The Muncie LGBTQ+ History Project was founded in 2018 to preserve our community’s history.

We’re collecting interviews, documents, photographs, and anything else that we can! We want to make sure that the community’s history will be passed down. And when people learn about Muncie’s history, we want them to know that LGBTQ+ people have been here all along.

Since we began, we’ve collected 60 interviews and heard so many stories! We’re interested in talking to anyone who has ever been part of LGBTQ+ life in Muncie. That includes LGBTQ+ people and allies from around the region, even if you live somewhere else now. If you’ve ever performed in Muncie or found LGBTQ+ community here, we’d love to hear from you!

The historical documents and interviews we’re collecting are preserved by Ball State’s Special Collections and Archives. With the permission of individual interviewees, many of these interviews are available online.

The project is led by Dr. Emily Johnson, a queer historian and professor at Ball State University. After moving to Muncie in 2017, Emily fell in love with the local LGBTQ+ community and became fascinated by the rich history of the city. Now, she works with Ball State students and community members to make sure that history won’t be lost.