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Description
Oral history interview with Illinois State University alum Alfred Karge, Class of 1973. The interview was conducted by M. Nance and Zo Russell, students in WGSS 392/429 (Queer and Transgender Theory), on November 3, 2024.
Born in 1950 in Evergreen Park, Illinois, and raised on the south side of Chicago, Karge describes his working-class upbringing, early awareness of his sexuality, and the racial dynamics he encountered while attending Calumet High School, which transitioned from a majority white to a majority Black student body during his time there. After graduating high school, Karge became the first in his immediate family to attend college. He chose ISU partly due to a remark by one of his cousin’s friends that he had seen two men holding hands during a visit to campus.
Initially majoring in biology due to the influence of a beloved high school teacher, Karge quickly realized that the field did not align with his true interests in electronics and technology. After a brief and ultimately unfulfilling stint at Southern Illinois University’s vocational program, Karge returned to ISU and graduated with a degree in industrial technology. He recounts fond memories of Normal, Illinois, describing it as a welcoming, bike-friendly, semi-rural environment that suited his personality as a loner and someone seeking freedom from the constraints of urban life.
A pivotal and painful turning point came in 1969 when Karge was harassed and outed by fellow residents in Smith House of Watterson Towers. After a private late-night conversation with another gay student in his single dorm room was overheard, his peers posted a hostile note on his door, leading to ongoing bullying and threats. Attempts to seek support from university administrators were largely unhelpful; his relocation was denied on the grounds that it wouldn’t solve the issue. In response, Karge retaliated by humorously and subversively posting a satirical flyer titled “Miss Smith House Closet Queen Contest” on his door.
Karge transferred to Southern Illinois University at the conclusion of that school year and spent two quarters trying to find a place for himself in Carbondale, before eventually deciding to return to ISU. Once back, he became involved in the formation and development of Homophile ISU. Inspired by the earlier but short-lived ISU Gay Liberation Front and energized by the post-Stonewall political moment, he and others—including founder Terry Farrelly (later known as deg farrelly)—established the organization as a haven for gay and lesbian students. Karge vividly describes the first meetings, often marked by awkward silences due to participants’ fear and shyness, but which eventually blossomed into a dynamic community. Homophile ISU’s early activities included putting on a drag show, organizing a presentation by gay liberation pioneer Barbara Gittings, and attending a radicalizing conference in Milwaukee that led to them changing their name to Gay People’s Alliance (GPA).
Karge reflects on the challenges of being openly gay at a time when homosexuality was still classified as a psychiatric disorder. He recounts how he could never include his extensive LGBT organizing work on a résumé, despite its significance. He explains how Illinois' status as the first state to decriminalize consensual same-sex acts offered some legal protection, though not social acceptance. He describes instances of verbal harassment, the ever-present fear of violence, and discriminatory media portrayals, including a local murder case where the "homosexual panic" defense was employed. Yet despite the danger, Karge maintained a strong sense of identity, drawing pride and courage from the contributions of queer historical figures such as Leonardo da Vinci and Alexander the Great, whom he claimed as members of “his people.”
Karge also discusses his early use of the pink triangle—a Nazi-era symbol used to identify homosexuals in concentration camps—as a badge of resistance. In 1973, he created armbands featuring the triangle for members of Homophile ISU attending the Milwaukee conference, predating its widespread use as a queer symbol by several years. This emblem, combined with his Social Security number stitched onto his armband, became his personal and political commentary on societal repression and surveillance.
Karge also details GPA’s involvement with local community organizations, such as PATH, a crisis helpline, through which they provided anonymous counseling to homosexuals. One of the organization’s early public milestones was a broadcast on WJBC’s "Dialogue," a local call-in radio show where GPA members fielded community questions about homosexuality. Karge, who recorded the show clandestinely in his dorm room, emphasizes how the same cultural and religious debates from 1971 are still unresolved today.
In reflecting on his overall experiences at ISU, speaks fondly of ISU landmarks like Velvet Freeze and Avanti’s, recounts his evolving relationships with other students, and acknowledges the lasting friendships he formed through his activism. While he mulls certain missed opportunities, such as turning down a potential scholarship to Harvard offered under the assumption he was Black, he expresses no regret about his choices.
Interview Date
11-3-2024
Index
- Introduction; Karge’s early life: 00:00-02:32
- Visiting cousin at SIU, deciding to attend ISU: 02:32-05:52
- Majoring in biology; transferring to SIU; transferring back to ISU as an industrial technology major: 05:52-08:18
- Impressions of Bloomington-Normal: 08:18-09:27
- Industrial technology: 09:27-10:07
- Life for gay men in the 1960s and early 70s: 10:07-14:20; 58:23-1:01:35
- Terry Farrelly (deg farrelly): 14:27-15:29
- Outing at Watterson Towers; Miss Smith House Closet Queen Contest: 15:29-25:49
- ISU Gay Liberation Front; foundation of Homophile ISU; changing name to Gay People’s Alliance: 25:49-34:50
- Learning leadership skills; finding community in gay historical figures: 34:50-40:43
- Memories of Velvet Freeze ice cream parlor, Barbar Gittings appearance, national politics: 40:43-44:08
- Declassification of homosexuality as a mental illness: 44:08-45:08
- Early adoption of the pink triangle symbol: 45:08-49:19
- Karge’s career after graduating ISU: 49:19-51:06
- Harvard scholarship offer: 51:06-52:51
- Continuing relationships with ISU friends and classmates: 51:51-53:59
- Anecdote about helping a female student: 55:14-58:23
- Homophile ISU appearance on Dialogue: 1:01:25-1:07:36
- Conclusion: 1:07:36-1:09:08
Recommended Citation
Karge, Alfred, "Interview with Alfred Karge, Class of 1973" (1973). Alumni Oral Histories. 84.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/aoh/84
