About

Welcome to Bears Make GSA History! Our exhibit examines the history of the Gender Sexuality Alliance (formerly known as GALA) at Ursinus College, (located in southeastern Pennsylvania) from 1991 to 2000. Join us as we examine the discussions about, representations of, and controversies surrounding the formation and first ten years of the GSA, as seen in articles published in the school newspaper, The Grizzly.

Our project asks the question: "How did the GSA handle conflict and controversies in its first ten years of existence?" Our major subsections are as follows:

Genesis: GALA, 1991. Explore the formation and first semester of the Ursinus College GSA as it weathered visceral public defamation at the hands of a small but vocal group of students and professors. 

Conflict and Conversation: 1995. Examine continued debate about GALA, sexuality, and the LGBTQ+ community at Ursinus College. Several articles condemn the group, while many other voices advocate. 

LGBTQ+ Identities in Media, 2000: Explore representations of the LGBTQ+ community in popular culture in the New Millennium. 

Global: Connect the microhistory of local events with national trends. 

We would like to thank Ms. Carolyn Weigel, Mr. Andy Prock, Ms. Christine Ianicelli, and Drs. Throop and McShane for making this project possible. Ms. Weigel opened the Ursinusiana archives for our research, guiding our research processes by directing us to resources and contacts. Mr. Prock's expertise on scanning made the digitization of our project possible, while Ms. Ianicelli's technical knowledge gave us confidence in navigating Omeka.