GEN MS 29 Harriet P. Henry Papers Finding Aid

Description: Harriet Putnam Henry became Maine’s first woman judge in 1973. Her expertise was in marine law and coastal management. She also has an extensive civil service record, including advocacy for women judges and work with child abuse and child welfare. She was active with the Maine Humanities Council, where the Harriet P. Henry Center for the Book was named in her honor. The Papers consist of publications and writings of Henry and others. Date Range: ca. 1941-1995 Size of Collection: 0.75 f

LG MS 030 Allen Bernstein Collection Finding Aid

Description: Allen Bernstein was born on June 19, 1913 in Nashua, New Hampshire. He holds a MA in Economics from the University of Chicago. Bernstein enlisted in the Army in 1940 and fought in WWII, doing clerical work in the U.S., until 1944 when he was dishonorably discharged for being openly gay. After the war he married a woman– who knew he was gay – and had two sons. He then moved to Maine to work for the Maine State Labor Department as a Labor market analyst. After retirement in 1978 he became involved in providing volunteer services to the community. He appealed his dishonorable discharge 14 times from the late1940’s to 1980, and in 1981 was finally successful in gaining his honorable discharge. He was active in his community in his later years – volunteering mainly for the Red Cross. The Collection is based on more recent articles on gay rights and gender equality. Dates range from 1984-2004, with the majority of material in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Publications include AVER (American Veterans for Equal Rights) newsletters, Gender Studies newsletters, The Loving Brotherhood newsletters and brochures, Outword newsletter and Edward Carpenter Community newsletters. Date Range: 1984-2004 Size of Collection: 0.25 ft

AA MS 07 African American Maine Photograph Album Finding Aid

Description: This collection consists of a wooden photograph album and three packets of loose photographs of African American women on vacation in Maine – about 15 women, and a total of 112 photos. They might have been traveling to Maine for a church group gathering [suggested by multiple photos of the All Saints by the Sea church] or as a woman’s group vacationing in Maine. Many locations are identifiable as being along the Mid-coast. Many of the photos are of Pemaquid Point, Boothbay, the shore line, and boats. The date range is 1940s and 50s. The album was purchased from a dealer in Virginia in 2009. Date Range: 1940s-1950s Size of Collection: 0.25 ft

LG MS 22 Larry Bliss Collection Finding Aid

Description: Lawrence (Larry) Bliss was born and raised in California, lived in Maine for twenty years, and returned to California in 2011. He holds Bachelor’s Degrees in History and Political Science and a Master\u27s Degree in Urban Public Administration all from the University of California. He has worked as a middle school and high school teacher and coach and as Director of Career Services and Professional Life Development at the University of Southern Maine. He was elected to the Maine Senate in 2008, representing the 7th district, which includes his hometown of South Portland, as well as Cape Elizabeth and part of Scarborough, having previously spent eight years representing South Portland’s 24th district in the Maine House of Representatives. Bliss has been a member of the Board of Directors of The AIDS Project, the Equity Institute of Maine, the South Portland Citizens for Justice, and the Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance, where he served as Treasurer from 1992-94. He was an advisor to the Equity Fund of the Maine Community Foundation and is a longtime member of the Surfrider Foundation, the Friends of Casco Bay, and the Portland Harbor Museum. Bliss and his partner, Nolan McCoy, have three children. The Collection includes materials related to Bliss’s work in support of the LGBT community in Maine. In particular, there are materials related to events and organizations with which he was involved, including the Maine Lesbian and Gay Men’s Symposium (materials for the years 1976-77, 1979-81, 1983-88, and 1991); Equal Protection Portland; South Portland Citizens for Justice; the Matlovich Society; Maine Lesbian/Gay Political Alliance; Citizens for a United Portland; and the Spring for Life Art Auction. Materials include press clippings, correspondence, financial records, internal memos and meeting minutes, brochures, posters, event programs, stickers, buttons, a mug, and other papers. Some material related to efforts to secure same sex partner benefits for University of Maine employees and L.D. 246 (1993 An Act to Prevent Discrimination) is also present. Date Range: 1976-2011 Size of Collection: 4 ft

LG MS 27 Diane Elze Papers Finding Aid

Description: A 1978 graduate of the University of Maine, Orono, Diane Elze began her volunteer career working for the YWCA Fair Harbor Shelter in Portland, Maine. She was an activist in the LGBT community in the Portland area in the 1980s and 1990s. Among other activities, she was a founding member of the Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance, worked on the AIDS Project, and founded the LGBT youth group, Outright. She also edited the newsletter Moving, The Newspaper of the Maine Association of Handicapped Persons and founded the statewide gay and lesbian newspaper, Our Paper. Elze earned a Master’s Degree from the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences at Case Western University, followed by a PhD from the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University. During her graduate career, Elze’s primary focus of study remained LGBT youth, specifically their mental health and behavioral functioning. Since completing her PhD in 1999, Dr. Elze has held positions as a professor with both Washington University and the University at Buffalo, continuing her research into assisting LGBT youth communities across the Northeast. She remains a prolific writer of articles, editorials and research on LGBT issues including educational resources for teachers and students on how to approach comfortable assimilation of LGBT-friendly initiatives in the school district. The Papers contain publications & newsletters, materials from events such as the Maine Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, newspaper clippings and materials from various Maine LGBT organizations: National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Act Now, Act Up, Hysterical Angry Girls Sorority and MLGPA, files on gay topics and organizations in Maine, and personal documents of Dr. Elze, such as correspondence, research, awards, and notes. Date Range: 1971- 2008 Size of Collection: 17.5 ft

LG MS 28 Robin Lambert Collection Finding Aid

Description: Robin Lambert was politically active in Maine for more than 40 years, was for many years the most prominent Republican to publicly support LGBT civil rights, and persuaded many in his party to join him in that struggle. He was one of the founders of the Maine Lesbian Gay Political Alliance (MLGPA)(now EqualityMaine) in 1984, and was twice recognized by MLGPA for his outstanding work for civil rights. As an early advocate of addressing the issues surrounding HIV and its impact on the state, Lambert was a founding member of both The Maine Health Foundation and The AIDS Project in Portland, and was appointed to Governor McKernan\u27s AIDS Advisory Committee in 1987, serving for many years. He lived with AIDS for many years, and died in 2006 at the age of 56. The Papers include records of the Maine Health Foundation, posters from many events, material on his unsuccessful run for State Senate, a great deal of material on AIDS policy and prevention in Maine, and on the national AIDS Quilt. Date Range: 1980s-1990s Size of Collection: 5.25 ft