Here you will find
links to past editions of GayOKC.com's front page!
What did GayOKC.com look like in years past? What
were the big news items, events and the issues
Oklahoma City's GLBT Community was concerned with
back then? It was all there on that first page at http://www.gayokc.com - 24 hours a day, every day,
7 days a week, 365 days a year!
10 YEARS!!!!!!
From the moment
GayOKC.com "went live" in October 1998 to
the end of regular news reporting in 2006, the front
page was constantly updated - usually several times a
week, sometimes more than once a day.
Please note
that many links contained on these pages are outdated
and therefore not functional. Links to other
pages on GayOKC.com should still function, since
virtually everything ever uploaded to GayOKC.com is
still on the server, going all the way back to 1998!
Unfortunately it was
more than a year after GayOKC.com debuted that I
began keeping archival copies of the page's latest
update. I do not currently have access to copies of
every update that I made to GayOKC.com over the years,
which is why this archive is missing a couple of
years.
WHAT DO YOU
THINK? If you find any bugs or have a
suggestion or you think I missed an important event
that should be included in the list below, let me
know! Email me at rabiera@gayokc.com!
LIKE IT?
SHOW IT! If you appreciate this historical
archive, make a donation!
CLICK
ON ANY YEAR
to
be taken to the page of links to the archived Page
One updates for that year!
1998
Will &
Grace debuts.
Oklahoma Gay
activists Paul Barby and Keith Smith participate
with 40 others to form National Stonewall
Democrats.
GayOKC.com
officially launches in October.
Matthew Shepard is
murdered - after being beaten and left for dead,
Shepard dies on October 12th.
1999
Joe Quigley begins
teaching at NW Classen High School.
First OUTART
Festival. Tony Francis, chair. Rob Abiera, co-chair.
Oklahoma City
tornado.
"A Place at
the Table" by Paul Barby.
Vermont marriage
ruling.
2000
First OKC Rally
for Gay Scouts organized by Nathaniel Batchelder
and Rob Abiera.
GayOKC LIVE! -
GayOKC.com experiments with Internet radio.
2000 ended with
the posting of Joe Quigley's historic report on
his battle against anti-GLBT discrimination in
Oklahoma City's public schools, with an emphasis
on the school where he has been a teacher for
these past 10 years (as of 2008), NW Classen High
School.
2001
Mick Cornett
rejects endorsement from Cimarron Alliance Group.
9/11. Gay man
among defenders of Flight 92. Gay man was co-pilot
of Flight 77. Quigley harassed at NW Classen.
Falwell blames Gays. Pentagon suspends DADT. ORU
alumni ask for repudiation of remarks.
No Gay and Lesbian
History Month at NW Classen.
Death-worship
versus Life-worship.
Cimarron Alliance
Foundation sues the city over the banner
ordinance. Stonewall Democrats hold state-wide
convention. Washington Blade declares
"Oklahoma worst state for Gays and Lesbians"
- Oklahomans respond. Church of the Open Arms
moves into new building.
2002
History is made as
two openly-Gay candidates are elected to public
office for the first time ever in Oklahoma.
David Ray wins
election to Norman City Council, becomes first
ever openly-Gay candidate elected to public
office in Oklahoma history.
Openly-Gay
candidate Jim Roth wins election for Oklahoma
County District 1 Commissioner, defeating
incumbent Beverly Hodges, who ran a virulently
homophobic campaign.
Soulforce In
Oklahoma vigils at Village Baptist Church -
movingly reported by Paul Barby and Karen Weldin.
Joe Quigley
attempts to "dialog" with The
Oklahoman.
KKK cancels march
to protest Homosexuality and Scripture Conference.
GLBT community
presents bulletin board to NW Clasen High School.
Queer As Folk.
Kirk Humphreys
runs for re-election as mayor of Oklahoma City.
OKC mayoral
election - GayOKC.com endorses NONE OF
THE ABOVE.
Oklahoma athletes
bound for Sydney Gay Games suffer epic
disappointment when their travel funds turn up
missing.
OKC banner
ordinance ruled unconstitutional - GayOKC.com
posts ruling.
Angles 20th
anniversary.
2003
GayOKC.com
presents The State of Our Community, organized by
editor and publisher Rob Abiera.
Jim Roth is sworn
in as Oklahoma County District 1 Commissioner.
City Council's
removal of all restrictions on the banner program,
GLBT impact on the City Council races, The
Laramie Project, hate crimes bills, the PNI
"Peace Train", PFLAG OKC, the Oklahoma
Republican Party platform, Rick Santorum,
Stonewall Democrats, Soulforce in Oklahoma at the
Oklahoma Methodists conference, Rev. Gene
Robinson, Howard Dean,
Supreme Court
abolishes sodomy laws with ruling in Lawrence
v Texas.
