PRIDE Timeline and Exhibition

Through the Years: PRIDE at Texas Tech University  

October 20-November 29, 2022
Texas Tech University Library

Date of Reception: October 25, 2022
Location: TTU Library, Croslyn Room (Main Floor)
Time: 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Curators: Tricia Earl, MFA (TTU Alumna) and B. Lynn Whitfield, University Archivist, Certified Archivist, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library

What's it like living in Lubbock?  That's a popular question for most of us in the LGBT+ community. We tend to answer that question several ways and that is to talk about our geography, our politics, our culture, and our strength. 

Sitting on the largest mesa in the United States, the Llano Estacado, you can feel like you are the only person on earth.  Our big, exposed sky entrusts you to reach up and grab it. The flat plains give you room to stretch and grow.  The sun and wind can test you to your core.  The extreme climate of semi-arid desert can make nighttime constellations dance across the sky.  On a sunny cloudless sky, a thunderstorm can drop down on you so quick, to then expose you to a full-on end-to-end rainbow that you are sure a pot of gold is over in Idalou.  And don't let anyone tell you that we don't get that much snow, cause the first time you drop down in a snowdrift you will know how much snow is too much snow in these parts.   

Texas Tech University sits on 1,839 acres of a piece of the 123.55 mile stretch of land occupied by the City of Lubbock.  It's not only the landscape of this place it is the people that come and stay, if only for a while, to expand their minds and add richness to their lived experiences. 

Through the Years: PRIDE at Texas Tech University is an exhibition chronicling the history, culture, and personal narratives of our LGBTQ+ community.  The Office of LGBTQIA Education & Engagement partnered with the Texas Tech University Archive and alumna Tricia Earl, MFA to display photographs, documents, and memorabilia of LGBTQ+ history on our campus. 

Spending time reviewing the timeline of events, archival memorabilia, and news clippings you will be immersed in a retrospective driven by pioneering students, faculty, and staff.  We begin at the campus “Gay Bust” of 1969 and carry you through to today's diverse experiences. We have combined local, state, and national news and events that capture historic achievements alongside the labor and spirit of those doing the work here at Texas Tech. 

Timeline

• 2017 - Current Day (Origin of the Office of LGBTQIA Education and Engagement office established. )
• 2000's - Making National News
• 1990's - "Queers and Allies"
• 1980's - Alliances and Community Support
• 1970's - "Gay Awareness"
• 1960's - "Gay Bust"

Links coming soon!