A History of Gay Support in Concord
Although not a big city, Concord has hosted gay men's support groups since at least the early 1980s. The earliest known reference is an announcement of a young men's group that met on Sunday nights in Concord; this appeared in the November, 1982 newsletter for Seacoast Gay Men, itself only 3 years old at the time. Two months later, SGM reported that it was distributing N.H. Services for Gay Men, a paper written by "the Concord Group." The card at right joins these items and gives us a name; it was printed in the June, 1983 SGM newsletter. Thanks to SGM for access to their archive for this information.
The group itself would eventually adopt the name "Gay Men's Professional Association." The first reference to this group appears in the ? SGM newsletter. This group probably continued to meet until the early 1990s. Expect this to be revised if I learn more.
Around 1993, "Out & Proud," a support group for gay men began meeting on Friday nights above Foodees downtown. The late Jim Bretz served as the moderator for this group during it's six-year run. He also answered the phone at the Gay Info Line and was one of the most actively involved people in the state. Out & Proud celebrated its 5th anniversary at an apartment clubhouse in 1998 with about 20 people in attendance. But by June of 1999, as meeting attendance slowly dissipated to 5-6 men per week, Jim announced that he would step down as moderator.
After Jim's last meeting in late June, the 4 remaining regulars decided that a gay men's support group was still viable in Concord. During July, the group examined what it was that kept newcomers from sticking. The brainstorming led to only one solution: break free from Concord's old Friday night formula, remain vigilant of cliques, be welcoming in whatever we do, and find a brighter, friendlier place to meet. Four newcomers had arrived during July to join us still on the ground floor. These 8 men, CGM's "Founders," held an election, asking Jeremy to lead the group as its new moderator. Jeremy's first meeting was held on July 30.
By August, it was clear that the original Out & Proud was closed, so only 1 question remained. Who are we? Jeremy asked that the attendees submit possible names, with a vote to be held at the end of the month. Many names were submitted, but only 1 prevailed. The first full meeting of Capital Gay Men was held on September 3, 1999. Jeremy was the moderator and Dave was the treasurer. CGM inherited $52 left over from Out & Proud's treasury. CGM moved into it's new home, the U.U. Church in Concord on November 12, thanks to the efforts of Mike E.
Like all new groups, CGM had growing pains. Jeremy preferred to let the group grow and evolve on its own, rather than be led by individual vision. Thus, meetings often included a "business segment" to gather input on decisions. By June of 2000, some of these segments consumed the entire meeting time. A workgroup formed to move business decisions offline. A new structure was created to serve as the backbone of CGM, which solved many problems.
More to come...
Recent Meetings at CGM
| Bill A. hosted movie night. The movie was Oh Happy Day. The film was about two guys battle through the consequences of having had a one-night stand just before they started working together, and learn that to make a relationship work, you have to reveal everything | ||
| Jeffrey Albair facilitated his first meeting as Vice President 2009! The meeting was a Focus Group style discussion. Topic: CGM: Who we are, Who we want to be, and How do we get there! Members were asked various questions for discussion, such as: Why are you a member? What makes you attend meetings? What would make the group better for you? #1 answer to why are you a member is: CGM provides a safe place for gay men to gather and make friends! | ||
| CGM’s annual Yankee Swap was a big success everyone went home happy with the presents they received. Many thanks to Dennis for making lovely holiday center pieces, wreaths and wall hangings. Jeffrey’s glittering center piece was on display for the group to see before the Currier Gallery Art tour 12/20/08. | ||
| Some of the 18 members attending tonight were part of the 350,000 people with out power due to the ice storm, so it was nice for them to be able to have a place to go for a short while, relax, and see the documentary hosted by Bill A. Straight Acting: A story about queers and sports. The unseen world of gay men who play contact sports, defying both gay culture and straight expectations. | ||
| Some of the 18 members attending tonight were part of the 350,000 people with out power due to the ice storm, so it was nice for them to be able to have a place to go for a short while, relax, and see the documentary hosted by Bill A. Straight Acting: A story about queers and sports. The unseen world of gay men who play contact sports, defying both gay culture and straight expectations. | ||
| Annual meeting and election of the 2009 board of directors. After the meeting, we held a licking and stuffing party to redistribute an introductory letter to more than 30 therapists and counselors across the state. | ||
| Dennis Kucinich invited himself to the meeting but didn't show...perhaps Iowa was even more sobering than we thought. Alas, we discussed the New Year’s Eve civil union celebration, the Concord Monitor coverage, and the Baptist response. We also discussed the upcoming primary and the somewhat rapid liberalization of New Hampshire. | ||
| Bill showed part II of a documentary on the ex-gay movement. | ||
| Christmas Party and Yankee Gift Swap. Tonight we enjoyed a hot supper from the Puritan Backroom. Yum! Dennis M. raffled pieces of his art, too. | ||
| “Being Gay In World War II.” The Rev. Robert Wood was our guest again tonight to share another of his fascinating life stories. This time he spoke of basic training, his months in combat, taking a bullet and bayonet, and recuperating from these injuries. He brought his diary from this period. He has a list of demands for politicians, including the reversal of dishonorable discharges for folks kicked out solely for being gay. Bob earned a rare but genuine standing ovation from the group tonight. |