just show tunes. I mean, come on, we do some Queen in there, too, right? Toby Jenkins: So we get together and we sing Broadway show tunes, and of course it'll be music that may have been featured in by musical artists or Disney shows. I mean, when you say Broadway shows, you don't realize how comprehensive and expansive that is. Michael James: Yeah, and jukebox jingles or something ... �29 Toby Jenkins: But I will tell you that the warmth and the friendliness and the excitement that you bring to those events, I know you're happiest when it's a packed house and people are enjoying themselves. Dennis Neill: MJ, you mentioned that when you were diagnosed and you lost that partner, because he couldn't deal, I guess, right, with your diagnosis. How about since then? Have you had some long-term relationships that have been meaningful to you? Michael James: Yes, Dale Hogan is really about the only other long-term relationship. It's been about seven years. We were together about seven years. We still remain friends. Sure wish I could get him to come back as Rainbow Granny, dang it. But... Toby Jenkins: So it can be a strain, a medical diagnosis for people, and some people just can't deal with it. They're not equipped. But that doesn't help somebody who's dealing with it. Yeah, I mean, and hopefully in the wellness retreats, y’all address some of that, probably. Michael James: Yes, yes. Toby Jenkins: Have some discussion groups. Toby Jenkins: Yes, we have. Michael James: For a, go ahead, I'm sorry. Michael James: We have panelists. We have a doctor that comes out. We have a... Toby Jenkins: Mental health provider. Michael James: Mental health. We have pharmacists, a pharmacologist that comes out. We even have, uh, wanding sessions. So like spirit, just wellness. You take wellness and go however. Toby Jenkins: You have chaplains sometimes. Michael James: Yeah, George is always there providing services. There's a labyrinth that takes you through a journey, you know. So very, yeah. Dennis Neill: So with the people you've been close to that have been dealing with HIV, and with all the new medications, have you still seen some people that we lose to the actual disease, or is it usually other complications? Michael James: It's always other complications, unfortunately. Dennis Neill: Do they have a relationship to their compromised systems? Michael James: Yeah, I could see some of them, but you know, not everybody's that. It's not that, you know, granted, okay, pneumonia. Okay, you can have pneumonia, but is it truly caused because of your HIV? You know, I mean, yeah. Dennis Neill: So we've seen a real sea change there, right, in the treatment and the longevity? �30 Michael James: Yeah, yes, yes. You know, I mean, I didn't think I would be here now, you know. I've, in the beginning, I had several medication changes, but I've only had probably two medication changes within the last 30 years, 25. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Do you attribute your longevity, the fact that you didn't die in those earlier days, to the timing of when you were diagnosed, because these drugs had come about then, or to what do you attribute this? Michael James: Have you met me? My hard head, okay? My stubbornness, my will to live, okay? I am not ready to die, okay? As y'all know, I got too much stuff to do. I almost said a bad word. Toby Jenkins: And obviously, you're not willing to sit on the sidelines. … World AIDS Day, have you ever participated in any of the World AIDS Day events? Michael James: World AIDS Day, we did with Grateful Day, and that we stuck, talked earlier, we took the quilts, we hung them from the ceiling in the Bruce Goff, and they kind of wrapped around, and people could walk through and see that. That's really about the only one that I, you know. Toby Jenkins: Yeah, well, we're trying to revive World AIDS Day. Michael James: Let's do it. Dennis Neill: It's going to be on Tuesday, this time, and we have been challenged by others, including you, to make sure that we have a real recognition of World AIDS Day, and so we hope that Mary and you and some others can kind of help lead this effort of pulling back the community that we used to have such a robust remembrance of World AIDS Day. Michael James: I'd be honored to, so. Toby Jenkins: Anything else from our interview panel? So usually we ask our guests, give you just a second to think about it, is there any message you want to give anybody who comes after you, maybe younger people or just people who review your interview, do you have a final message for them? Michael James: Man, amongst all the BS, don't lose yourself, and don't give in. Don't give in. Be that person to help make the world a better place. Toby Jenkins: It has been our distinct pleasure to interview Michael James, known in the community as MJ. Our interview panelists have been Dennis Neill, founder of Oklahomans for Equality; Mary Bishop Baldwin, the Marriage Equality Plaintiff, and Toby Jenkins. It is July 21st, 2026, and I believe it's now 101 degrees outside, but it's been a warm, warm experience. Thank you so much, Michael. Michael James: Thank you all. Look for me down in the bar. Remember, if the light's on, bring it on. If the light's off, back off. Dennis Neill: Ha, ha. Thank you, MJ. Mary Bishop-Baldwin: Thank you, Michael. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [Series] Oral Histories Project > Interviews Description An account of the resource <strong>Physical Media:</strong> <br />Box 7, Folder 7 - Dr. Leisa Meyer Program<br />Box 7, Folder 8 - Interviewees Materials, Original Series 2003-2007<br /><br /><strong>Digital Media:</strong> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2026] Michael James Interview Subject The topic of the resource Michael James Oral History Project Interview from July 21, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Michael James, Toby Jenkins, Mary Bishop-Baldwin Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource July 21, 2026; July 24, 2026 Description An account of the resource In this in-depth interview, Michael James, known as MJ in the community, shares his journey living with HIV for nearly 30 years, his activism, and his extensive involvement in LGBTQ+ advocacy, community service, and HIV awareness initiatives in Tulsa. Discover inspiring stories, community efforts, and the importance of resilience and support. Interview conducted by Toby Jenkins and transcribed by Mary Bishop-Baldwin. 2026 activism advocacy AIDS Quilt AIDS/HIV AIDS/HIV longterm survivors American Airlines coming out community fundraising Gay Bars healthcare HIV HIV Education HIV/AIDs interview Mary Bishop-Baldwin Michael James NAMES Project NAMES Project quilt Nancy and Joe McDonald Rainbow Library Nancy McDonald Rainbow Library OKEQ Oral History Project oral history oral history interview Oral History Project oral history transcript Pride Rainbow Library Toby Jenkins transcript Tulsa Gay Bars video volunteers https://history.okeq.org/files/original/e3460cc7e54aedae609ae72412f9437b.eml 4d77d82639b6774d165a71b24307e700 Email A resource containing textual messages and binary attachments sent electronically from one person to another or one person to many people. Email Body The main body of the email, including all replied and forwarded text and headers Dear Friends, Last week, Senate Bill 904 was signed into law in Oklahoma. The legislation restricts the use of state funds, facilities, and resources for gender-affirming healthcare, creating new barriers for transgender Oklahomans seeking medically necessary care and increasing uncertainty for healthcare providers across the state. While SB 904 does not appear to constitute a total statewide ban on gender-affirming care for adults, its impact will still be significant. By restricting how publicly funded healthcare systems and providers can offer care, the law is already disrupting access to services and creating confusion for patients and families. Last week, we shared Oklahomans for Equality’s formal statement opposing the bill and reaffirming our commitment to continuing care through our clinic. Today, I want to share more about what we are already seeing on the ground, and ask for your help. The impact of SB 904 is already being felt. Since the bill’s signing, publicly funded healthcare providers and institutions across Oklahoma have begun referring patients to our clinic as they navigate new restrictions on care. At the same time, we are hearing from transgender Oklahomans and their families who are frightened, uncertain, and trying to understand what access to healthcare will look like moving forward. We anticipate a significant increase in demand for appointments, care coordination, patient navigation, and financial assistance in the weeks and months ahead. As a small community clinic, we operate with a strong commitment to keeping care accessible and affordable, which means increased demand places immediate strain on both staff capacity and financial assistance resources. For many people, the barriers created by this legislation are not abstract. Delayed care, increased travel, higher out-of-pocket costs, and fear of losing access altogether place enormous strain on individuals and families who are simply trying to access medically necessary healthcare. Too often, those most impacted are people with the fewest financial resources and the fewest alternatives for care. Our commitment remains unchanged: our clinic is open, and we will continue doing everything we can to ensure transgender Oklahomans have access to affirming, compassionate care. But we cannot do this alone. Thanks to a generous matching challenge from Dennis Neill and John Southard, every dollar donated, up to $10,000, will be matched dollar-for-dollar, doubling the impact of your gift. Because demand for care is already increasing, early support will directly determine how many patients we are able to assist in the coming months. Your gift today will help ensure that cost is not the reason someone loses access to care. Donations will support appointments, labs, and other critical healthcare and clinic operational needs as demand continues to rise. Oklahoma already ranks 47th in the nation for health outcomes. At a time when our state faces healthcare workforce shortages and growing mental health needs, restricting access to evidence-based care only deepens the crisis for vulnerable Oklahomans. Healthcare decisions should be made by patients, families, and qualified medical providers, not politicians. Every person deserves dignity, safety, and access to medically appropriate healthcare. Your support sends a powerful message to transgender Oklahomans that they are not alone and that they are valued, supported, and will continue to be cared for by this community. With gratitude, Hailey Briggs Executive Director Oklahomans for Equality Subject Line The content of the subject line of the email Letter From the Executive Director: Update on SB 904 & Request for Immediate Support From The name and email address of the person sending the email Oklahomans for Equality To The name(s) and email address(es) of the person to whom the email was sent email list Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2026] Letter from Hailey Briggs about SB 904 Subject The topic of the resource Oklahoma Senate Bill 904, which bans gender-affirming care from providers or facilities that receive any form of state money Description An account of the resource An email from the Oklahomans for Equality executive director to constituents Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Oklahomans for Equality Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 20, 2026 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Hailey Briggs Type The nature or genre of the resource Email gender-affirming care Hailey Briggs health care health clinic SB 904 Senate Bill 904 Transgender https://history.okeq.org/files/original/539df6b8c85d2ca16ce2bbfc98126a27.jpg 59b19070d50cca9d4d0c75feecf8c91d Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Download of a Facebook post Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2026] Trans Day of Visibility fashion show Subject The topic of the resource Trans Day of Visibility fashion show Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 31, 2026 Type The nature or genre of the resource Facebook post fashion show Gender magazine Trans Day of Visibility Twisted Arts https://history.okeq.org/files/original/054410a11d0e4eebba612f2831bfacc1.jpg fcd55a1ff67db94ef67782801f162ce3 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/0c80269a1d163b183e9c3da3ba39b57b.jpg 60208ec5b685c5a7b7e7f27088caead0 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/496c1b24b4fed760d8424df88dbb77b4.jpg 98cf8c3c78e491a4bee37514758e72a9 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/ff5693216d0fd6c838d8334e091882de.pdf 5af46d68a61d420ad3dc70fe3a958df1 PDF Text Text Transgender History Month series By Mary Bishop-Baldwin Oklahomans for Equality History Project The backlash is real. With the achievement of marriage equality in Oklahoma 12 years ago and nationwide a year later, it seemed that LGBTQ people were on our way to being accepted as part of a diverse society. But having lost that battle, the culture warriors made transgender people their next target and began attacking them through ongoing legislation, executive orders, rhetoric and intimidation that spurs physical violence. Transgender people must deal with much higher rates of physical violence than do cisgender people. Among the key findings of the “Gender Identity Disparities in Criminal Victimization: National Crime Victimization Survey, 2017-2018” study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law: • • • Transgender people (16+) are victimized over four times more often than cisgender people. In 2017-2018, transgender