Barbara Ann Gibson volunteered to be faculty advisor for what was then unthinkable: a gay rights organization at UWM. She later recommended the group rebrand as Gay Liberation Organization to align with the national movement. The Gay Liberation Organization later shattered into two separate groups: the more radical Gay Liberation Front, and the more sociable Gay People's Union. Today, most Milwaukee LGBTQ organizations can trace their origins back to Gay People's Union.

But the GPU may not have existed as we know it without Barbara Gibson, the fearless woman who stepped forward to inspire people, lead change, and pursue justice that had long seemed impossible. She has been long overlooked for her leadership at an extremely pivotal time.

Project curator Michail Takach wrote the following biography of Gibson:

Mere months after the Stonewall Uprising, UW-Milwaukee students gathered to form the Homosexual Freedom League. Initially, their request was denied: all UW student groups needed to be led by a faculty advisor.

Coming out in the university system was unthinkable at the time. Teachers would immediately lose their jobs, if not their licenses, for being a known homosexual. Throughout the country, an emerging spirit of liberation was colliding with oppressive and bureaucratic policies that effectively prevented LGBTQ people from being seen.

But times were changing.

In February 1970, Barbara Gibson bravely stepped forward as advisor. As a writing instructor in the English Department, she was already leading the women's liberation group, and students convinced her to lead the HFL "until a time when faculty are free to be gay without persecution." At the time, Gibson was married to a man-- providing her the safety of an ally status that didn't attract public scrutiny.

Gibson was a fierce civil rights activist. She liked to tell people that she might have been born in Normal, Illinois, but her life was far from "normal." She was known for an outspoken personality, a powerful presence, and bringing people together for a cause. She also had a tremendous lust for life and seemingly limitless energy.

"I was with her in Mitchell Hall during the anti-war UWM student shutdown when she pulled the fire alarm that got her arrested," said contributor Bobby Lambert. "As I recall, she wore a white gown and a crown of thorns to her arraignment."

The UWM Post noted that Homosexual Freedom League was the second gay rights group in Wisconsin, following the Madison Alliance for Homosexual Equality (formed in fall 1969.) Gibson recommended the group rebrand as Gay Liberation Organization to align with the national movement. She had a tough job ahead of her: some members wanted to build a community, other members wanted cultural revolution by any means necessary. By the second meeting, these conflicting viewpoints were already unmanageable.

The gay rights movement radicalized quickly, especially after some students attended the Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention of 1970.

"One side wanted to host square dances so they could meet dates," remembered founding member Chuckie Betz. "The other side wanted to march in the streets, scare the hell out of straight people, and force change. Nobody could agree on anything."

In early 1971, Gay Liberation Organization had shattered into two separate groups: the more radical Gay Liberation Front, and the more sociable Gay People's Union. While GLF would dissolve within a few years, GPU became one the nation's leading gay rights organizations of the 1970s.

Ironically, GPU would achieve most of the aggressive changes GLF demanded. They effectively dismantled multiple systems of oppression that had kept LGBTQ people disconnected and unseen for generations. Today, most Milwaukee LGBTQ organizations can trace their origins back to Gay People's Union.

But none of this would have been possible without Barbara Gibson, the fearless woman who stepped forward to inspire people, lead change, and pursue justice that had long seemed impossible. She has been long overlooked for her leadership at an extremely pivotal time.

After nine years at UWM, Gibson eventually relocated to Olympia, Washington, where she continued a long career as poet, playwright, faith leader, mental health counselor, animal lover, and environmental activist. She and her wife, Carol, enjoyed their time with children, grandchildren, and pets after retirement. She passed away in April 2017 at age 86.