How did the University of New Hampshire make national news in the 1970s?

When was the UNH Gay Students Organization started and how did it evolve over the years?

This spring, UNH celebrated 30 years of hosting a pancake breakfast to celebrate what?

Find out at the “Uncovering LGBTQ+ History at UNH” exhibit at RiverStones Custom Framing and Franklin Gallery, located at 33 North Main Street.

“We are so excited to bring the story of UNH’s gay student organization to Rochester for pride month,” said Tom Kaufhold, founder of the Seacoast LGBT History project.

“We will be able to share with you original archival research work carried out this spring and summer by Women’s and Gender Studies students and a student intern funded by the College of Liberal Arts’ Global Racial and Social Inequality Lab,” said Holly Cashman, Professor of Spanish and Women’s and Gender Studies at UNH.

Students involved in the research project were moved and inspired by what they learned in the archive.

“Learning about the GSO helped me recognize that the people we learn about when researching history are not so different from the people we can become if we are bold enough to challenge the status quo,” said Anna Rhoda ’25, who worked with Dr. Cashman in a teaching practicum during the spring semester, helping to guide a class full of students to carry out original research in the Milne Archives and Special Collections at UNH with the help of Public Services Coordinator Morgan Wilson and University Archivist Elizabeth Slomba at UNH’s Douglas and Helena Milne Special Collections & Archives.

GRSIL intern Arin Henderson ’25 agreed, sharing that “Once I understood what the GSO had gone through, I wanted to use that knowledge in ensuring the safety of LGBTQ+ students who may look to UNH as an accepting environment. With the state of our world today, we’re going to need it.”

Opening night will be Thursday, August 3rd, from 5:00-7:00 pm. Light refreshments will be served. The exhibit runs through August 31 and the public is welcome to view the exhibit during regular business hours.

RiverStones Custom Framing and The Franklin Gallery are open Wednesday through Friday from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm.  There will be extended hours until 3:00 pm during the Rochester Pride event on Saturday, August 26th.

For more information, visit the Seacoast NH LGBT History Project Facebook page, email seacoastnhlgbthistory@gmail.com, or contact RiverStones Custom Framing at (603) 812-1488 or riverstonescustomframing@gmail.com.