My internship was under Susie back at the US. Some special collections. I will put the LGBT collection within the digital comments to document sir and LGBT events and community outreach support events both thematically and geographically with the exact as in within within the exact location that such events happened. So I had to work with archivists and historical societies to find local, to understand localized LGBT history, as well as the bigger concept of main LGBTQ history. Mean is a very interesting state as far as LGBT history goes. Because mean is geographically very large compared to other East Coast states. And because of this, there is a there is a separation between urban and rural within me. This separation historically made it difficult for communities such as the LGBT community to come together. Because there is so much isolation and these rural areas and there's so much physical lake, there's so much location between these people. And so much. There's, there's, it's very, very isolating to be in a rural manner compared to a bourbon Mayner and urban LGBT meter. Because of this, especially pre-Internet, because of this. Then people like the main Gay Task Force setup newsletters for these LGB. It's for the LGBT community at large to connect to the, both the rural and the urban algebra he's to one another and try to quash this LGBT isolation within main. So the LGBT history of main starts in 859. The embassy sweat was a woman living in Portland who wrote the first American, the first known American LGBT lesbian novel, LGBT lesbian novel. She published her, her, her novel is called love life or novel. This is where she explained. And she lets her adult life within Portland and within her novel, she explains her certain lesbian relationships with other women. So you can see through this. See sweat. She was an 859, a lesbian author. So you see that the Portland's LGBT history is long and starts in 859. In 1970, the gay male gaze taskforce came together to connect these rural meters in urban Mainers together and kind of quash this mean that LGBT isolation from location. And to do this, they did this through newsletters. Newsletters where there was free to add poetry or prose or art to the newsletter and send it out. It just costs a certain amount to receive it yourself. The groups strive to combat homophobia within their communities and around the nation and had a lot of connections to both Boston and New York. In 1974. Walls me banquet was not the the LGBT friendly space that we think of it today wasn't unquote, was very homophobic. One example of this is a bar was opened in 1973 called stay sure, it was a gay bar. And within the year, within the next year. So in 1974, the bar was unjustly rejected for its liquor license. Not long after there was an arsonist who burned down stage door and stops the the bar from running anymore. Very little is documented about this event from the police. What is documented is that there was an arsonist. No one no, There was no doubt nurse from what is left. There seems to be very little fight to find who this arsonist is. Very little motivation to solve this crime. But that is based on the documentation. Furthermore, so at the, at the same time, there's also a bar called Valerie, which is still open today, but under a different name. Valerie is in 1974, had some homophobic policies that they supported. For example, gay patrons could not be seen dancing together or during other homosexual activities with one another within their premises. And if they did, they would be kicked out of the bar. So because of all of this homophobia within 1974 within wells and then banquet, the main gay taskforce came together and decided to boycott. Wiles Meghan quit. So within these newsletters, you see multiple months of boycott well, as Nick, I'm correct. And then they also staged a protest to process these these homophobic events that have been happening with the 1974. This protest was a very interesting one there protesting both the, the burning of stage door and batteries. The protests began at stage your and then move to the wells police department. And then once they're moved to galleries, where police ensued. Police also were present and so were the just the public was, was there when they were in front of salaries. When this happened, a lot of public people began to throw stones and petals at the protesters. And the police were also present. And instead of stopping said rock throwers, the police actually confiscated the protesters signs instead. This is just another example of violence towards the LGBT community, both physically and emotionally. With the the polices in lack of compassion and justice for LGBT folks. A year later, and 975 Portland, Portland started the Portland mean woman's center. The pointer Woman Center was for women regardless of their sexuality, which was very different than what had been anything any centers for women in Portland as of yet? This will be a safe place for women. I also offered self-defense classes and divorce Counseling. This is very much meant to be a safe space for women during 1975. During that same year, There's also a main gate taskforce symposium. So the main LGBT community has a very long history of organizing events such as conferences and symposiums and that type of thing. And usually when they're organizing, these is focused fine. It's focused on activism. And that's why the LGBT community is so focused on activism. Today, is because that is what it started in 1975. The main gay task for symposium, which was previously and bank or was, was full of lectures and workshops to facilitate activism and anti homophobia work for the community at large. In 1984, National News heard of a tragedy within main. Charles oh, Howard. And I have a, I have a painting of him as my as my piece. Here. Charles though Howard was killed by three teams on Union Street Bridge in Bangor. He was killed for being flamboyant, homosexual. And he was a young guy. He was a young gay man who was heavily involved within the LGBT community and within the Unitarian universalist church. Howard. Howard's death made national news and inspired national protests. Because that's also inspired protest within Bangor where flowers were thrown over the bridge and books for a, a purple arm band to show their support in getting justice for Howard's horrible death. His death helps again, Support for the LGBT fight for rights. His death motivated people and brought support not only from other LGBT folks, but also from, from gained allies, gained allies nationally. Because Howard was somebody that was, that was, that seemed to be someone on an harmful someone who couldn't hurt anyone. And Howard's death really brought the LGBT community together for change. And also allies to help with this change. Means LGBT community. Means LGBTQ community is very strong and its strength is shown in all these depictions of homophobia blatant in Mainz historical communities. Despite display in homophobia, this LGBT, these LGBT communities had been very strong and have stood together despite harm, environments and death. I think this just further, these further blatant homophobic and homophobia and justices just go to show the strength of the LGBT community at large and within main. Thank you.