people experienced 86.2 victimizations per 1,000 people compared to 21.7 victimizations per 1,000 people for cisgender people. Transgender women and men had higher rates of violent victimization (86.1 and 107.5 per 1,000 people, respectively) than cisgender women and men (23.7 and 19.8 per 1,000 people, respectively). In 2017-2018, transgender households had higher rates of property victimization (214.1 per 1,000 households) than cisgender households (108 per 1,000 households). And the Human Rights Campaign reports that “in the 12 years from January 2013 through Nov. 2024, HRC and other advocates identified 372 transgender and gender-expansive individuals who were victims of fatal violence in the United States. … People living at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities have been disproportionately impacted relative to others. Specifically, Black transgender women, who face multiple layers of violence due to their gender identity, gender, and race, comprise 61% of all victims of fatal violence against transgender and gender-expansive people.” History shows that transgender people have always existed, and the Oklahomans for Equality History Project is taking August – Transgender History Month – as an opportunity to highlight some of the contributions of transgender people in Oklahoma and put a spotlight on the attacks that have inundated them in recent years. There’s a lot of information, so we are presenting it in a series of three articles that are being distributed through email and social media from Monday, Aug. 24, through Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. Part 1 looks at transgender people’s progression over time from invisibility in society to the out-and-proud individuals they have become, as well as their inclusion in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Part 2 considers the transgender community’s needs and how the larger community has responded. Part 3 showcases brave transgender individuals who have taken stands in the �public spotlight and the resilience of the trans community. The entire series is presented here on the History Project’s website. PART 1: FROM INVISIBILITY TO INCLUSION A survey of early documents from Oklahomans for Equality’s forerunner organizations, Oklahomans for Human Rights and Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights, turns up no references to the word “transgender” or other words that might indicate that transgender issues were among the organization’s original concerns in the 1980s. But through the organization, LGBTQ people found each other, and transgender people have been included in the organization’s mission for more than a quarter-century. Transgender issues were on Tulsans’ radars at least by 1994, when the Tulsa Family News’ March edition included news briefs on Washington state legislation that would “make it illegal to place a foster child in a household with a homosexual, bisexual, transsexual or transvestite” and on the formation of a national group, Gay and Lesbian Americans, which, despite its limiting name, said it was “committed to civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people” in the United States. The same issue included an advertisement for a psychologist who was “sensitive to the challenges of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgendered Individuals, Couples & Families.” (Note the “ed” at the end of the word “Transgender” – a common usage at that time that has since fallen out of practice.) In 1998, during the late Nancy McDonald’s tenure as president of PFLAG National, the organization extended PFLAG’s mission to include transgender people. McDonald, a Tulsan, was a driving force behind OkEq’s growth and for inclusion in Tulsa. TOHR had a transgender support group at least by the late 1990s, and transgender issues were among the central priorities for the organization by the new millennium. By the time the Pyramid Project kicked off in 2000 to raise funds for the purchase and renovation of OkEq’s building, the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, the word “transgender” was included in its mission statement. The TOHR Torch Fall 2002 newsletter is full of references to the organization’s inclusion of transgender people in its mission, programs and community center name, the Tulsa Gay, Lesbian, Bi & Transgender (GLBT) Community Center, which was a rented facility at 2114 S. Memorial Drive at the time. A circa 2003 document in the History Project’s physical archives is specifically about a transgender support group and spells out the group’s mission statement/purpose: “Gender Outreach of Oklahoma is a volunteer, educational, outreach, support, and social organization for The Transgendered Community (TTC), their significant others (SOs), families and friends. The purpose of Gender Outreach of Oklahoma is to act as a nonsexual support group for TTC and their significant others.” The document says that: �Toward this end, it will: • Provide programs, speakers, services, and social activities for the support of the members and to promote the acceptance of TTC. • Provide opportunities for TTC, for the purpose of developing self-understanding and self-acceptance. • Provide Outreach by passing on knowledge and understanding of TTC to related organizations and to the public. • Assist members with problems related to their specific needs, whenever possible. • Assist SOs in the establishment and continued existence of their own interest. • Encourage members to participate in Gender Outreach of Oklahoma Unity Events. • Encourage members to participate in Gay/Lesbian/Bi-sexual/Transgendered community (GLBT) promotions of legislation affecting anti-discrimination of the GLBT community. The group, a part of TOHR, was hoping a new community center could provide its members a room for meetings, doctors and therapists, a safe place to be themselves, “2 Lockers for the cross-dressers to store their clothes” and “a dressing room,” apparently because its members did not feel free to dress in alignment with their gender identities at home or in other places. Also in the History Project’s physical archives is a copy of a grant application to an organization called Resist dated Nov. 28, 2004, which mentions that TOHR had held a “highly successful” regional conference on transgender issues in 2003 and that “TOHR’s Gender Outreach Program provides education, meeting space and social interaction for northeastern Oklahoma’s transgender and intersex population.” An accompanying chart shows that TOHR at the time had one transgender board member and five active volunteers who were transgender. An archived 2016 document on the Gender Outreach Program lists the average monthly attendance as follows: • General meeting – 35 • FTM specific meeting – 11 • Teen specific meeting – 11 • Parent specific meeting – 20 • Gender non binary – 5 • Bartlesville – 5 Yes, the document indicates that “OkEq has started a transgender support group in Bartlesville. For now,” it says, “that group will meet monthly at First Presbyterian Church. Thank you to Josie Peacock for being willing to facilitate that meeting. The Tulsa group will �assist in getting that group up and running. Thank you to the Bartlesville PFLAG group for pointing out the need for a transgender group in that area.” In 2013, OkEq’s transgender program was featured in the documentary “Just Gender,” which premiered at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema to a packed house, the Dec. 30, 2013, OkEq eNews reported. The same issue noted that “youth and parents from our transgender youth and family support group continue to receive international attention. Taylor Burns, our family therapist, and physician Laura Arrowsmith have presented at more than a dozen conferences, universities and medical societies nationwide. Both Taylor and Laura have worked with several Oklahoma school districts to provide services for families with transgender children.” The Feb. 20, 2013, OkEq eNews notes that “to honor the courage and bravery of the transgender community, Havah Gordon has made a donation to OkEq's Be Our Voice, Give a Day campaign and is sponsoring the Equality Center for the week of Sun, February 17th, 2013 through Sat, February 23rd, 2013.” Dr. Arrowsmith brought National Center for Transgender Equality founding Executive Director Mara Kiesling to Tulsa and the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in 2014. OkEq's Gender Outreach Program held a daylong workshop on transgender issues in April 2015. Dr. Arrowsmith, a board member of the National Center for Transgender Equality and a former Oklahomans for Equality board member, provided the keynote address. On New Year’s Day 2016, OkEq hosted a panel discussion featuring Dr. Arrowsmith, Taylor Burns and attorney Alyssa Bryant after a viewing of the film “The Danish Girl,” about the Danish artist who was one of the first recipients of sexual reassignment surgery in the 1920s, at the Circle Cinema. OkEq’s Gender Support Program has continued its services through the years, offering “support, education, and community for transgender and intersex individuals in a safe, welcoming space,” a 2025 Facebook post says. “Breakout groups for Non-Binary folks, Trans Men, and Trans Women. … Come as you are, find your people, and grow together in community.” PART 2: NEEDS AND RESPONSE The Oklahomans for Equality History Project archives include a September 2005 Needs Assessment Report on Tulsa’s Gay Community from the Tulsa Community Foundation, the Tulsa Reaches Out Project and the Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa, which said the following percentages of transgender survey respondents perceived these issues as among the Top 5 services needed for GLBT people: �       50.0% Advocacy at the State Legislature 37.5% Physical Health Services 37.5% Mental Health Services 37.5% STD/HIV Prevention 37.5% Public Awareness about GLBT Issues 37.5% GLBT Center 37.5% Legal Services Related to Sexual Orientation Over the years, Oklahomans for Equality has made strides to meet those needs through advocacy, services, partnerships and education. Here’s how our archives reveal those efforts: LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY The May 2006 edition of the Tulsa Star includes mention of an upcoming Day at the Legislature sponsored by TOHR and Oklahoma PFLAG when participants could visit with legislators about the needs of the LGBT community. OkEq has continued the tradition of hosting annual days for advocacy at the state Capitol and has sent representatives at other times, as well, specifically to talk to legislators and advocate for or against specific bills that would have protected or targeted LGBTQ people. In March 2008, Oklahomans for Equality hosted a press conference to denounce thenstate Rep. Sally Kern’s widely publicized statement that homosexuality is "the biggest threat that our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam." The press conference agenda went beyond the issue of sexual orientation and Islamophobia to include gender identity. “Citing recent acts of violence against gay and transgender people, (thenOklahomans for Equality Executive Director Justice) Waidner said comments such as Kern's have dangerous effects, adding that ‘Rep. Kern has repeatedly used her public office to demonize lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Oklahomans and to attempt to deny them the exact same civil liberties she now defends so passionately,’” the Tulsa World reported. OkEq sent out an Action Alert in July 2020 encouraging people to contact the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development in protest of a proposed rule that would have established homeless shelter admission and placement policies based on a person's biological sex assigned at birth rather than self-identified gender identity. “By removing these protections, shelters and programs that receive or operate using HUD grants are now able to ignore nondiscrimination protections for transgender people, leaving them vulnerable to being denied shelter and forced out onto the streets,” OkEq said in the Action Alert. OkEq also noted that “one in three transgender Americans has been homeless at some point in their lives,” making the need for this action all the more critical. The proposed rule was never implemented. �Transgender-rights advocates marched through downtown Tulsa on March 31, 2023, to protest bills in the Oklahoma Legislature targeting transgender care. The march went from the Central Library to OkEq’s Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, with participants shouting, “This is what humanity looks like,” the entire way, the Tulsa World reported. While advocating before the Oklahoma Legislature and federal government has been challenging, to say the least, the city of Tulsa’s government has shown much more willingness and intention to be inclusive. In 2015, then-Mayor Dewey Bartlett signed an ordinance that for the first time included gender identity in the city’s list of protected classes under its fair-housing policy. And in 2019, after OkEq had worked for a decade to persuade the city of Tulsa to include gender identity and expression to its employment nondiscrimination policy, then-Mayor G.T. Bynum signed an executive order doing just that, The Gayly reported. And in 2020, the Tulsa City Council passed and Bynum signed the Hate Crime Protections Ordinance, adding LGBTQIA+ hate crime protections at the local level. SERVICES, EDUCATION AND PARTNERSHIPS On Dec. 11, 2018, Oklahomans for Equality was notified that it had received a $75,000 grant so that it could hire a full-time employee to coordinate medical services in the Equality Center’s newly renovated (in 2017) health clinic so OkEq could address LGBTQ health disparities and the “stigmatization … not experienced by