Organizations
Over the years, many clubs and organizations have formed to serve Montgomery County's LGBTQ+ community. Some clubs simply provided opportunities for members to socialize and get to know other people in their community, while others played active roles in lobbying for LGBTQ+ legislation in the county.
Location-Based Groups
Gay and Lesbian Association of Silver Spring (GLASS)
Founded in the 1980s, GLASS served the LGBTQ+ community of Silver Spring. GLASS organized frequent social opportunities for its members and worked to raise awareness of the community. For example, GLASS worked to create Montgomery County's first gay news television program in 1990, as described below in the Washington Blade (7/20/90).
Takoma Park Lesbians and Gays (T-PLAG)
From its founding in 1988, T-PLAG served the LGBTQ+ community of Takoma Park. Like GLASS and GALA, it offered social and activist events for members of the community. In April 1990, for instance, T-PLAG held a poetry night and organized a dance in partnership with GLASS (Washington Blade 4/13/90).
Upper County Gay and Lesbian Association (GALA)
Upper County GALA was founded in February of 1990. It was created to serve the LGBTQ+ population of Upper Montgomery County and provide them a social space closer to home than Silver Spring or Takoma Park. The Blade featured Upper County GALA in its January 4, 1991 issue.
Social Clubs, Support Groups, and Religious Organizations
Gay and Lesbian Rap Groups
Rap groups were some of the first clubs formed by Montgomery County's LGBTQ+ community. These informal groups offered gays and lesbians safe and supportive spaces to meet each other and share their experiences. Rap groups advertised their meetings and recruited new members by word of mouth as well as with notices in periodicals like the Washington Blade. Montgomery County's Lesbian Rap Group advertised in the Blade as early as June 1975, as pictured on the top left. The Montgomery Gay Rap Group for men was founded in April 1978, and also advertised in the Blade in July of that year, as pictured in the bottom left.
MCC of Rockville
The Metropolitan Community Church is an LGBTQ+ friendly Protestant church. Founded in Los Angeles in 1968, the first MCC opened in Washington, D.C. in May 1971.
The MCC of Rockville opened during the 1980s and operated out of the Rockville Unitarian Church until it moved locations in 1997. The church helped serve the spiritual needs of Montgomery County's LGBTQ+ Christians.
Ad for the MCC (The Washington Blade, 2/21/92)
Political Groups
Front page of the January 1985 SMLGA newsletter (Rainbow History Project Digital Collections)
Suburban Maryland Lesbian/Gay Alliance (SMLGA)
SMLGA, initially the Suburban Maryland Gay Alliance, was founded in 1981 by Robert Coggin. The organization conducted important advocacy work on equality issues, and played a pivotal role in Montgomery County's adoption of a gay-inclusive anti-discrimination law in 1984. SMLGA also surveyed local and statewide candidates for their stance on LGBTQ+ issues and provided this information to voters. By 1987, SMLGA expanded its mission and changed its name to Maryland Lesbian/Gay Alliance (MLGA).
Announcement for the first GLIC meeting of 1992 (The Washington Blade, 1/31/92)
Montgomery County Gay and Lesbian Interests Consortium (GLIC)
GLIC was founded in early 1992 to bring together the LGBTQ+ activists of Montgomery County. The organization played a major role in the repeal of the Hanna Amendment in 1994, which succeeded in removing a provision allowing job discrimination for people who "advocated homosexuality" and worked one-on-one with children. GLIC was also active in the achievement of domestic partnership benefits for same-sex partners of county employees in 1997.
These are probably just a few of the LGBTQ+ organizations in Montgomery County's history. Beyond advertisements and brief mentions in local newspapers, we currently lack detailed information about their stories and meaning for the community.
Do you have memories or photos of these organizations or others in Montgomery County? We want to hear from you!