Collections : [Central Connecticut State University]

Christine Pattee, a Connecticut native, worked for many years in the Connecticut Health Department. She was a gay rights activist and lobbyist. Ms. Pattee was a founder of the Northeast Women's Musical Retreat (NEWMR). The collection consists of personal papers, records of the NEWMR, books, photographs, T-shirts, and other visual materials.

John Bonelli, a UCONN graduate, is a political activist and community organizer. In 1989 he ran openly gay for the Hartford City Council as the candidate of the People for Change coalition. For years he worked as an activist and consultant in several organizations related to HIV/AIDS issues and as an intern and volunteer in political campaigns. For years Mr. Bonelli was a statewide co-chairperson of the Connecticut AIDS Action Council. This collection consists of administrative records of the council.

The Connecticut Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights (CCLGCR) was an organization prominent during the 1980's and 1990's for standing up for GLBTQ civil rights. They avidly fundraised, made a presence in political discussions and rallies, and created a safe zone for homosexuals in the state. Later, the group changed its name to include bisexual and transgender individuals, becoming CCLGBTCR. This collection includes the group's organizational documents, fundraising efforts, and newspaper articles, along with other related items.

The Connecticut Gay and Lesbian Film Festival has been bringing movies of LGBT interest to the Hartford area every year since 1988. With humble beginnings showing only a few films on one spring weekend, the festival grew, screening 58 feature and short films over nine days in 2016. In 1999 the group behind the CT GLFF, OutFilm CT, began collaborating with students at Trinity College on the EROS Film Festival which takes place at Cinestudio every fall. The CT GLFF collection contains information about most of the 2,600 films considered for both festivals and several benefits from 1988-2016, films from over 70 different countries about such topics as same-sex marriage, AIDS, and transgender rights. In addition, the collection contains several hundred films on DVD and VHS, souvenir T-shirts, and promotional posters. It is expected that the collection will continue to grow as material from subsequent festivals is donated each year. In 2014 the name of the festival changed to the Connecticut LGBT Film Festival. In 2019 the name of the festival was changed to The Connecticut LGBTQ Film Festival.

The first Hartford, Connecticut Lesbian and Gay PRIDE Festival took place on the lawn of Hartford's Old State House June 26, 1982, from noon to three in the afternoon. Each of the eight organizers invited several friends, hoping that it would help boost the turn out. To their surprise, between 200 and 250 people showed up. By 2011, the festival had grown to accommodate well over 10,000 people. The day-long festival eventually adopted a format that began with a rally, then a march to the festival grounds. For many years, the rally began at the State Capitol, with the festival being held at Bushnell Park. The festivals were political, celebratory, and helped to foster communication between the different groups within the gay community. In addition to political speakers, another component of the early festivals included performances.

Czeslaw Gieniewski's papers include a family history going back to the January Uprising of 1863, through participation in the Pilsudski legions and regaining of Poland's independence on November 11, 1918, and the Bolshevik War 1919-1921. Mr. Gieniewski describes his and his family's deportation to Russia and enlistment to the Polish Army, which was formed in the USSR, after a political pact made between the Polish government and Jozef Stalin was signed in June of 1941. General Wladyslaw Anders was in command of the Polish Army on Russian territory. Mr. Gieniewski participated in the battles in Italy in 1944 and 1945, including the famous battle of Monte Cassino. He immigrated to the US and participated in veterans' affairs and was active in the Polish American community in New Jersey, where he still lives with his family.

Donna Stimpson has been an activist for GLBTQ rights, including domestic partnership benefits, same sex marriage, gender equality, and second parent adoption in Connecticut and nationally. She has been involved with several equality groups and continues to work in the state for civil rights. The collection includes some of her personal documents as well as newspaper and internet articles, publications, memorabilia, and general information spanning over a few decades.

Mr. Edmund Liszka was very active in Hartford's Polonia after WWII. He owned a travel agency, hosted a radio program and later a TV program. He sponsored and organized many cultural events related to Poland and Polish history, including bringing artists from Poland. He documented various events with professional photographs and donated them to the archives. Mr. Liszka was recognized for his activism within Polonia with many awards and medals.

Elizabeth Wasiutynski has worked with various Polish and Solidarity organizations, including the Coordinating Office of NSZZ Solidarność (Solidarity), headquartered in Brussels, Belgium and the Connecticut Division of the Polish American Congress (PAC). She served as Director of the Poland Project at Central Connecticut State University and is a native speaker of Polish and English who has been qualified as a seminar interpreter by the U.S. Department of State. E. Wasiutynski worked closely with Jerzy Milewski, who was the Director of the Coordinating Office Abroad of NSZZ Solidarność in Brussels. He helped to set up pro-Solidarity organizations, including Solidarity International in New York. This collection consists of records related to E. Wasiutynski's work, including documents from the Coordinating Office Abroad of NSZZ Solidarność, the Polish American Congress, and other Solidarity support organizations.

Ewa Slusarek and her husband Jacek were involved in the Solidarity support movement in the United States after introduction of Martial Law in Poland on December 13, 1981. The Slusarek's established the Solidarity Support Committee of Rhode Island to aid the Solidarity Labor Union organization in Poland. Such support committees were established in several states and worldwide. There was a call for the establishment of an umbrella organization that would coordinate activities of these support organizations. In 1983 a group of representatives from these organizations met in Buffalo, NY and formed an organization called "Conference of Solidarity Support Committees" (CSSC). The collection includes documentation and activities related to the formation of these organizations, broad correspondence and related legal documents, press releases and clippings.