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Title: Ronald H. Schmidt papers
Dates: 1988-1999
Collection Number: 2005-03
Creator/Collector:
Schmidt, Ronald H.
Extent: 7 linear feet (5 cartons, 1 poster tube)
Repository:
GLBT Historical Society
San Francisco, California 94103
Abstract: Ronald H. Schmidt taught middle school in the Morgan Hill Unified School District; he was the first openly gay teacher in
the district and an activist for queer students and teachers. The bulk of the collection contains materials related to protecting
queer students’ rights and promoting an inclusive and diverse curriculum in the schools.
Language of Material: English
Collection is open for research. Some materials, including student evaluations in Carton 2, may be restricted; please contact
the GLBT Historical Society archives for details.
[Identification of item]. Ronald H. Schmidt papers. Collection Number: 2005-03. GLBT Historical Society
Gift of Ronald H. Schmidt on March 8, 2005.
Biography/Administrative History
Ronald H. Schmidt taught middle school in the Morgan Hill Unified School District; he was the first openly gay teacher in
the district and an activist for queer students and teachers. He was an active member of many organizations, including the
Bay Area Network of Gay and Lesbian Educators (BANGLE), the GLBT caucus of the California Teachers Association (CTA), and
the Arts Council of Gay and Lesbian San Jose. Schmidt was also a journalist for Our Paper Your Paper, an LGBT newspaper from
Santa Clara County.
Scope and Content of Collection
The bulk of the collection contains materials related to protecting queer students’ rights and promoting an inclusive and
diverse curriculum in the schools. There are records pertaining to harassment of LGBT youth in Morgan Hill schools, including
Schmidt’s documentation of homophobic incidents, his notes on LGBT issues, hate mail, and materials related to school board
controversies and to Flores v. Morgan Hill Unified School District, a lawsuit filed by six students who sued the district
for failing to protect them from harassment. There are also subject files related to ending discrimination against LGBT youth
in schools more generally, including correspondence, ephemera, lesson plans, news clippings, presentations, reports, workshop
materials, and materials related to BANGLE and CTA. The collection also contains some of Schmidt’s awards and certificates,
videotapes, audiotapes and artifacts. Researchers interested in Schmidt’s journalism can consult copies of Our Paper Your
Paper, which can be found in the GLBTHS Periodical Collection. GSSO linked terms: http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/GSSO_000374;
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/NCIT_C16529; http://2Fpurl.obolibrary.org/obo/LifO_0000064
Education
Gay men
Law