Collections : [Central Connecticut State University]

The Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective began as the "Hartford Gay Health Collective" in 1983 as a place for gay men to obtain screenings for STDs and Hepatitis. HIV testing was added in 1986 as a response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. In 1987, services were expanded to include women, and the name was changed to the Hartford Gay and Lesbian Health Collective. Over the years, HGLHC has expanded to assume responsibility for many gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender programs and services throughout the Hartford area, including the Connecticut Lesbian and Gay PRIDE festival.

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.

Msgr. Stanislaus Musiel was born in Poland and attended seminary in Louvain, Belgium. He was later appointed for pastoral work in the Hartford diocese in Connecticut. He was a pastor at St. Cyril and Methodius parish in Hartford from 1917 till his death in 1966. Material in the collection illustrates Msgr. Musiel's appointments in various parishes in Connecticut and decades of pastoral work in SS. Cyril and Methodius parish in Hartford. Collection consists of correspondence, publications, and photographs related to Msgr. Musiel. A substantial part of the collection's material relates to Msgr. Musiel's relatives from the Kazowski and Boniarczyk families.

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.

The Loughery Collection consists of materials assembled in writing The Other Side of Silence, Men's Lives and Gay Identities, A Twentieth Century History, New York, Holt, 1999. Collection highlights include: transcriptions of interviews with gay activists as well as "coming out stories"; posters; an extensive collection of playbills for gay themed plays or plays with a gay character performed between the 1950s and 1999; articles from periodicals and newspapers; Gay Comics; typescripts; photographs; extensive material relating to Mr. Loughery's other book: John Sloan: Painter and Rebel, New York, Holt, 1995.

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.

Collection consists of personal papers of Mr. Bronislaw Krzyzewski, a World War I veteran of the Polish Army under General Jozef Haller in France and later in Poland.

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.

Mr. and Mrs. Bogucki lived in Philidelphia, PA. They were both educated and very active in many Polish American organizations on the state and national level. In addition to organizing and participating in many events, they supported worthy endeavors related to Polish history, culture, and language.

Thaddeus W. Maliszewski a lawyer, military officer, civic leader, was born in Hartford in 1922 and died in 2009. Graduate of Hillyer Junior College (Hartford), Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.) and University of Connecticut Law School. During WWII he served in the Pacific, was a member of the National Guard and Governor's Military Staff, finished his military career in the rank of Brigadier General. He served as a judge for several courts, was very active in the Democratic Party. For many years served in different positions in the Polish American Congress on state and national level. In addition, Maliszewski was active in veterans' organizations, Polish American cultural organizations as well as in political organizations. The collection consists of his personal and professional papers along with information about Poland and Polish American culture.