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Title
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John Gawlas, Oral History Interview, 2022
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Performer
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John Gawlas
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Interviewer
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Matt Jones
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Description
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On February 3, 2022, Jones talked to former Ypsilanti city council-member and participant in the ordinance efforts, John Gawlas. Since he was a council-member at the time that Tri-Pride's complaint was filed, Gawlas became quickly familiar with the campaigns. His position with the city put him in a place where he worked alongside fellow council-members, as well as the activists pushing for the ordinance. After the Human Relations Commission became involved, Gawlas was appointed as a member of the sub-committee tasked with drafting the ordinance proposal. During the initial passage and subsequent defense, he formed a close relationship with Lisa Zuber, former co-chair of Ypsi Campaign for Equality and another participant in this project. The couple eventually got engaged, and held their wedding on the anniversary of the ordinance's successful defense! In this interview, Gawlas recalls his fellow city council-members, the ordinance process, and how he's seen his own neighborhood here change since then.
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Exact Date
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02-03-2022
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Subject
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Eastern Michigan University Archives, EMU Oral History Program, Ypsilanti, Ypsi, Ypsilanti history, LGBTQ activism, PFLAG, Tri-Pride, WRAP, city council, local government, nondiscrimination ordinance, community orgs, Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, Depot Town, social justice
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Collection Location
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013.OH_OOTM
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Run Time
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1 hour, 57 minutes, 21 seconds
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Language
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English
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Rights
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Copyright to the audio resource and its transcript is held by the content creator, author, artist or other entity, and is provided here for educational purposes only. It may not be reproduced or distributed in any other format without written permission of the copyright owner, Eastern Michigan University Archives (lib_archives@emich.edu).
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