heterosexual, cisgender Oklahomans” that often prevents LGBTQ people “from talking openly about their medical conditions and needs with medical providers,” in the words of OkEq’s grant application. This money started the clinic that now provides medical services available nowhere else in the state for transgender health care, as well as for HIV/AIDS care. To further its outreach, Oklahomans for Equality provided a webinar with expert panelists on “Understanding Transgender Healthcare & Wellness” in 2023. The webinar was “for anyone interested in learning from experts in the field about gender-affirming care for adults and youth, debunking myths, and bringing awareness to this important topic,” the OkEq eNews article announcing the event said. The event moderator was trans advocate and consultant Lucas Hall, and the speakers included Dr. Al Carlozzi, Dr. Laura Arrowsmith, Dr. Shauna Lawlis, Elliot Parker and Kelly Kemp. Topics to be discussed included “processes and protocols for transgender youth and adults seeking genderaffirming care and support, understanding gender-diversity from a medical and scientific perspective, addressing common myths about trans people of all ages and the genderaffirming care they could receive, and best practices for supporting transgender youth and adults.” Outside health-care practitioners and medical facilities were crucial to some transgender Oklahomans’ gender-affirming care at that time, but more people have come to rely on Oklahomans for Equality’s health clinic in the wake of the enactment of Senate Bill 904 into law in May. The law “restricts the use of state funds, facilities, and resources for genderaffirming healthcare, creating new barriers for transgender Oklahomans seeking medically �necessary care and increasing uncertainty for healthcare providers across the state,” OkEq Executive Director Hailey Briggs wrote in a letter to constituents this spring. The law resulted in a total shutdown of gender-affirming care by those providers and facilities that accept any state money. But because OkEq’s clinic receives no state funds, it has been free to carry on the work that other providers have abandoned. “Our commitment remains unchanged: our clinic is open, and we will continue doing everything we can to ensure transgender Oklahomans have access to affirming, compassionate care,” Briggs wrote in announcing a $10,000 challenge grant from Dennis Neill and John Southard to raise additional funds to care for the influx of patients the OkEq clinic was receiving after other facilities turned them away. And in March of this year, the Tulsa Flyer published a story on mental health in the LGBTQ community, particularly in transgender and nonbinary people. Oklahomans for Equality’s counseling services, including clinical social worker and therapist Matthew Gibbons, were featured heavily in that article. Former OkEq board member Conor Cleary, a lawyer who then was an associate at Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, facilitated an “OUTlaw Legal Workshop” twice a month at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in 2013, the OkEq eNews from Feb. 20 of that year indicates. Topics were to include wills, rights of survivorship, medical issues, durable power of attorney and inheritances, transgender name changes and trans rights. That same eNews edition also mentioned the continuing Gender Outreach Program, which was to provide “support, education and social opportunities for transgender and intersex individuals.” In 2020, attorney Joshua Payton started OkEq’s Name Change & Gender Marker Change Clinic, which continues to meet monthly at the Equality Center. Payton, who with his wife, Jennifer Payton, incorporated the Oklahoma Equality Law Center as a nonprofit in 2023, received the Bishop-Baldwin, Barton & Phillips Civil Rights Advocacy Award at the OkEq Equality Gala in 2022 for his work on behalf of transgender people. LAWS AND LEGAL CASES In 2021, the state of Oklahoma began allowing gender nonbinary changes to birth certificates, but soon thereafter, through an executive order, it became the first state in the nation to reverse action and ban nonbinary gender markers on birth certificates. Gov. Kevin Stitt also signed House Joint Resolution 1032, which repealed the ability for residents to change their gender markers on Oklahoma driver's licenses. With the rapid changes in state laws and policies, “I may not immediately know the answer to a question, but I pledge to walk in solidarity with those seeking clarity until we have an answer,” Payton has said. �Payton successfully represented two transgender students who obtained court orders for gender-marker changes on their school records in 2023. The Oklahoma State Board of Education then refused to make those changes. But Payton’s Oklahoma Equality Law Center and the Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice sued the board and thenState Superintendent Ryan Walters and prevailed in June 2025. Payton is also fighting a law signed by Gov. Stitt in March of this year that made it impossible for people to change their gender markers on Oklahoma driver's licenses. The law does not invalidate those licenses that were already changed. Gender markers are just one aspect of the law that has come under attack by the Legislature and governor in recent years, which also have seen the passage of bans on gender-affirming medical care for minors and prohibitions on the use of state funds and properties for gender-affirming care. These policies remain the subject of ongoing state and federal legal challenges. Lambda Legal, for example, reports that it is currently fighting policies targeting transgender people in Oklahoma in the areas of identification documents, school facilities and healthcare. The Fowler v. Stitt case challenges the state’s prohibition of gender-marker changes on birth certificates. “Starting in at least 2007, the Oklahoma State Department of Health (had) permitted transgender people to obtain Oklahoma birth certificates with amended sex designations,” the 10th Circuit court noted in a 2024 ruling. But the 2021 executive order from Gov. Kevin Stitt stopped that practice. The appeals court found that the plaintiffs had a “plausible equal protection claim” and remanded the case back to district court for a ruling consistent with its findings. However, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated that ruling in 2025 and sent the case back to the 10th Circuit for reconsideration. The Bridge v. Oklahoma State Department of Education case challenges 2022’s Senate Bill 615, which prohibits transgender people from using Oklahoma school restrooms that align with their gender identity. The district court ruled in favor of the defendants, and the case is on appeal at the 10th Circuit. In the area of healthcare, the Poe v. Drummond case challenged the law created by 2023’s Senate Bill 613, which bans gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors, but the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling upholding the ban. In 2022, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed into law an act to prevent University of Oklahoma medical facilities from providing gender-transition medical services to minors. Oklahomans for Equality distributed a statement on social media that fall and in the Nov. 7, 2022, eNews, saying: “Medical decisions should be between the patient, the parents, and their doctors. The interjection of politicians into that space is wildly inappropriate and nothing more than an act of bullying. This carrot and stick approach to promote their transphobic ideals hurts all Oklahomans who access medical services at University �Hospitals. They would rather deny funding for medical services than respect the rights of transgender kids and their families. Transgender medical care is a form of suicide prevention. Because without this care, our young people often don't live to see adulthood. These are Oklahoma kids who need support and care. To all trans kids and their families, no matter what Oklahoma (legislators) think or do, you are valued, and people will continue to fight for you.” In a case from Tennessee last year, the U.S. Supreme Court said states could legally ban medical treatments such as puberty blockers and hormones for transgender people younger than 18. Also in 2022, Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the “Save Women’s Sports Act,” which prohibits those assigned male at birth from participating in girls’ or women’s sports. This June, hearing cases from Idaho and West Virginia, the Supreme Court ruled that states’ bans on transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports teams are legal. PART 3: OUT AND PROUD Despite all the obstacles that are stacked against them, brave and determined transgender people have stood in the public spotlight and have taken stands for their own and others’ rights. Among the first openly transgender public figures in Oklahoma history have been Paula Sophia Schonauer, who was an Oklahoma City police officer when she transitioned in 2001 and who was a candidate for a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in 2014; attorney Brittany Novotny (now Brittany Stewart), a transgender attorney who faced ridicule when she ran in 2010 for the Oklahoma House seat held by Rep. Sally Kern, ROklahoma City (Charlie Meadows, then-chairman of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, called Novotny a "confused it."); Mauree Turner, who was elected to the Oklahoma House in 2020 as the nation's first openly nonbinary lawmaker; and Nat Wachowski-Estes, who in 2020 was the first openly transgender candidate for the Tulsa City Council. And in the 2010s Tulsa-area transgender teenagers Katie Hill of Bixby and Arin Andrews of Catoosa made history with local and national publicity about their transition journeys through newspaper stories (“PART ONE: Katie Hill finds herself after 16 years living as a boy”; “PART TWO: Katie Hill braves returning to school, finds love”, “Katie Hill and Arin Andrews attend the Equality Gala held at the Convention Center,”); magazine articles (“I Transitioned From Female to Male as a Teen. Here's My Story”); books (“Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition” by Katie Hill and “Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen” by Arin Andrews, both available in OkEq’s Nancy & Joe McDonald Rainbow Library); and modeling for a national ad campaign (“A Barneys Campaign Embraces a Gender Identity Issue”). �Discrimination against transgender people in employment became a topic of public interest across Oklahoma after Rachel Tudor, Ph.D., was denied tenure and dismissed from her position as a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2011. Tudor, who had transitioned from male to female during her time on the faculty, sued the university under Title VII, claiming discrimination on the basis of sex. Oklahomans for Equality presented her with the Bishop-Baldwin, Barton & Phillips Civil Rights Advocacy Award at its 2016 Equality Gala. Ten years after her dismissal from the faculty, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered her reinstatement in 2021. RESILIANCE With legislative and administrative attacks continuing to target transgender people, it’s important to remember that through community, they have found ways to flourish and move forward with dignity, grace and pride. Oklahomans for Equality presented the Lynn Riggs Performing Arts Award to transgender baritone Lucia Lucas in 2019 after she made history by performing the lead role in the Tulsa Opera’s presentation of “Don Giovanni” at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center in May of that year. This was the first opera appearance by a trans woman in a principal role in the United States. A film about Lucas’ journey was shown at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema that April, with a mixer with the artist held before the showing and a presentation afterward by Tulsa Opera Artistic Director Tobias Picker about the significance of the transgender movement in opera and performing arts. And on this year’s Transgender Day of Visibility, March 31, Tulsa-based Paully Steele staged an all-trans fashion show at the Equality Center presented by her GENDER magazine in partnership with Twisted Arts and OkEq. The participants were “ready to TEAR UP the runway and celebrate trans creativity, visibility, and community,” a social media post said. Oklahomans for Equality itself has put transgender employees and board members front and center over the years, with Alex Wade, a former OkEq medical services director, serving as deputy director and then interim executive director over the years from 2016 to the early 2020s. Sharon Queen, a transgender Navy veteran who was the Equality Center’s events coordinator, also coordinated the Gender Support Program and helped coordinate a Support Our Troops Rally at the Equality Center in 2017 after President Donald Trump indicated that the government would no longer allow transgender people to serve in the military. Then-OkEq board member Alyssa Bryant spoke at that event, saying in advance that “OkEq will continue to fight the ongoing attempts by regressive forces in our culture, no matter what title or office they hold, to exclude our members from the life and defense of our country.” Krissy Dudley served as OkEq’s administrative coordinator from 2019-2022, and Anna Puhl, who identifies as nonbinary, has recently returned as the Lynn Riggs Theater’s audio and lighting engineer. Puhl raised the nonbinary flag over the Equality Center for the first time during Nonbinary Awareness Week in July 2020. �Oklahomans for Equality continues to bring together and fight for all the diverse aspects of our 2SLGBTQIA+ community. We know that our collection does not reflect the complete history of transgender people in Oklahoma, so we welcome the submission of documents, memorabilia and details that would make our archives more representative. Please contact OkEq at 918-743-4297 or at historyproject@okeq.org if you have items to submit, and visit our History Project website at history.okeq.org to find more examples of how you fit into our history. