Long before Pride parades and Supreme Court arguments over Marriage Equality, LGBTQ+ people have been part of the fabric of American life. In this program by Dr. Christopher Mielke and local historian Ron Padrón, we will look at the hidden queer history of colonial America and the young Republic. Through documented histories of queer and gender non-conforming individuals, our speakers will cover the evolution of gender and sexuality in the mid-Atlantic over three centuries, and challenges face by Revolutionary War generals, African American schoolteachers and female husbands, among others.

Christopher Mielke received his PhD in Medieval Studies in 2017. He is currently the Head of Programming at the Beverly Heritage Center as an AmeriCorps Member with the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area. Closer to home, he was a researcher at the Hammond-Harwood House and an intern with the Maryland State Archives. He speaks on the subject of LGBTQ+ history and has organized queer history tours of Annapolis.

Ron Padron is an amateur historian and researcher living in Greenbelt. He has presented on the witches of colonial Maryland, particularly Rebecca Fowler – the only person accused and executed by the colonial government for being a witch. He is also an advocate for LGBTQ+ students and other marginalized communities.

Included with your ticket are happy hour drinks and snacks.

This History Happy Hour is sponsored by Therrien Waddell Construction Group and the MoCo Pride Center.