The Search for Safety: Police Brutality, Racism and Gay and Lesbian Stereotyping and Separation in the Queer Community, 1980s-2000s

The Search for Safety: Police Brutality, Racism and Gay and Lesbian Stereotyping and Separation in the Queer Community, 1980s-2000s

This presentation examines the police raids and police brutality at the club Angles in Oklahoma City and the subsequent successful ways queer people fought back. Some bars reinforced ideas of white supremacy by requiring multiple ID checks for people of color or arbitrary “dress codes.” In response, queer people of color created their own bars and other spaces for community. I also explore the history of the Black queer bar Soakie’s in Kansas City as well as the separation and stereotyping in the bars between gay men and lesbians.  

Bio

Dr. Lindsey Churchill is a Professor of History in the Department of History and Geography at the University of Central Oklahoma, USA. She is the creator of the Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program and directs the WGSS major. In 2015, she worked with the campus community to create the Center which includes the Women's Research Center and the BGLTQ+ Student Center. The Center is unique to the state of Oklahoma.

Crip & Queer Seminar Series autumn 2025: 

Violence, representation and radical change 

The Crip & Queer Seminar series is hosted by the Division of Gender Studies. During the fall term of 2025, the theme of the series is Violence, representation and radical change. After the seminars, which are open to students, staff, and the general public, we serve fika in the kitchen on the fourth floor of Gamla Lungkliniken. 

Warmly welcome!

Contact:  

• Elin Lundell elin [dot] lundell [at] genus [dot] lu [dot] se  
• Irina Schmitt irina [dot] schmitt [at] genus [dot] lu [dot] se