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [Collection] Oklahoma LGBT+ History Description An account of the resource <strong>Physical Media:</strong> <br /><br /><br /><strong>Digital Media:</strong> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2026] Transgender History Month Subject The topic of the resource Transgender History Month Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mary Bishop-Baldwin Description An account of the resource 3 photos and 1 article regarding Transgender History Month. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 24, 2026 10th Circuit Court 10th Circuit Court of Appeals 2026 Al Carlozzi Alex Wade Alyssa Bryant Anna Puhl Arin Andrews Be Our Voice Give a Day Bishop-Baldwin Barton and Phillips Civil Rights Advocacy Award Bridge v. Oklahoma State Department of Education Brittany Novotny Brittany Stewart Charlie Meadows Circle Cinema Community Service Council Community Service Council of Greater Tulsa Conor Cleary Dennis Neill Dennis R. Neill Dennis R. Neill Equality Center Department of Housing and Urban Development Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Dewey Barlett discrimination Dr. Al Carlozzi Dr. Laura Arrowsmith Dr. Shauna Lawlis Elliot Parker Equality Gala 2016 Equality Gala 2022 Executive Director Hailey Briggs Fowler v. Stitt Gayly Oklahoman gender affirming gender affirming care Gender magazine gender nonconforming gender nonconforming (GNC) Gender Outreach Gender Outreach Support Group Gender Support Program Glamour Glamour magazine GNC Governor Kevin Stitt Hailey Briggs Hall Estill Hardwick Gable Golden and Nelson hate crime Hate crime legislation hate crimes Hate Crimes Protections Ordinance health care health clinic healthcare history project HJR 1032 House Joint Resolution 1032 HRC HUD Human Rights Campaign Human Rights Campaign (HRC) John Southard Joshua Payton Just Gender Katie Hill Kelly Kemp Kevin Stitt Krissy Dudley Lambda Legal Lambda Legal Defense Laura Arrowsmith Lucas Hall Lucia Lucas Lynn Riggs Performing Arts Award Mara Keisling mary bishop Mary Bishop-Baldwin Matthew Gibbons Mauree Turner name change Name Change and Gender Marker Change Clinic Name Change and Gender Marker Legal Clinic Name Change Clinic Nat Wachowski-Estes National Center for Transgender Equality New York Times non-binary non-discrimination policies nonbinary Nonbinary Awareness Week Nonbinary Awareness Week 2020 OKEQ eNews OkEq Equality Center OKEQ Executive Director OKEQ History Project OKEQ medical services Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee Oklahoma Equality Law Center Oklahoma House of Representatives Oklahoma State Department of Education Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) Oklahoma State Department of Health Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) Oklahoma State University Oklahoma State University (OSU) Oklahomans for Equality Oklahomans for Equality (OKEQ) Oklahomans for Equality Executive Director OSDE OSDH OSU OUTlaw OUTlaw Legal Workshop Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays Parents Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Paula Sophia Schonauer PFLAG PFLAG Bartesville Poe v. Drummond Pyramid Project Rachel Tudor Rethinking Normal Rethinking Normal: A Memoir in Transition Ryan Walters Sally Kern Save Women's Sports Act SB 904 Senate Bill 904 Sharon Queen Shauna Lawlis Some Assembly Required Some Assembly Required: The Not-So-Secret Life of a Transgender Teen Southeastern Oklahoma State University STAR State Superintendent Ryan Walters Support Our Troops Support Our Troops Rally Support Our Troops Rally 2017 Supreme Court Taylor Burns TCF The Danish Girl Title VII Tobias Picker TOHR TOHR Pyramid Project TOHR Torch Torch trans athletes trans programming trans programs Transgender Transgender Day of Visibility Transgender History Month Transgender Rights Tulsa City Council Tulsa Community Foundation Tulsa Community Foundation (TCF) Tulsa Family News Tulsa Flyer Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights (TOHR) Tulsa Opera Tulsa Reaches Out Tulsa Reaches Out Project Tulsa Star Tulsa World Twisted Arts UCLA UCLA School of Law Understanding Transgender Healthcare and Wellness Understanding Transgender Healthcare and Wellness webinar https://history.okeq.org/files/original/8b7c9d72a84e915c1191a9d6c29ab1d4.pdf a29770896e0ab29e037fc23ede39718a PDF Text Text 9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made Transgender Americans, including student athletes and military veterans, have remained a consistent target. NICO DIALESANDRO SEP 12, 2026 31 1 10 Share Photo by the White House. https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 1/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made Over the past 100 days, President Donald Trump and his administration have intensified their campaign against LGBTQ people, with transgender Americans the most consistent target. Federal agencies have threatened schools and healthcare providers with investigations, funding cuts and legal action over gender-affirming policies and trans care. Several lower courts have blocked and limited some of the administration’s efforts while the Supreme Court has upheld Trump-supported stat bans on trans athletes. Here is a chronological list of the administration’s latest actions centered on LGBT Americans, along with responses to those actions—from court rulings to research reports. June 5, 2026 The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Cleveland Clinic come to an agreement to gender-affirming care for transgender minors, including the prescription of pube blockers and the provision of hormone therapy. Under the deal, the Ohio medica center admits no liability and denies all allegations but agrees to pay $308,000 to resolve false billing allegations and commits an additional $2 million for detransition care. June 7, 2026 U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth issues an injunction blocking the Federal Bureau of Prisons from transferring 14 transgender women to men’s prisons. Th follows Trump’s 2025 executive order “Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” which declared sex immutable and sought the removal of incarcerated trans women fro women’s prisons. June 9, 2026 https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 2/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announces its intention to reinstate the LGBTQ option on the 988 suicide hotline, which the Trump administration had axed last year. However, later reporting reveals The Trevor Project, the nonprofit originally behind the LGBTQ option, is being shut out from collaborating on the relaunched program, leading advocates to express concern about its implementation. June 10, 2026 Three national HIV medical associations and two healthcare providers sue the Trump administration over new restrictions on the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Progr the country’s largest federal safety-net program for low-income people living wit HIV. The new grant conditions prohibit providers from using federal money for gender-affirming care or to promote what the administration calls “gender ideology.” Plaintiffs say the policy also prevents medical staff from acknowledgin and respecting transgender patients’ identities. June 11, 2026 The Department of Education’s (DOE) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) accuses four Kansas school districts of failing to comply with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. The OCR alleges the school districts violated federal civil rights law by allowing transgender students to access bathrooms, locker rooms a in some cases, sports teams aligned with their gender identity. The OCR says the districts “must come into compliance with Title IX or risk further enforcement action,” which could include the loss of federal funding. During a press event, Trump falsely claims that six states take away children from their parents and subject them to “transgender mutilization.” It is unclear what h is referring to, leading many on social media to question his lucidity. Research published in 2024 in the journal JAMA Network Open found that gender-affirmi https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 3/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made surgeries on minors are rare and that the majority of them are breast reductions both cisgender males and transgender people. June 12, 2026 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issues a directive ordering VA health facilities to eliminate initiatives focused on gender identity. One program, LGBT Veteran Care Coordinators, which was initially slated to remain in operation wit the reference to LGBTQ people removed from its name, was eventually dismantl altogether in July. June 16, 2026 The Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration proposes collecting information about gender-affirming care from federally supported health centers. Under the proposal, the centers wo be required to report whether they provide puberty blockers, hormone therapy o transition-related surgeries to patients under 19, regardless of which funding source pays for the care. Advocates warn the data could help federal investigator identify and target providers. June 17, 2026 The Federal Trade Commission and the Republican attorneys general of Alaska, Iowa, Nebraska and Texas sue the World Professional Association for Transgend Health. The lawsuit accuses the organization of using deceptive claims to promo gender-affirming care for minors. The DOE opens a Title IX investigation into North Carolina’s Buncombe County Schools for allowing transgender girls to use girls’ restrooms. In its announceme the DOE repeatedly refers to the trans female students as male. https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 4/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made June 18, 2026 The DOE opens three investigations into Michigan school districts. The investigations concern transgender students’ participation in athletics and acces locker rooms. Parents of students protest transgender students’ participation in sports. Screenshot from CBS News. June 23, 2026 The DOE launches investigations into the Maryland State Department of Educat and school districts in Montgomery, Prince George’s and Frederick counties. Th department alleges policies allowing transgender students to use facilities and participate on sports teams corresponding with their gender identity violate Titl IX. https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 5/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made Eight activists, three of whom are trans, are sentenced to prison terms of 30-100 years for their connection or participation in an anti-ICE protest in Texas last ye The case was the Trump administration’s first major legal action in its crackdow on so-called antifa terrorists. Antifa is not an organization but rather a decentralized movement focused on militant opposition to fascism. June 24, 2026 A federal judge blocks the DOJ from using grand jury subpoenas to obtain the medical records of transgender patients who received gender-affirming care as minors at New York hospitals. U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla finds tha Trump’s executive order that seeks to end gender-affirming care for minors is lik an unconstitutional attempt to “demonize” and “eradicate an entire population o transgender people,” rather than a legitimate criminal inquiry. The decision represents another setback for the administration’s ongoing effort to obtain priv medical information from transgender minors. June 26, 2026 Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission delivers its draft report on “emerging threats to religious liberty” to the president. The report portrays opposition to transgender healthcare and LGBTQ-inclusive schools as protected religious conduct. It presents Texas surgeon Eithan Haim as a victim of religious persecut for leaking information about transgender patients at Texas Children’s Hospital highlights parents who claim schools pushed “gender ideology” on their children The DOE sends an enforcement letter to Jefferson County Public Schools in Colorado. It threatens the district’s federal funding over policies allowing transgender students to access sports teams, bathrooms, locker rooms and overnight accommodations consistent with their gender identity. June 30, 2026 https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 6/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made In a statement titled “Supreme Court Bolsters President Trump’s Push to Elimin Transgender Insanity,” the White House celebrates the high court’s 6-3 decision uphold transgender sports bans in Idaho and West Virginia. The ruling, which rejects the trans plaintiffs’ equal protection claims, has implications for 25 other states with similar laws to Idaho and West Virginia. The DOE and DOJ announce they will take joint “enforcement measures” agains Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools after alleging the district violated federal parental rights law maintaining a policy that prevents school officials from disclosing a student’s “transgender status or gender nonconforming presentation others, including parents.” Enforcement measures could include judicial proceedings and the loss of federal funding, according to the departments. A federal court certifies a nationwide class of transgender military personnel, paving the