Tim Ziaukas was a founding member of Thursday Night Live, a gay organization that began as a way for gay men to meet each other outside of bars and became an organization focused on educating people about AIDS and raising funds for research.

Pittsburgh has some very old organizations that have supported and aided LGBT+ people for decades. You can find more about these organizations on their home pages which you can find links to on our resource page:

https://www.theholidaypride.com/resources-1

This episode features Pittsburgh's laws and ordinances focused on LGBT+ folks. Additionally, it features the most impassioned speech that the city's government has ever seen.

Sources:

https://rauhjewisharchives.org/entry/mark-pollock/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Madoff

https://archive.org/details/Pghmunicipalrecord1990volA/page/n653/mode/1up?q=homosexual

https://archive.org/details/Pghmunicipalrecord1988volA/page/1427/mode/1up?q=homosexual

https://archive.org/details/pghmunicipalrecord1987volumeA/page/1124/mode/1up?q=homosexual

https://archive.org/details/Pghmunicipalrecord1980volA/page/3/mode/1up?q=%22oath+of+office%22

https://archive.org/details/pittsburgh-municipal-record?tab=collection&query=disease&sin=TXT&sort=date

https://www.pittsburghpa.gov/City-Government/City-Council/Clerks-Office/Legislative-Information-Center

https://archive.org/details/pittsburgh-municipal-record?tab=collection&sort=date

https://www.pghcitypaper.com/news/lgbt-rights-gender-identity-included-in-countys-proposed-anti-discrimination-law-1341174

https://ecode360.com/45432358

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/22/us/repeal-of-gay-rights-law-is-pushed-in-pittsburgh.html

https://pittsburgh.legistar.com/Legislation.aspx

Pittsburgh's drag scene has a long history and wonderful performers! Thanks to the Pittsbrugh Queer History Project, we have some audio and videos from a number of Drag Performances at the city's gay bars. Be sure to check out their archives to see the full videos used in this eipsode: https://github.com/happle-happle/pqhp-digital-archive/tree/main/collections!

Sources

https://github.com/happle-happle/pqhp-digital-archive

https://pittsburghqueerhistory.com/publications-2/

https://www.strutherslibrarytheatre.org/blog/the-art-and-history-of-drag

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbkmkmn

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/drag-queen-us-history-explainer-cec

https://jcls.org/2024/06/25/the-art-of-drag/

https://www.cbc.ca/comedy/the-history-of-drag-on-screen-strutting-from-ancient-times-to-cbc-s-queens-1.5699542

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/drag-queen-drag-balls-early-history-pop-culture

Paris is Burning Documentary

Pittsburgh Queer History Project: Fefe, Marsha, and Vanna collections

Dante 'Tex' Gill was the owner of multiple massage parlors in Pittsburgh and he won them from the mob after the parlor wars. Although he was caught eventually, he had a wild time as one of Pittsburgh's well known mobsters.

Sources:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5924185/The-incredible-life-transgender-gangster-Mr-Gill.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dante_%22Tex%22_Gill

https://isaacmeyer.net/2021/05/dante-tex-gill/

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/dante-gill-obituary?id=28141457

https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/thedigs/2014/02/17/the-complex-and-tough-dante-tex-gill/

http://www.elisarolle.com/queerplaces/ch-d-e/Dante%20Gill.html

https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/thedigs/2014/02/17/the-complex-and-tough-dante-tex-gill/gill-and-wife-cynthia-bruno-gill-in-1984-ross-a-catanzathe-pittsburgh-press/

https://deadline.com/2020/07/rub-and-tug-reconfigured-tv-series-scarlett-johansson-controversy-dante-tex-gill-new-regency-television-our-lady-j-write-pilot-trans-actor-playing-pittsburgh-massage-parlor-owner-1202990712/

https://www.them.us/story/the-true-story-of-dante-tex-gill

https://worldqueerstory.wordpress.com/2019/07/27/dante-tex-gill/

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/07/rub-and-tug-tv-show-our-lady-j?srsltid=AfmBOorp7AzATKEyxZvDwTuj5krqRRMnVDM2HL3S1yAngohKuM2MqoG3

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pittsburgh-press-frank-cocchiara-dri/12521482/

https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/superior-court/1983/314-pa-super-256-2.html

https://qburgh.com/in-memorium-herb-beatty/

Take a look at Pittsburgh's Black Pride history and learn about the way the black queer community has celeberated itself.

Sources:

https://positivelypittsburgh.com/pittsburgh-pride-50-years-of-history/#:~:text=1973%3A%20Pittsburgh's%20first%2Dever%20Pride,and%20ended%20in%20Schenley%20Park.

https://qburgh.com/pittsburgh-black-pride-thirty-years/

https://archive.triblive.com/news/pridefest-parade-30-years-of-taking-steps-toward-gay-rights-2/#axzz32YFKBUtG

https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/pride-month-the-history-of-pittsburghs-gay-pride-parade-spans-decades/

https://www.pittsburghmagazine.com/pride-month-the-history-of-pittsburghs-gay-pride-parade-spans-decades/

https://www.pghblackpride.org/

https://www.sisterspgh.org/2023-peoples-pride-presents-swissvale-pride

Thursday Night Live (TNL) was a gay organization for white collar workers that turned into an AIDS activist group focused on education and providing support for those with AIDS.

You can learn more at the Heinz History Center's Detre Library where TNL's archives reside.

Listen to Butch Izaj talk about Pittsburgh's Gay Bars and the anual Memorial and Labor Day picnics.

Pittsburgh was one piece of a larger national study that led to great advancements in AIDS research. Listen to how it came to be!

Welcome to season 2! This season is all about Pittsburgh's queer history. Tune in for some exciting stories!