By Matthew Moorhead

Montgomery County Community College will host the Long Road to LGBTQ+ Equality in PA, a traveling panel exhibition created by the LGBT Center of PA, sponsored by the Montgomery County LGBT Business Council, and co-sponsored by the PA LGBT History Network.

The exhibit is on display now through October 18 on the College’s Central Campus in the Fine Arts Center Gallery, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell.

The opening reception for the Long Road to LGBTQ+ Equality in PA will be held Friday, October 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. Both the exhibition and the reception are free and open to the community.

The traveling exhibition will then be displayed at various locations on campus. From October 7-11, it will be on display in the Health Sciences Center main lobby, and from October 14-18, it will be in the Parkhouse Hall Atrium. The exhibition will then move to the North Hall Gallery on MCCC’s West Campus, 16 East High Street, Pottstown from November 4-8.

The exhibit is premiering in 2019 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Bar raid and riots in New York City, which set forward the demand for LGBTQ+ rights.

Montgomery County LGBT Business Council founder and MCCC alumnus Richard Buttacavoli helped Galleries Director Patrick Rodgers organize the traveling exhibit on campus.

“As an alumnus of MCCC, I am happy to bring this exhibit to the college through the Montgomery County LGBT Business Council,” Buttacavoli said. “The Council is thrilled that we have been an influencer in getting at least five ordinances passed in Montgomery County, and we continue to inspire other municipalities without protections for LGBT folk to do the same.”

Rodgers is excited to for community members to see the exhibit and learn about the history of LGBTQ+ activism in Pennsylvania.

“This exhibit is really the story of LGBTQ+ activism in Pennsylvania, including parts of Montgomery County,” Rodgers said. “Anyone who is curious about the history of that activism, about legal protections for LGBTQ+ people in this state, or about current efforts and activism in this area should definitely see this at one of the campus locations while it’s here.”

For more information about the exhibition, email Galleries Director Patrick Rodgers or call 215-619-7349. Follow MCCC Arts and Culture on Facebook for information about upcoming performances and art exhibitions.

The Fine Arts Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (though open late Friday, Oct. 4). The gallery is closed on weekends.