While at that LGBTQ history museum, he was hoping to find traditional documents to reference and perhaps start putting together a gay history exhibit of his own. “I actually found my way to the Chris Gonzales Library and Archives in Indianapolis.” “I didn’t know where to start,” Gonzaba said. Gonzaba’s project began while he was an undergraduate at school. So, what this project has taught me is how dynamic the community is and how diverse it is.” And he goes, ‘Well, queer history didn’t happen there.’ It kind of infuriated me. I was talking about it to someone who was there, an older gentleman, and I said I’d like to focus on queer history in the heartland. “I come from a small town in the Midwest and the idea for this project came from the idea that there are gay people from Indiana and elsewhere,” Gonzaba said.
That’s why in college he began what would become the internationally-known Wearing Gay History T-shirt archive project. That negative view of his homeland is exactly what Eric Gonzaba refused to believe when he was looking for a way to understand the Midwest’s historical impact on the nation. And while it is true that many of the most notable LGBTQ-related events seemed to favor larger, more coastal cities across the U.S., there is certainly a wealth of history that can be found locally. There is a perception by some that LGBTQ history didn’t happen in the Midwest. Bottom row, from left, are Dakota Tabler, Steven Tucker, Wesley Van Horn, Mitchell Wagner, Nathaniel Whitfield, Graham Whitsom and Robert Whitted.Wearing Gay History Archive Showcases Thousands of Historical Shirts Third row, from left, are Justin O'leary, Cameron Pruitt, Forrest Rankin, Thomas Rousseau, Conor Ryan, Spencer Simpson, Alexander Sisenstein and Derek Smith. Second row, from left, are Garret Garland, Branden Haney, Richard Jessop, James Julius Johnson, James Michael Johnson, Connor Moran, Kieran Morris and Lawrence Norman. These people belong to the Patriot Front.”īooking images provided by the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office show the 31 individuals, listed by the Associated Press as follows: "Top row, from left, are Jared Boyce, Nathan Brenner, Colton Brown, Josiah Buster, Mishael Buster, Devin Center, Dylan Corio, and Winston Durham. "It’s disheartening to read that people think this was antifa in disguise or a false-flag FBI operation,” said Coeur d’Alene Police Chief Lee White at a press conference Monday, as reported by Daily Inter Lake.
All 31 arrested in connection to the incident have since posted bail, which was set at $300 per person. Others arrested came from at least 11 states, including Washington, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Wyoming, Virginia, and Arkansas. THIRTY-ONE MEMBERS OF PATRIOT FRONT ARRESTED NEAR PRIDE EVENT IN IDAHO: POLICE The names of 31 people tied to a white supremacist group, who were arrested on Saturday near a local pride event in Idaho, have been identified by police.Īmong those charged with conspiracy to riot after allegedly being found inside a U-Haul van near the event wearing riot gear in Coeur d’Alene includes Thomas Rousseau of Grapevine, Texas, who has been identified as the founder of the Patriot Front, which formed after the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, as reported by KXLY.