Fred Phelps
pickets Billy Graham, the Cathedral of Hope
disaffiliates from MCC, the Democratic
presidential forum in Stillwater, reorganization
of the Cimarron Alliance Group, the Norman
Transcript prints a same-gender union
announcement, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
OKC Public Schools
superintendent Bob Moore's letter to Joe Quigley
stating in writing that it is against district
policy to discriminate against GLBT students.
Joe Quigley
succeeds at getting the first ever GLBT History
Month display at NW Classen High School, Kirk
Humphrey's resignation as mayor so he can run for
the Senate, the "Love Won Out"
conference, the Massachusetts Supreme Court
decision regarding Gay marriage and the response
from Oklahoma legislators, Brad Carson's support
for the Federal Marriage Amendment and the
Central Oklahoma Stonewall Democrats' decision
not to support his campaign for re-election,
Jacqueline Gatewood's "Diversity House"
project and the announcement of a statewide
coalition of GLBT organizations in Oklahoma.
2004
GLBT Oklahomans
endorse Howard Dean for President. Oklahoma
Freedom and Equality Coalition. The Oklahoman
supports Gay marriage ban. Terry Gatewood
endorses Wesley Clark. Bill Graves proposes anti-Gay
marriage law. Log Cabin Republicans executive
director Patrick Guerrero visits OKC. Cimarron
Alliance Foundation town hall on hate crimes.
GayOKC.com presents The State of Our Community
2004 - ice storm fails to stop event. Anti-GLBT
bills introduced in OK legislature. Democratic
Presidential Rally. Andrea Ratkovic trains in
Spain.
Massachusetts
marriage ruling. Gay marriage in San Francisco.
Dueling marriage
rallies. Rev. Tessie Mandeville
resigns Cathedral of Hope OKC. A letter from
Paula Sophia.
DBA Metro forms.
Notoriously anti-Gay
Christian conservative Bill Graves leaves
legislature due to term limits.
Sally Kern elected
to Oklahoma House of Representatives.
2005 (Update archives for this
year are not yet online)
Brokeback
Mountain. MySpace. Gay books donated to OKC
Schools. King and King controversy. Will
& Grace begins final season.
Nazi Persecution
of Homosexuals exhibit.
2006
Southern Baptist
minister Lonnie Latham arrested for soliciting at
39th and Barnes. ACLU files friend-of-the-court
brief.
GayOKC.com
presents The State of Our Community 2006.
Larry Nichols, CEO
of Devon Energy, becomes the first head of a
major Oklahoma company to publicly declare his
support for an openly-Gay candidate (Jim Roth).
standout
Magazine launches. Rhonda Rudd runs for
state senate, loses primary to Andrew Rice. King
and King controversy continues. State
Education Department removes sexual orientation
protections. Al McAffrey runs for state
representative, wins. Victory Fund endorses
Oklahoma candidates.
Increasingly
popular Jim Roth continues to redefine the
concept of a Gay candidate in Oklahoma by running
for re-election as County Commissioner and
winning.
HRC president Joe
Solmonese visits OKC. INLAWS & OUTLAWS.
Oklahoma House delegation calls for vote on Gay
Marriage ban. Pride Festival attracts political
candidates. Freedom and unlimited majority rule.
Soulforce and DADT. Norman resident challenges
DADT. Cimarron Alliance Foundation offers
grants for attending NGLTF conference. Tornado
Alley Classic. Kern re-elected to office without
opposition.
Bill
Graves elected district judge.
GayOKC.com stops
posting news items.
Keith Smith dies.
2007
Gay Republicans on
county platform committee. Joe Quigley marks 10th
anniversary of his campaign to change policies
covering GLBT students at Oklahoma City Public
Schools. Jerry Falwell dies. Jim Roth appointed
Corporation Commissioner - first ever openly-Gay
official in statewide office in Oklahoma. GayOKC.com
closes Gay Oklahoma MySpace group. Final season
of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
Cimarron Alliance
Foundation hosts Leadership Conference.
20th Annual OKC
Pride Parade.
2008
Heath Ledger, star
of Brokeback Mountain and The Dark
Knight, dies.
Sally Kern gains
national attention by equating homosexuality with
terrorism. Hundreds protest in OKC.
HRC president Joe
Solmonese returns to OKC, serves as grand
marshall of Pride Parade.
Jim Roth runs for
re-election as Corporation Commissioner against
Republican challenger Dana Murphy.
Kern runs for re-election.
Her opponent is Ron Marlett.
GayOKC.com
celebrates 10th Anniversary.
