Rockin' at Rockwell: Gerber Hart Library and Archives marks 45 milestone years
Wed. September 30, 2026 3:48 PM by GoPride.com News Staff
photo credit // michael oboza
A night of celebration, awards, and drag performances marked 45 years of the Midwest's longest-circulating independent LGBTQ archive.
CHICAGO, ILL. -
By Michael Oboza, Special to GoPride.com
A full house at Rockwell on the River cheered as Gerber Hart Library and Archives celebrated 45 years of community service. The gala fundraiser brought together community leaders, supporters, and prominent figures to honor the institution's rich history and future.
The GHLAA gala was hosted by Emmy Award winner Matt Rodrigues with special guest drag entertainer Coco Sho-Nell. In attendance was Antonio King, director of LGBTQ affairs for the Chicago mayor's office. Following a performance of "When You're Good to Mama" by Coco Sho-Nell, board of directors co-chairs James Conley and Kevin Nunley delivered opening remarks.
"Can you believe it? It has been 45 years," Conley said as the standing-room-only crowd cheered.
"We raise funds tonight for the future of GHLAA, where our foundation and our books happen to be, so our next generations can find and see themselves through time. Special thank you to our board of directors, volunteers and staff. Special thank you to Ash, Jen, Erin and Michael. They are the heart of GHLAA."
Windy City Performing Arts followed with a performance of "Pink Pony Club" before Erin Bell, volunteer award presenter and GHLAA operations director, took the stage to honor Roland C. Hansen. A retired librarian and GHLAA volunteer since 1982, Hansen received the John H. Mueller Volunteer Service Award.
"Since I started as a volunteer nine years ago, I looked up to Roland," Bell said.
"I think I'm the longest living GHLAA volunteer," Hansen said as he spoke softly about his love for history, books and community.
The evening also featured performances by Naveena Lovelace, a member of the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, drag artist and member of the Kiki Queens Performing Arts group. Following Lovelace's performance, Jen Dentel, friendship and freedom award presenter and GHLAA community outreach and strategic partnerships manager, spoke about being inspired by Carrie Barnett.
"The lights stayed on because of Barnett's leadership," Dentel said.
Barnett, co-owner of People Like Us Books, served on the GHLAA board of directors in 1990 and returned to the board from 2012 to 2018, helping open the library at its current location. A Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inductee recognized for her dedication to community resources and access to queer books, Barnett received the Friendship and Freedom Award.
Barnett described early grassroots advocacy during an uncertain time regarding the future of the library.
"I volunteered 37 years ago," Barnett said. "I was a volunteer when there was not a lot of books, because there weren't that many books back then."
The program also featured a screening of a film titled "45 Years in the Archives" by Eesha Patkar, featuring Kathy Forde, former Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris, Russell Myers and Marti Smith. To conclude the gala, Coco Sho-Nell returned for an encore performance of "I Am What I Am."
Roots in history
Recognized as the Midwest's longest-circulating independent, nonprofit organization and a Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inductee, GHLAA has long preserved intersectional and international LGBTQ visibility, community and history, taking its name from early gay and lesbian pioneers.
In 1924, the first recognized gay rights organization in the United States, the Society for Human Rights, was founded in Chicago by veteran Henry Gerber. After being fired for conduct unbecoming, Gerber supported the Mattachine Society and ONE, and he earned posthumous induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame after his death in 1972.
As one of the first female criminal defense attorneys in Chicago, Pearl M. Hart earned the title guardian angel of the gay community by successfully addressing unlawful bar raids and obscenity charges. She also earned posthumous induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame after her death in 1975.
At the gala fundraiser, guests also reflected on local nightlife history, noting that police once raided Carol's Speakeasy, which opened in the late 1970s. The venue featured a mouth display named for Mother Carol (Richard Carroll Farnham), with the tongue symbolizing the loud mouth of Mother Carol herself.
A full house at Rockwell on the River cheered as Gerber Hart Library and Archives celebrated 45 years of community service. The gala fundraiser brought together community leaders, supporters, and prominent figures to honor the institution's rich history and future.
The GHLAA gala was hosted by Emmy Award winner Matt Rodrigues with special guest drag entertainer Coco Sho-Nell. In attendance was Antonio King, director of LGBTQ affairs for the Chicago mayor's office. Following a performance of "When You're Good to Mama" by Coco Sho-Nell, board of directors co-chairs James Conley and Kevin Nunley delivered opening remarks.
"Can you believe it? It has been 45 years," Conley said as the standing-room-only crowd cheered.
"We raise funds tonight for the future of GHLAA, where our foundation and our books happen to be, so our next generations can find and see themselves through time. Special thank you to our board of directors, volunteers and staff. Special thank you to Ash, Jen, Erin and Michael. They are the heart of GHLAA."
Windy City Performing Arts followed with a performance of "Pink Pony Club" before Erin Bell, volunteer award presenter and GHLAA operations director, took the stage to honor Roland C. Hansen. A retired librarian and GHLAA volunteer since 1982, Hansen received the John H. Mueller Volunteer Service Award.
"Since I started as a volunteer nine years ago, I looked up to Roland," Bell said.
"I think I'm the longest living GHLAA volunteer," Hansen said as he spoke softly about his love for history, books and community.
The evening also featured performances by Naveena Lovelace, a member of the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, drag artist and member of the Kiki Queens Performing Arts group. Following Lovelace's performance, Jen Dentel, friendship and freedom award presenter and GHLAA community outreach and strategic partnerships manager, spoke about being inspired by Carrie Barnett.
"The lights stayed on because of Barnett's leadership," Dentel said.
Barnett, co-owner of People Like Us Books, served on the GHLAA board of directors in 1990 and returned to the board from 2012 to 2018, helping open the library at its current location. A Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inductee recognized for her dedication to community resources and access to queer books, Barnett received the Friendship and Freedom Award.
Barnett described early grassroots advocacy during an uncertain time regarding the future of the library.
"I volunteered 37 years ago," Barnett said. "I was a volunteer when there was not a lot of books, because there weren't that many books back then."
The program also featured a screening of a film titled "45 Years in the Archives" by Eesha Patkar, featuring Kathy Forde, former Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris, Russell Myers and Marti Smith. To conclude the gala, Coco Sho-Nell returned for an encore performance of "I Am What I Am."
Roots in history
Recognized as the Midwest's longest-circulating independent, nonprofit organization and a Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame inductee, GHLAA has long preserved intersectional and international LGBTQ visibility, community and history, taking its name from early gay and lesbian pioneers.
In 1924, the first recognized gay rights organization in the United States, the Society for Human Rights, was founded in Chicago by veteran Henry Gerber. After being fired for conduct unbecoming, Gerber supported the Mattachine Society and ONE, and he earned posthumous induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame after his death in 1972.
As one of the first female criminal defense attorneys in Chicago, Pearl M. Hart earned the title guardian angel of the gay community by successfully addressing unlawful bar raids and obscenity charges. She also earned posthumous induction into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame after her death in 1975.
At the gala fundraiser, guests also reflected on local nightlife history, noting that police once raided Carol's Speakeasy, which opened in the late 1970s. The venue featured a mouth display named for Mother Carol (Richard Carroll Farnham), with the tongue symbolizing the loud mouth of Mother Carol herself.