Student Life and Culture Archives > Blog > Archive
Return to top

Category: Research

Pride Month 2015: LGBT History on Campus

Posted on by

Written by Caitlin Stamm

Now that it’s June, we’ve begun Lesbian Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month). Pride Month is celebrated in honor of the Gay Liberation Movement’s Stonewall Riots, which occurred in New York City in late June 1969 [1]. After the riots in Manhattan, Pride groups formed at the U of I to fight for acceptance and change.

The announcement for the first meeting of the Gay Students' Alliance, which became Gay Illini
The announcement for the first meeting of the Gay Students’ Alliance, which became Gay Illini

The Gay Illini organization was formed in 1975 and Illini Pride was founded in 1977, both growing out of the work of the Gay Liberation Front. [2] Gay Illini was announced in the Daily Illini on January 29, 1975 [3]. By April 1975, the group was holding Gay Forums, offering panels discussing topics related to gay students and queer life. The group also hosted a number of social events, including dances, picnics, and movie nights.

The group acted as advocates on campus. Gay Illini often raised money for efforts like the Gay Information Switchboard, which ran on campus every night from 7 pm to 1 am [4]. They also formed a discrimination committee to “investigate discriminatory racial and sexual practices and policies at public places” [5]. Gay Illini marched in the Chicago Gay Pride Parades. Continue reading “Pride Month 2015: LGBT History on Campus” →

Campus Memories: Taking a Stroll Down Lovers’ Lane

Posted on by

Written by Caitlin Stamm

Now that it is officially summer and campus has emptied out, it’s a perfect time to take a wander down memory lane. There’s no better place to start than by exploring Lovers’ Lane!

Cover of <em>The Siren</em>, October 1911
Cover of The Siren, October 1911

Lovers’ Lane was located on Daniel Street and Champaign, between Fourth Street and Wright Street [1], next to the Kappa Alpha Theta house. For decades, it was a spot close to campus where couples would gather to take walks.

From <em>The Siren</em>, November 1921
From The Siren, November 1921

Lovers’ Lane was even featured on the October 1911 cover of The Siren. It’s no wonder the lane, and its proximity to sorority houses, was profiled; The Siren’s editor lived on Daniel Street in the Beta Theta Pi house [2].

As the University replaced brick walkways with cement, a Champaign City ordinance necessitated the removal of the great trees to create a sidewalk [3]. A 1915 Daily Illini article notes, “The sentiment of the majority of people living along the street seems to be in-favor of making the new walk narrower so that the long, shaded lane may be spared to future generations of strolling lovers” [4]. This, however, was not to be the case. The trees were condemned after the fall of 1915 and all had been removed by 1926 [5]. Continue reading “Campus Memories: Taking a Stroll Down Lovers’ Lane” →