Episode 306 - Barbara Gittings - The Librarian Who Shelved Shame

So, as June 2026 draws to a close, we present the life and times of Barbara Gittings, a woman who refused to let the world define her as insane or a degenerate just because she was a lesbian.  She set out to change things, curating museum collections so not everything about the LGBT+ was written by doctors, moralists or police.  She made libraries a safe space for queer people trying to discover who they were.  She lobbied the American Psychiatric Association and the DSM to remove the mental health stigma from a judgement of homosexuality and to get homosexuality removed from the DSM.  She, and her longtime partner Kay Lahusen engaged in activist protests right up until her eventuaal death.  We celebrate her life, accomplishemnts and death in this episode and Arthur covers Artfight and Empire Records in his corner.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.