way for a potential class action lawsuit challenging Trump’s military ban. The decision temporarily protects current transgender service members fro being discharged while the lawsuit proceeds. July 2, 2026 A federal judge blocks the DOJ from obtaining identifying information and med records for transgender patients who received gender-affirming care as minors a Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts fi that patients are likely to prove the government’s demand violates their constitutional right to medical privacy. He describes the subpoenas as part of a “bad-faith campaign” to intimidate hospitals into ending lawful gender-affirmin care. https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 7/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made U.S. District Judge P. Casey Pitts. July 13, 2026 The Department of Health and Human Services abandons a proposed rule that sought to block Medicare and Medicaid funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming care to trans youth. (While a similar rule is implemented in August, it is greatly reduced in scope and only applies to Medicaid.) July 14, 2026 https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 8/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made HHS formally eliminates a Biden-era rule requiring states and tribes to ensure LGBTQ foster children have access to affirming placements and supportive serv and are protected against harassment, mistreatment and abuse. The Trump administration had previously joined litigation against the Biden-era protections prior to removing them through the federal rulemaking process. July 15, 2026 During a speech at the U.S. Army War College, Trump falsely claims that companies receiving money under the CHIPS and Science Act, a federal statute t authorizes spending to boost semiconductor manufacturing, were required to hir transgender executives: “If you weren’t transgender ... you didn’t qualify.” The wo “transgender” does not appear anywhere in the law. July 16, 2026 The DOJ tells the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that it plans to ask t Supreme Court to restore Trump’s ban on transgender military personnel. It also asks the federal appeals court to delay enforcement of a decision protecting curr service members while the administration prepares its petition. July 21, 2026 HIV/AIDS-focused research foundation amfAR publishes a report finding that more than 1,700 HIV clinics have closed and over 16,000 jobs have been lost as a result of the Trump administration’s funding cuts to the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. July 26, 2026 Days after making a joke comparing CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins to trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647… 9/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made posts a bizarre AI-generated image merging their likenesses to Truth Social. July 27, 2026 The DOE and DOJ announce they are taking “significant action” against school districts in Maryland and Michigan over policies that prevent transgender stude from being outed to their parents. The administration accuses Anne Arundel County Public Schools and Ann Arbor Public Schools of “secretly transitioning” children in violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Such violations could lead to judicial proceedings and loss of federal funding. July 28, 2026 The DOE opens investigations into Denver Public Schools and Washington’s Be School District. Bethel is probed over a Pride display that reportedly included testosterone vials, while Denver is investigated over a classroom assignment that allegedly required students of the same sex to kiss. The teacher who had given sa assignment had been fired in a unanimous decision by the district school board over a month before the investigation began. July 29, 2026 The DOE opens an investigation into the Minnesota Department of Education o dolls designed to teach children about gender identity. The MyGender Dolls hav interchangeable clothing and anatomy and use gender-neutral names. Federal officials call the materials “perverted ideologies” and threaten consequences und the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment. The DOE finds that Burlington Public Schools in Massachusetts violated federal law by requiring students to participate in a health survey after their parents opt them out. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, includes questions about sexual orientation and gender https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 10/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made identity. In a statement, a spokesperson for the district says, “The District identified and addressed this matter in 2024 and 2025, and we no longer have a contract with the outside vendor that drafted the original survey in question” an that they will respond to the DOE’s findings “expeditiously.” July 30, 2026 The DOE demands that California and Washington explain how they will change policies preventing transgender students from being outed to their parents. The department cites recent court rulings and warns that it will consider further acti if the states do not revise their guidance. The states’ current policies dictate that teachers not inform parents of their child’s sexual and gender identities if doing is likely to lead to abuse in the home. Aug. 3, 2026 The New York Times reports that transgender troops who appeal their removal under the trans military ban are being handled in secretive closed-door hearings similar to those used to discipline troops for domestic abuse, theft or drug use. T Times spoke with an attorney who said some troops were barred from attending their own hearings because they refused to present as their assigned gender at birth. The administration did not respond to the Times’ report. Aug. 5, 2026 The DOJ reaches an agreement with Connecticut Children’s Medical Center requiring it to stop providing puberty blockers, hormone therapy and transitionrelated surgeries to minors. The hospital also agrees to a civil penalty and dedica $500,000 to services for people seeking to reverse their transitions. Connecticut Children’s denies wrongdoing and admits no liability. Aug. 11, 2026 https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 11/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalizes a rule prohibiting fede Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding from being used for gender-affirming care for minors. The rule applies to Medicaid patients under 18 and CHIP patients under 19 and covers puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries. States can continue paying for the care with state-only funding, but the federal restriction takes effect Oct. 13. https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 12/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 13/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s official portrait (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Aug. 12, 2026 HHS releases a 64-page report titled “Wolves in White Coats: How Doctors and Hospitals Pushed and Profited from the Fraud of ‘Gender Medicine.’” The report accuses hospitals, providers and medical associations of profiting from transgen healthcare and misusing billing codes. Contributors include representatives from the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Independent Women’s Forum and Center fo Christian Virtue, organizations with histories of opposing transgender rights. Using the report as justification, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refers mor than 100 providers to the agency’s inspector general for possible violations of federal billing and healthcare laws. Aug. 14, 2026 The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals revives a DOJ subpoena seeking informati from QueerDoc, a telehealth provider specializing in gender-affirming care. A lower court previously quashed the subpoena after finding that it lacked a legitimate law-enforcement purpose. The appeals court sends unresolved questio about the request’s scope and burden back to the lower court, meaning QueerDo not immediately required to provide every document requested by the governme A federal judge vacates a Trump administration policy excluding gender-affirmin care from the Affordable Care Act’s essential health benefits. The judge finds tha HHS failed to submit a legally required actuarial report before changing the benefits. The decision restores financial protections for the care in states that all it, including out-of-pocket limits and protections against annual or lifetime coverage caps. Aug. 17, 2026 https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 14/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made Speaking at the Iowa State Fair while campaigning for Republican Rep. Zach Nu Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth uses an anti-transgender slur: “At the Departme of War, we do training, not trannies,” said Hegseth, who oversees the departmen implementing Trump’s ban on transgender military personnel. Hegseth uses transphobic slur at Iowa State Fair CNN Watch on Pete Hegseth at the Iowa State Fair. Clip from CNN on YouTube. Aug. 19, 2026 Maryland’s Anne Arundel County Public Schools changes its transgender-studen privacy policy after the Trump administration threatens its federal funding. The new policy allows parents to access records mentioning a student’s gender identi transgender status, sexual orientation, chosen name and pronouns. Aug. 21, 2026 https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 15/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made At a campaign rally in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Trump falsely claims that hospitals are performing operations to reverse patients’ gender transitions at his order. No executive order requires hospitals to perform transition-reversal surgeries. The DOJ settlements with Texas Children’s Hospital, Cleveland Clinic and Connecticut Children’s instead require the hospitals to finance services for people seeking to detransition. Trump on route to Myrtle Beach. Photo by the White House. Aug. 24, 2026 During a White House back-to-school event, President Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon take aim at schools that affirm transgender students’ identities. Trump says a school that tells a child he or she is “trapped in the wron body” is “committing child abuse,” while McMahon claims that “the Biden https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 16/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made administration allowed schools to secretly transition students without parents’ knowledge.” Aug. 30, 2026 In an interview with Fox News, Trump encourages his supporters to “pretend [he on the ballot” and go out and vote, adding if Republicans don’t win midterm elections, “transgender will never end”: “Our country’s going to be in sad shape, because we’re going to go through a lot of things. You’re going to have the taxes raised, you’re going to have crazy things happening, like the men in women’s spo will never end. None of this stuff—transgender will never end.” Additional reporting by Hope Pisoni. If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation in the U.S. through our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button: https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 17/18 �9/15/26, 4:23 PM Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made 31 Likes ∙ 10 Restacks Previous Next Discussion about this post Comments Restacks Write a comment... Jessica Johnson Jessica Johnson 3d Absolutely disgusting, and on Pride Month of all months? LIKE REPLY © 2026 Uncloseted Media · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice Substack is the home for great culture https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=21527864… 18/18 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2026] Uncloseted Anti-Gay Trump Administration Article Subject The topic of the resource Uncloseted Media Article: "Days 501-600: Every Anti-LGBTQ Move the Trump Administration Has Made" by Nico Dialesandro from September 12, 2026 Description An account of the resource 18 pages of an article by Uncloseted Media regarding all of the anti-LGBTQ+ actions taken by the Trump administration between their 501st and 600th day in office, written by Nico Dialesandro with additional reporting by Hope Pisoni. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Nico Dialesandro Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived https://www.unclosetedmedia.com/p/days-501-600-every-anti-lgbtq-move?