Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley ephemera collection

Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley

The Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley began in 1970, on the campus of the University of Rochester as the Rochester chapter of the Gay Liberation Front. The Rochester Gay Liberation Front was started by Bob Osborn and Larry Fine. The Gay Liberation Front was started in New York City after the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

By 1972, the Rochester Gay Liberation Front had left the University of Rochester because most of the members were non-students and formed the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley. The GAGV met in the Bull’s Head Plaza. They then moved to a space in the Genesee Co-Op building, where they stayed until 1990. In 1990, the GAGV purchased a building at 179 Atlantic Avenue and served as the first community center owned by the Gay Alliance. The Gay Alliance was incorporated in 1973, with the idea that the Alliance would serve as an umbrella organization for gay groups.

In the early years, the Gay Alliance published the newsletter The Empty Closet, improved relationships with the police department, held rallies and demonstrations, and hired staff for the first time. During the 1980’s, the Gay Alliance focused on grassroots efforts regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic. They created support services, confronted pharmaceutical companies, and created AIDS Rochester. The first Gay Pride Parade started in March of 1986. In the late 1980’s the Gay Alliance began to be seen as a service organization or human services organization. They also began working with LBGT youth that previously had no support. In the 1990’s, the Gay Alliance transitioned to a human services organization. The Gay Alliance became a non-profit organization in 1994, after a winning a lawsuit with the City of Rochester. Due to becoming a non-profit though, the Gay Alliance had to focus on social and cultural work and had to do its political work in a different way. The new mission statement made it clear that the agency was dedicated to empowering individuals and dealing with heterosexism and homophobia through education, support groups, and advocating for an end to discrimination.

The Gay Alliance has grown over the years and strives to meet the needs of everyone from teenagers to hate crime victims to families to elders. Trainings, InQueery events and Speakers Bureau presentations send their message throughout greater Rochester, to mainstream businesses, colleges, churches and service providers, as well as to LGBT individuals who need information, support and connection to their community. On October 11, 2017 the Gay Alliance changed its name to the Out Alliance. The Out Alliances envisions a future where all members of the greater Rochester LBGTQ communities, at all stages of their lives, are free to be fully participating citizens, celebrating their lives in which they are safe, stable and fully respected.

Rochester Custom Leather

In 1989 Chuck Antonelli and Walter Dyer decided there was a real need in Rochester for a store selling leather goods. At that time people had to travel to New York or Toronto for leather outfits, which Walt and Chuck also did. When Walt and Chuck got outfitted, they went to Toronto and spent over $1200 on the basic things. Within six months they started having problems with the clothes, seams ripping out, and so on. They decided that they could do better. On July 29, 1989 Rochester Custom Leathers (RCL), a store specializing in leather apparel and some adult/fetish merchandise, came into existence taking up residence at Village Gate. John and Walt did a lot of the work themselves, but they also had to two full-time employees, two part time, and three people on call. Chuck and Walt also operated the MultiCom 4 computer bulletin board.

From 1997 to 1998, Rochester Custom Leathers introduced a Coffee Bar into the store. Then in December of 1999 Chuck Antonelli and Walter Dyer sold Rochester Custom Leathers to Paul Pape. When Paul became the owner he changed the store's name to OUTlandish Videos and Gifts which has remained its name. He replaced the fetish/leather theme of the store with more of an LGBT interest. OUTlandish’s focus included LGBT mainstream and adult films as well as pride merchandise.