Out West at the Autry -- "Saving the LGBT Story: Preserving Personal History Collections"

This event is in L.A., located several miles away from Cheyenne. However, it's being organized by Gregory Hinton, who grew up in Cody and is in the midst of a research fellowship at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center (BBHC) in his hometown. Some of you may remember Hinton from the staged reading of "Beyond Brokeback" that he put together for the April 2011 Shepard Symposium in Laramie.

Here's the event:

The Autry National Center in L.A. presents "Saving the LGBT Story: Preserving Personal History Collections" on Saturday, December 10, 2–3:30 p.m. 

This is a discussion featuring archivists and experts who will provide personal collectors with information about caring for their photographs, documents, and ephemera and raise awareness about institutions that might be appropriate future repositories for their collections. The event is part of the acclaimed program "Out West at the Autry," a series of public events focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) history and culture in the West with gallery talks, film screenings, lectures, performances, and other cultural events. 

“Whistling at the past comes with its risks and rewards," said Hinton, producer of Out West at the Autry. "It is our duty to be good stewards of our histories. The Autry Library has shown remarkable vision by including the archives of the International Gay Rodeo Association in its permanent rodeo collection. By doing so, the Autry has recognized the significant contribution of the gay and lesbian Western community to the sport of rodeo, a first for any major Western cultural institution.”

The presenters for the December 10 event are Liza Posas, Autry Archivist and Head Librarian, Braun Research Library, Autry National Center; Greg Williams, Vice President, Board of Directors for ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives and Director, Archives and Special Collections, Archives/Special Collections at CSU Dominguez Hills; and Angela Brinskele, Director of Communications for the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives. 

This event is made possible in part by a generous grant from HBO.

Out West at the Autry is a series of public programs that explores the contributions of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community to Western American history by bringing together scholars, authors, artists, politicians, musicians, and others for gallery discussions, performances, and screenings. Conceived by independent curator Gregory Hinton in 2009, Out West at the Autry was inspired by the Autry’s installation of the iconic shirts worn by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in the film "Brokeback Mountain," on loan from collector Tom Gregory, as well as the permanent inclusion of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) archives to the Autry library (both facilitated by Hinton).