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2837882&post_id=215278647&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=f2yki&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 12, 2026 2026 988 suicide hotline ACA Affordable Care Act Affordable Care Act (ACA) AIDS/HIV AIDS/HIV fundraising AIDS/HIV laws amfAR anti gay anti-ICE bathroom access California CDC Center for Christian Virtue Center for Disease Control (CDC) Center for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Children's Health Insurance Program Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) CHIP civil rights Cleveland Clinic Colorado Connecticut Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth Department of Education Department of Education (DOE) Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Department of Health and Human Services Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Department of Health and Human Services Health Resources and Services Department of Justice Department of Justice (DOJ) Department of Veteran Affairs Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) detransitioning discrimination District Judge Katherine Polk Failla District Judge P. Casey Pitts District Judge Royce Lamberth DOE DOE Office for Civil Rights Donald Trump Dylan Mulvaney Education Secretary Linda McMahon Eithan Haim Ethics and Public Policy Center executive orders Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act federal funding Federal Trade Commission Foster care foster children Fox News gender affirming gender affirming care gender identity HHS HHS Health Resources and Services HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. HIV HIV prevention HIV/AIDs HIV/AIDS and the Law HIV/AIDs outreach HIV/AIDS research Hope Pisoni hormone replacement therapy (HRT) hormone therapy hotline HRT ICE Idaho Independent Women's Forum Iowa JAMA Network Open Kaitlan Collins Kansas Katherine Polk Failla LGBT Veteran Care Coordinators Linda McMahon Maryland Massachusetts Medicaid Michigan military ban military inclusion Minnesota MyGender Dolls New York New York Times Nico Dialesandro North Carolina OCR Office for Civil Rights Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Ohio P. Casey Pitts PEPFAR Pete Hegseth President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment puberty blockers QueerDoc religious liberty Religious Liberty Commission Republican Party RFK Jr. Robert F. 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For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource [2026] Oklahoma Leather Association Photos Subject The topic of the resource Photos of Oklahoma Leather Association Inaugural Tulsa Eagle Mr. Leather Competition Description An account of the resource 2 photos from the Oklahoma Leather Association taken at the Tulsa Eagle for the OkLA Mr. Leather competition. The group photo depicts Tulsa Eagle Mr. Leather's producer, Daddy Red, the owner of the Tulsa Eagle, Scott, and judges Brad, J Baby, and Tyler. 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Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Oklahoma marriage equality 12th anniversary By Mary Bishop-Baldwin Oklahomans for Equality History Project I’ve been researching and writing articles on OkEq’s and Oklahoma’s LGBTQ history since this spring, and with my journalism background, I’ve written them from a third-person perspective. But today’s issue is profoundly personal for me, so, in the interest of transparency, I’m writing this in first person, and I’m drawing on my own memories as well as on historical documents. I hope you’ll indulge me. Today, Oct. 6, 2026, is the 12th anniversary of marriage equality in Oklahoma. It’s also my 12th wedding anniversary. Twenty-two years ago next month, Sharon Baldwin, Sue Barton, Gay Phillips and I filed a federal lawsuit against Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson, United States Attorney General John Ashcroft and U.S. President George W. Bush seeking the right to marry (Sharon and me) or to have our existing relationship recognized. (Sue and Gay already had a domestic partnership in Vermont.) We filed the case the morning after 76 percent of Oklahomans who bothered to go to the polls voted to put the state’s existing statutory ban against same-sex marriage into the state constitution. Our case took lots of twists and turns over the next decade, including a complete change of lawyers and defendants (Drew Edmondson later told us he’d always been on our side), but we eventually prevailed in the courts, and marriage equality became the law in Oklahoma on Oct. 6, 2014 – a year before Jim Obergefell’s case won marriage equality nationwide. We weren’t affiliated with Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights – Oklahomans for Equality’s previous name – in the early years of our legal action, but the organization threw its weight behind our cause starting in 2008, and we will forever remain indebted to OkEq for the support it gave us and the home it provided us at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. It is my honor and privilege to be working for the Oklahomans for Equality History Project now to bring attention not just to this but to all the milestones along the road to LGBTQ equality so far. As Sharon discusses in her book about our case, “Becoming Brave: Winning Marriage Equality in Oklahoma and Finding Our Voice” (available for check-out in OkEq’s Nancy and Joe McDonald Rainbow Library), Oklahomans for Equality hosted many events and was the primary fund-raiser for costs associated with our lawsuit. (Thank you, OkEq and all of you who donated!) OkEq declared “Marriage Equality Week” and organized several events during the week of March 25-30, 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in New York resident Edie Windsor’s case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act and in the challenge to California’s anti-equality Proposition 8. On that Monday, the University of Tulsa law school’s gay student group presented a “Preview to the Supreme Court Hearings on Marriage Equality” at the Equality Center, and faith leaders from local inclusive congregations spoke in support of marriage equality. That Tuesday, OkEq board member and attorney Mike Redman discussed that day’s U.S. Supreme Court hearings. On Wednesday, Oklahoma’s marriage-equality plaintiffs and local couples who had been legally married in other jurisdictions held a panel discussion on why marriage matters. That Thursday, attorney and OkEq board member Conor Cleary recapped discussions in the DOMA and Prop 8 hearings, and on Friday, a marriage equality documentary was screened and wedding cake was served. A flier from Oklahomans for Equality to its Equality Business Alliance members invited them to participate in an OkEq Wedding Fair by showing off their business services to prospective brides & brides and grooms & grooms during that week’s events. Then, more than nine years after our lawsuit was filed, U.S. Senior District Judge Terence Kern ruled on Jan. 14, 2014, that Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage violated the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection provision. He stayed his ruling, however, until the case could play out in appeals. We had known from the beginning that if we lost at any point, we would appeal, and we knew that if we won, the state would appeal. So we were OK with the stay at that point. We were elated that we had won, and we continued to have faith that we would win on appeal. Anticipating new costs as the case would go to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Oklahomans for Equality encouraged supporters in its Jan. 17, 2014 eNews to contribute to the legal fund. The Feb. 5, 2014, OkEq eNews promoted a pre-Valentine’s Day marriage-equality engagement party to be held at All Souls Unitarian Church, one of our supporting congregations, on Feb. 12. “Announce your desire to marry as soon as it is legal in Oklahoma,” the article said. “Certificates provided to couples announcing. There will be food, drink and music.” The first and only time oral arguments were heard in our case was April 17, 2014, in the Byron White U.S. Courthouse in Denver, the home of the 10th Circuit. Three months and a day later, on July 18, the appeals court issued a ruling upholding Judge Kern’s U.S. District Court ruling declaring Oklahoma’s ban unconstitutional. We had won again, but the court left the stay in place pending appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Indeed, the defendant (by this point, the defendant was the Tulsa County court clerk) did appeal. We also urged the U.S. Supreme Court to hear our case, even though we had won. We wanted the high court to make a ruling that would apply to the entire nation and end the patchwork quilt of marriage-equality states that had emerged during the past decade. One of the original printings of the Brief for Respondents – or “orange book” – with our attorneys’ pleading to the high court to take up our case, signed by all four plaintiffs and three exceptional lawyers – Don Holladay, James Warner III and Joe Thai – is on file in the OkEq History Project collection, and a digital reproduction is available in our online archives. But on Oct. 6, 2014, nearly 10 years after we filed our lawsuit, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a statement saying it would not take up the appeal of our lower court ruling, thus letting it stand. The stay was lifted, and same-sex couples were able to marry starting that day. The staff and board of Oklahomans for Equality jumped into action, and by 5 o’clock that evening, Sharon and I were holding wedding bouquets and standing in front of Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals Judge Jane Wiseman on the front steps of the Tulsa County Courthouse, where we had obtained a marriage license just hours before, and were saying our vows in front of a crowd of hundreds of friends, family, co-workers, supporters and onlookers. Then what seemed like even more people attended a reception at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center, complete with a hastily obtained wedding cake and plenty of champagne for toasting the historic occasion. We were elated, and while we were ecstatic to finally be married, we were even more thrilled for our community. Now same-sex couples in our state and region (10th Circuit states) could publicly acknowledge their relationships and have them recognized by our government! We all could lift our heads higher and walk more proudly, knowing that we were no longer second-class citizens under the law. On the marriage front, at least, we were equal to heterosexuals in the eyes of the law. And we were far from the only same-sex couple married in Oklahoma that day. When Sharon and I arrived at the courthouse, several other couples were already there to get their marriage licenses. Very kindly, though, they were waiting for us to get there and then let us go to the head of the line so we could have the honor of obtaining the first marriage license issued to a same-sex couple in Tulsa County. Some of them went ahead with their ceremonies as soon as possible, but we scheduled ours for that evening to allow for arrangements to be made and for friends and family to get to Tulsa from out of town. Oklahomans for Equality determined that during the next three months, more than 3,200 Oklahoma marriage licenses were issued to same-sex couples in 23 of the state’s 77 counties, then-OkEq Executive Director Toby Jenkins told the Tulsa World in January 2015. County court clerks’ offices weren’t keeping a count, but OkEq staff members went through online records and tallied the numbers of marriage license applications issued to couples with apparently same-gender names. The tally sheets are on file in the Oklahomans for Equality History Project archives. Immediately after marriage equality became the law in Oklahoma, Oklahomans for Equality made a list of gay-friendly officiants for wedding ceremonies available for pickup at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center or by email. Also in its Oct. 8, 2014, eNews, it encouraged couples to look through the Equality Business Alliance directory for LGBTQ-friendly businesses to help create the perfect wedding, and it promoted spaces within the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center as places to hold a ceremony. For those with questions about how the legality of same-sex marriage would affect them, Conor Cleary led an Oct. 9, 2014, session of OkEq’s OUTlaw Legal Series focused on the state of same-sex marriage in Oklahoma. Also as early as Oct. 8, 2014, OkEq put out a call for wedding photos from the same-sex couples who had gotten legally married since Oct. 6. “If you have a photo of you and your partner getting your marriage license or photos of your wedding, we'd like to see them, the organization wrote in the Jan. 22, 2015, OkEq eNews. The organization continued collecting photographs, and then, near the one-year anniversary of marriage equality in Oklahoma, Oklahomans for Equality released a video compilation of those that had been submitted. A link to the YouTube video is included in the Oct. 7, 2015, OkEq eNews. Within one year of same-sex marriage becoming legal in Oklahoma, marriage equality became the law of the land nationwide when the Supreme Court ruled in the Obergefell case on June 26, 2015. The patchwork quilt of marriage-equality states was no more! Finally we could fly through Dallas and not have our marriages nullified by the state of Texas as soon as the plane’s wheels hit the tarmac at DFW! (Yes, Oklahoma beat Texas!) Same-sex couples could drive across the country without having to plan their routes to avoid non-marriage-equality states. Besides the psychological reasons for wanting our marriages intact, we had practical reasons. If one spouse had a medical emergency and ended up in a hospital – or dead – the laws of the state would determine whether the other could make medical decisions and body-disposition arrangements or whether the two were “strangers under the law.” These things were among the reasons we wanted and needed marriage equality in the first place, and they were important whether we were at home or traveling. Committed, loving same-sex couples had long yearned for the ability to take care of each other and to protect their financial and property rights in the event of a death. Before marriage was possible, some gay couples became legally next-of-kin through adult adoption, in which one partner would legally adopt the other to establish familial rights. Such was the case with Bruce Schultz and Jared Bruce, who obtained an adult adoption when they were both 50 years old in 2005. Thus related under the law, they were not eligible to marry when same-sex marriage was legalized in Oklahoma in 2014 and across the United States in 2015. But longing to have a legal relationship that truly fit their status as life partners, they sought to have their adult adoption vacated. Represented