FLINT – Flint native Tim Retzloff loves history, especially LGBT history. So much so that he is pursuing a doctorate in U.S. history at Yale University in Connecticut, with a concentration in LGBT history.
He is sharing his insights into Flint's LGBT history in a newly erected visual display at the Flint Public Library.
"They called me and asked if I would set up this exhibit at the Flint Library. I was glad to do it because this project drew on lots of research I had already done while at the University of Michigan," said Retzloff. "And my first job was at the Flint Library. I was there for 10 years, first as a student assistant and then a library assistant, at a time in my life when I was coming out. I was having a very difficult time coming out in Flint, and to have this exhibit displayed in this place from my past is very gratifying."
The exhibit chronicles over 150 years of LGBT history in Flint, starting with the story of Sarah Emma Edmonds, a young Flint women who served in a Union Regiment during the Civil War, all the while disguised as a man. The display moves through history, ending with material on CJ Tune Copeland, a transgender person in Flint who has chronicled his transition on a website.
The exhibit is part of the extensive Out 'N About series of cultural events, sponsored by the Greater Flint Arts Council.
The exhibit will remain in the Flint Library through November. On Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. Retzloff will be speaking at the Flint Library about the exhibit and it's context in American and Michigan history. For more information go to http://www.outnaboutflint.org, or call 810-238-ARTS.
Retzloff brings LGBT history to life in Flint
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