by attorney Mike Redman, who was then the Oklahoma ACLU president and a longtime OkEq board member, the couple obtained the first reversal of an adult adoption from the Oklahoma Supreme Court on Feb. 1, 2017, and were legally married at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center on that same day. They had been together 35 years. “I was orphaned at 10 o’clock in the morning and married at 5,” Jared Bruce said Friday. Their case set a precedent for other adult adoptions to be vacated when deemed by a court to be in the best interest of the parties. For their dedication and determination in this cause, “the Bruces,” as they are known, were honored with the Bishop-Baldwin, Barton & Phillips Civil Rights Advocacy Award in 2018. Redman received the award the next year. The adoption of children is another legal issue that was affected by marriage equality. On Nov. 20, 2015, Julie and Crystal Loveland-Davis, represented by attorneys (and husbands) Chris Brecht-Smith and Michael Brecht-Smith, both past OkEq board presidents, obtained the first same-sex second-parent adoption in the state of Oklahoma for their 3-year-old daughter. Kyler Loveland-Davis was born June 1, 2013, and the couple were legally married nine days after marriage became possible for them in Oklahoma in October 2014. As Oklahomans for Equality noted in its Feb. 10, 2016, eNews, “LGBT families have existed for years, but only recently has Oklahoma law begun recognizing us.” To help our families navigate the legal waters of protecting their family members, OkEq held an informational seminar on a variety of family law topics, including marriage, adoption, divorce, child custody and military service as it relates to family law. The event was facilitated by Chris Brecht-Smith, who talked about adoption and child custody issues and answered questions from the audience. As we approach Oklahomans for Equality’s Tulsa Pride parade and festival on Oct. 17 – just a week and a half away – we recognize that while we still have a long way to go in gaining equal rights for all LGBTQ people, we can look back with pride on how far we’ve come. We have achieved marriage equality and the benefits that come with it. Happy anniversary, everyone. This is a day of celebration for all of us. And happy Pride! --- Mary Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oklahoma marriage equality 12th anniversary article Subject The topic of the resource Oklahoma marriage equality history Description An account of the resource Oklahoma marriage equality lawsuit plaintiff Mary Bishop-Baldwin writes about the case that brought marriage equality to Oklahoma and the family rights advances for LGBTQ people that have sprung from that. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mary Bishop-Baldwin Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oklahomans for Equality Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Oct. 6, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Oklahomans for Equality Type The nature or genre of the resource Article Bishop-Baldwin Bruce Schultz Crystal Loveland-Davis don holladay Gay Phillips James Warner III Jane Wiseman Jared Bruce Joe Thai Julie Loveland-Davis Kyler Loveland-Davis marriage equality mary bishop Mike Redman Oklahoma Oklahomans for Equality sharon baldwin Sue Barton Toby Jenkins https://history.okeq.org/files/original/3cb1ee34cdb704b95a734f165edc1f83.png 247e5d6ee9e7a4963ef3373bb9c2c2c3 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/ec64388b96da8bb5e1a433528220e23d.docx aad8c0b65ee6cb45b064a1246dd26a9f Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11 By Mary Bishop-Baldwin Oklahomans for Equality History Project Today, Oct. 11, is National Coming Out Day, and the Oklahomans for Equality History Project is taking a look back at how this day came to be and how Tulsans have acknowledged it over its nearly four decades of existence. “Coming out” is something that is near and dear to our hearts at the History Project as we consider the risks OkEq’s founders took when putting their names and faces with a gay rights organization in 1980, when the group was founded. Times were very different then, and it took bravery and a bit of self-righteous indignation for those individuals to come together and acknowledge being gay. But that’s the thing: It’s always been easier when you find others who share traits with you – when you know you’re not the only one. So coming out allows others who think they are the only one to see someone like them and find the courage to live their lives openly and authentically. Beyond helping other LGBTQ+ people, though, coming out lets other people know that they know someone who is gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender or two spirit or nonbinary or anything that is not cisgender heterosexual, and this can make all the difference in how the larger society responds to us. When straight cis people know us as people, they’re less likely to demonize us and work against our human rights. Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights, OkEq’s forerunner organization, informed its members in the May 1988 edition of the TOHR Reporter that “lesbians and gay men across the country are being called to join in a nationally publicized ‘Coming Out Day’ scheduled for October 11th, 1988. According to a recent report in the Washington Blade, organizers of the event plan to involve hundreds of thousands of people in order to boost the visibility and political clout of gays and lesbians by showing that they exist in all walks of life.” This 1988 event was the first National Coming Out Day. The May 1988 article explained how it was started: The ‘Coming Out Day’ activities were jointly sponsored by the National Gay Rights Advocates, a California based litigation group, and The Experience Weekend, a gay-oriented consciousness-raising program run by Rob Eichberg. Jean O’Leary, NGRA’s executive director, said she and Eichberg volunteered to organize the event after it was proposed at a national gay rights conference held that February. “The National Coming Out Day campaign will encourage every individual to take the ‘next step’ in coming out, by telling a parent, relative, business associate or friend,” the TOHR article said. It added that “coming out” could be done through “a simple action like placing a photograph of your lover on your desk at work, or a bold step like a teenager taking his or her first step in acknowledging their sexual identity.” That national conference mentioned in the article was a February 1988 gathering in Warrenton, Virginia, of “approximately 200 recognized leaders of the national GLBT community” who collaborated on strategies to change public policy toward gays. A formal statement from the group prioritized visibility of the community through coming out. “We are mindful of the invisibility of our community,” it said. “As long as the overwhelming majority of our community remains closeted we will continue to be dismissed. We must do a better job of encouraging people to begin the process of coming out, and to support them when they do. We all know the exhilarating liberation of the process. We must convey that to others. The closet means invisibility, impotence, crippling and even death.” Later in the statement, the organizers said: “Finally, we must have a national coming out day, or week, to be held in the fall. We recognize that coming out is a process, not a single event. On the coming out event we can encourage everyone in our community to take the next step – it may be coming out to a friend, to a sister or brother, to parents, to coworkers, or even in the media. Or it might be to join a gay organization, to become an activist, to engage in civil disobedience. We must move to the next stage, no matter where on the spectrum we presently are.” As that first National Coming Out Day approached, TOHR reported in the October 1988 edition of the TOHR Reporter that: “The goal of National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11,1988, is to increase the visibility and the political clout of the more than 25 million gay men and lesbians in this country. “Coming out is the most self-empowering and political move that any one of us can make. Coming out is a liberating experience that enhances our self-esteem. It enables us to share our true selves and feelings with the people we care about – our families and friends. “Coming out also is a political act that uses gay visibility to influence the attitudes of people who respect us. “We are of all races and religions. We work in every profession in every city. We touch the lives of millions of people whose negative view of homosexuality would change dramatically if they were to know who we are. “By remaining silent, we ensure our continued oppression as we allow an ignorant and intolerant society to make the rules that govern our lives. “On Oct. 11, the first anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, hundreds of thousands of people will be bringing the spirit of the march home to their local communities. Be one of those people. Help to create a world where lesbians and gay men can live and work with their heterosexual counterparts as equal citizens in a society that recognizes their legitimacy and place in America!” The article offered some “ideas for coming out”: • Speak the truth when asked, “So are you engaged yet?” • Stop lying to your fraternity brother about all the women you’ve had • Call him a him and her a her when talking about your love life • Acknowledge that “those roses” are not from your mother • Be affectionate with your lover upon arrival or departure at the airport • Put your lover’s photo on your desk at work • Read a gay paper on the bus or in a restaurant • Take your lover home for the holidays • Come out to your family – parents, brothers and sisters • Come out to your extended family – uncles, aunts and cousins It also offered ways “non-gay friends of gays” could offer support: • Write a letter to your congressperson in support of human rights • Challenge homophobic jokes and comments when you hear them • Attend a lesbian or gay event with your lesbian and gay friends Over the years, TOHR/OkEq and other organizations in Tulsa and across the nation have held events to mark National Coming Out Day. The Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights Fall 2002 edition of The Torch newsletter notes that “many communities and college campuses sponsor activities such as dances, film festivals, workshops, literature booths, and rallies on National Coming Out Day. Tulsans can do their part in this year’s National Coming Out Day. Simply stop by the TOHR Pride Store, located in the Tulsa GLBT Community Center, 2114 S. Memorial, and pick up a bumper sticker or T-shirt. Then slap that sticker on your car or wear that T-shirt.’ “Come out! It’s what you should do. Period.” The November 1993 edition of The Parachute includes information about a National Coming Out Day event held by TOHR. It included an auction as well as free food and drinks. The Oct. 15-Nov. 14, 1995, edition of the Tulsa Family News includes information about local NCOD events. The Family of Faith Metropolitan Community Church held a commemorative service attended by 35 people, the newspaper said. The University of Tulsa’s Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Alliance presented three days of programming ranging from a panel of PFLAG speakers to a discussion of gays and lesbians in the church. The next year, in 1996, multiple events again were held over a three-day period at TU. According to the September-October 1996 Tulsa Family News, a roundtable discussion of “Sexuality: Nature vs. Nurture” was held one evening, while a panel discussion on same-sex marriage was held the next. On the third day, all campus groups were invited to attend a Unity Party in honor of National Coming Out Day. The August 1999 edition of the Tulsa Family News, as well as the publication’s September 1999 edition, reported that TOHR would present a National Coming Out Day Festival and Fair, which was to include a mini film festival. The October 2001 edition of the Tulsa Family News reported that Tulsa’s PFLAG chapter was having a Come Out and Fly Your Kite event at a local park in honor of National Coming Out Day. The Oct. 10, 2013, edition of the Oklahomans for Equality eNews contains a National Coming Out Day reminder that “OkEq offers a FREE Coming Out Workshop every Monday evening.” In 2017, OkEq held a T-shirt printing and open mic Coming Out Day event at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. The community was invited to bring their own T-shirts and print their own messages on them for free and to tell their coming-out stories through comedy, poetry, spoken word or performance, the Sept. 27, 2017, OkEq eNews announced. Oklahomans for Equality made a statement in the Oct. 10, 2018, eNews: “Coming out – whether it is as lesbian, gay, bissexual, transgender, queer or allied – STILL MATTERS. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. Beyond that, our stories can be powerful to each other. “Every year on National Coming Out Day, we celebrate coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) or as an ally. On Oct. 11, 2018, we will mark the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day. “Nearly 30 years ago, on the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, we first observed National Coming Out Day as a reminder that one of our most basic tools is the power of coming out. One out of every two Americans has someone close to them who is gay or lesbian. For transgender people, that number is only one in 10.” In 2019, OkEq created an #outinokla Facebook frame, which it promoted on a Facebook post featuring a photo of gay playwright Lynn Riggs. The Oct. 11, 2021, OkEq eNews acknowledged that “in the LGBTQ2S+ community, ‘coming out’ is a process that never truly ends. First, we must come out to ourselves, accepting who we are in the community. Then comes telling others, which never really ends, as we have to keep coming out at work, with friendships, with family, and in other situations. “It takes time. It takes tremendous self care. It takes a whole community of support to feel ready to come out! At Oklahomans for Equality, we are dedicated to helping individuals no matter where you are on your journey. Join us for our Coming Out Workshops, connect with our gender and sexuality support groups, get sliding scale fee counseling, visit our OKEQ Health Clinic for HRT services, and check out our LGBTQ+ Youth Group. Coming out is a journey, and we are here to support you!” (Groups and events at the Equality Center change from time to time. Check out what’s happening on Oklahomans for Equality’s event calendar here.) So make your statement today, National Coming Out Day, but continue to honor yourself and our past during the entire month of October, LGBT History Month. Check out the Oklahomans for Equality History Project’s online archives at history.okeq.org. And you can come out, find your community and celebrate with Oklahomans for Equality at the Tulsa Pride parade and festival on Saturday, Oct. 17. Wear your rainbows. We’ll see you there. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource National Coming Out Day article Subject The topic of the resource National Coming Out Day Description An account of the resource The Oklahomans for Equality History Project looks at National Coming Out Day's history and significance and how OkEq and Tulsa have marked it over the decades. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Oklahomans for Equality History Project Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Oklahomans for Equality History Project archives, internet resources Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oklahomans for Equality History Project Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Oct. 11, 2026 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Mary Bishop-Baldwin Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Oklahomans for Equality Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Word Doc Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Article https://history.okeq.org/files/original/bb5e9b20079b9f56a225787a6432551b.jpg 475640f518dde01c3a2e8f36c9eb0c9e https://history.okeq.org/files/original/f14c964044e578e033c3987538d136e2.jpg 1505d818834701acbff3b488e9835572 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/a82b60af3559d7d8f1dc633d9418d7ba.jpg fea2bc4bc5ac308dcd53a25e2a7bc666 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/77ab3a3f2d6babfb90c02403a1ee2e03.jpg de90e9cb42caee06a02a30f43a82ae64 https://history.okeq.org/files/original/9d0e63b8ed245bac0e8409dbb64cfcdf.docx 4d8d5706e5e7bfb096350ff507732674 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document By Mary Bishop-Baldwin Oklahomans for Equality History Project It’s Oct. 19, National LGBTQ Center Awareness Day, and today we at the History Project celebrate the very existence of Oklahomans for Equality’s Dennis R. Neill Equality Center. Since the Equality Center opened nearly two decades ago, thousands of people have come through its doors, joining with like-minded folks and advocating for LGBTQ people, accessing services, using a free library with thousands of LGBTQ-themed books, and rallying for justice and equality for all. The Equality Center is a gift for us all – and for future generations – from many dedicated volunteers who gave of their time, labor and money to establish this home for the LGBTQ community in Tulsa. Before the Equality Center opened in 2007, Oklahomans for Equality and its predecessor organizations had no permanent home. When the group was founded in 1980, its members met in places such as the Central Library and All Souls Unitarian Church. Within a few years of its founding, the group had rented small spaces for storing the organization’s records and for such things as board meetings, but any community meetings and gatherings were held elsewhere. Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights opened Tulsa’s first “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Community Center” in a rented space at 1338 E. 38th St. on Peoria Avenue in Brookside in October 1996, according to a “History of TOHR 1980 to 2003” document in the OkEq archives. “The center quickly became a popular meeting spot for community groups, support groups, and those who wished to network with other members of the GLBT community. The center began to operate a book and video library, referral service, and pride retail store,” the document says. The center, which also was known as the Pride Center, was named the Tulsa Gay Community Services Center in 1998, Greg Gatewood, a former TOHR executive director, recalled in an oral history interview that is part of the History Project’s archives. Keeping the center’s doors open was always a concern, particularly from the standpoint of money. “As the end of 1998 approached, and despite very careful budgeting with strict adherence to that budget, the serious question of ‘how we will pay rent’ and ‘will we have to close the doors’ was a real threat,” Gatewood said in an addendum to that interview. “An anonymous gift, an amount to cover rent though the end of year plus a bit more, was then delivered to the TOHR office in the newly renamed ‘Tulsa Gay Community Services Center.’ That anonymous gift kept the doors open in 1998 and helped set the course for success in 1999.” The property owner wanted no exterior signage indicating that this was a gay center, but Gatewood said that in 1998 he and two other members raised a Pride flag and hung banners that said “Gay Community Center and Pride Store” from the roof down two sides of the center’s building to enhance its visibility in Brookside. “We got kicked out. We lost our lease because we hung up the signs,” he said in the interview. A legal fight ensued, and TOHR lost that battle. Part of the reason landlords insisted on no obvious signage is that they feared potential vandalism to their buildings from anti-gay extremists. A Sept. 15, 2014, Oklahomans for Equality Facebook post says that “we had to move the existing gay community center every few years because landlords overreacted to vandalism and felt our visibility hurt other tenants’ business.” Indeed, “the Community Center has been vandalized numerous times in the many locations in which it has operated,” TOHR noted in its Pyramid Project Capital Campaign Executive Summary in explaining part of the rationale for buying its own property. In former TOHR President Tom Neal’s oral history interview, he and Dennis Neill discussed the vandalism at the Brookside center, recalling that the front glass was broken twice. The organization moved to a rented space on Memorial Drive at 21st Street in October 2000. The Nov. 10, 1999, TOHR membership meeting minutes, housed in the History Project archives, state that the organization “can put up permanent signs once outside renovations are substantially complete.” Before that lease expired in September 2003, TOHR began looking for a new space to lease – explicitly stating in an Aug. 1, 2003, “Request for Space” document that it needed the “right to place visible exterior signage with text similar to the following: ‘Tulsa GLBT Community Center,’ including graphics for the TOHR logo and the rainbow colors associated with the GLBT worldwide community.” The Tulsa GLBT Community Center moved in 2003 to the Highland Plaza shopping center, 5545 E. 41st St., east of Yale Avenue. TOHR had launched its first capital fundraising campaign, the Pyramid Project, in 2000. The “History of TOHR 1980 to 2003” document says the goal was to raise $1 million to buy “a permanent and visible home for the Tulsa GLBT Community Center.” “Those brave and self-sacrificing folk believed if they would ‘build it, they would come’ to a center that provided direct services, advocated daily for a more inclusive Oklahoma, and connected individuals and created paths to friendships,” OkEq’s Sept. 15, 2014, Facebook post says. Not long after OkEq bought the building that would become the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center – and long before the building was remodeled and opened to the community – Gatewood went onto the roof and raised a Pride flag above the building for the first time. “One of the most memorable days of my decade-plus of involvement with TOHR /OkEq was the day (in November 2005) I raised the Pride flag on the roof of the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center,” Gatewood said in his oral history interview. “It was a celebration attended by hundreds of the Tulsa LGBT community on a beautiful November day filled with sunshine. I will never forget that feeling. I will never forget that day.” More than a year later, the Jan. 22, 2007, Oklahomans for Equality eNews reported that “after hundreds of thousands of dollars, over 7,000 hours of volunteer work, … 275+ volunteers, 2 big trucks and countless weekday and weekend workdays – the day is finally here! Oklahomans for Equality will open the new Dennis R. Neill Equality Center today, Tuesday, January 23, 2007.” A five-day grand opening celebration was held from Feb. 14 through Feb. 18, 2007, with various events every day. A Jan. 23, 2007, email from Oklahomans for Equality announced that “defying conventional expectations, Tulsa is now home to one of the largest (18,000-square-foot) lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community centers in the United States.” Celebratory events ranging from an art exhibit to GayBingO to a Wild Hearts Ball were held at the Equality Center. The email contains extensive information about the grand opening events. Our ownership of our own building was a remarkable accomplishment, and while it gave us a permanent home with no chance of being evicted, it didn’t stop the vandalism. Around 12:30 a.m. on March 6, 2017, a white four-door pickup pulled up in front of the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center and fired 13 shots at the windows and front door. The damage was discovered when staff arrived later that morning, and the drive-by shooting was viewed on the center’s security video. Over the years, TOHR/OkEq and other organizations in Tulsa and across the nation have held events to mark National Coming Out Day. But the community was resilient. “The board of directors has chosen to keep the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center open and programming to continue as it does on a regular basis. They have hired an off duty Tulsa police officer to provide extra security during this time of uncertainty,” the March 8, 2017, OkEq eNews reported. After OkEq member Wes Smith challenged members of the community to send in $13 each – one dollar for each of the pellets that had hit the building – to replace the glass, people across the country and world sent in more than $33,000, which allowed OkEq to replace all the downstairs windows and the front door with more bullet-resistant glass, Sue Welch and Marcy Smith recalled in their oral history interview with the History Project. The damaged door is now a part of the History Project’s office. On July 22, 2019, a little more than two years after that drive-by, the mural depicting Lynn Riggs on the exterior of the Equality Center’s Lynn Riggs Black Box Theater was vandalized with spray paint, the July 31, 2019, OkEq eNews reported. A Tulsa World article about the vandalism and OkEq’s resilience is on file in the History Project’s archives. Our home at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center can never be taken for granted. It is meant to be our safe place. While Oklahomans for Equality owns the building, it is the community’s responsibility to foster its continued existence by contributing resources and participating in programming. On this National LGBTQ Center Awareness Day, think of the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center and all those who have made its existence possible for us and for future generations. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource National LGBTQ Center Awareness Day article Subject The topic of the resource National LGBTQ Center Awareness Day Description An account of the resource An article on National LGBTQ Center Awareness Day and the history of Oklahomans for Equality's/Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights' locations since the organization's founding in 1980. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mary Bishop-Baldwin Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Oklahomans for Equality History Project archives Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Oklahomans for Equality Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Oct. 19, 2026 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Oklahomans for Equality Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Word Doc Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Article Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context National LGBTQ Center Awareness Day article Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tulsa, Oklahoma “Gay 21st and Memorial 21st Street 41st Street ALL SOULS UNITARIAN CHURCH and Transgendered Community Center Bisexual Brookside Central Library Dennis R. Neill Equality Center drive-by gay community center gay pride center Grand Opening Greg Gatewood Highland Plaza landlords lesbian LGBT community center LGBT pride center Marcy Smith Memorial Drive National LGBTQ Center Awareness Day Oklahomans for Equality Peoria Pride flag Pride Store Pyramid Project Sue Welch Tom Neal Tulsa Gay Community Services Center Tulsa Oklahomans for Human Rights vandalism