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
| Members of CGM are very good at playing games. From Trivial Pursuit to Monopoly! Game night continues to be extremely popular and gives us an excuse to play with each other. | ||
| It was arts & crafts night, and Dean and Trisha brought a big box of treats in the form of stained glass, Christmas cards, and candles. Trisha demonstrated her scissoring technique, with her homemade Christmas cards. Dean removed his candle from Trisha’s box and put it in Roderick’s hands, as Roderick was declared the winner of the candle raffle. He knows exactly where he’ll put it next! | ||
| Masterbanker Craig St. Pierre gave us his version of the money shot, standing at full mast while we coaxed with determination every last drop of banking information out of him. He kept us on the edge with his expert oral presentation. To get in on the action visit him at the Granite State Credit Union in Concord. | ||
| Happy V.D.! Cupid’s bow was cocked and loaded, and with a fast and furious flick of his wrist, he shot his arrows all over us. Our guys dressed up in red and white and shared their stories of former crushes, past loves, and those unforgettable first times. | ||
| It was movie night! Because of time restraints we watched Female Trouble by John Waters. Everyone was left reeling from repulsion or squirming with astonishment! | ||
| It was "Ideas?" night, and our guys spewed a fresh load of suggestions for future meetings. We watched with throbbing anticipation as Bill Peterson and Charles Mitchell practiced on each other, giving us a preview of the play they will be starring in at the Concord City Auditorium on Valentine's Day. Josiah Richards led individuals to the back room for 1-on-1 sessions, where he probed us about issues pertinent to gay men. The last half hour was open for socialization, where we all became intimately acquainted. | ||
| It was Charades like you've never seen! We giggled, gyrated, and gesticulated as we acted out everything from Driving Miss Daisy to hysterectomies. I'd go into more detail about this evenings event but laws in this free country of ours prohibit me from doing so. | ||
| Oh what a night! We all sat erect as behavioral therapist Joseph Amico led a toe curling discussion on sexual addiction and promiscuity. Young love, self pleasure, and the Gay Men?s Sexual Addiction Screening Test were a few of the highlights. By the end of the evening our heads were swollen with loads of information. We savored everything that Joe had to offer and encouraged him to come again. | ||
| Last night's game night was a complete success! 5 different games were being played at the same time and those who chose not to play simply socialized with each other. It's nice to just sit and chill every once and a while with men who aren't hell bent on creating a hostile environment. | ||
| Happy New Year! In celebration of 2010, we all met together to share our resolutions and goals, which included: losing weight, joining a gym, having more sex, learning a new language, accepting others for who they are, accepting ourselves, and simply realizing that the smallest things can make us feel fresh and new again. We offered encouragement to meet new people, open our hearts and minds to one another, and share our hopes and struggles with our friends, as we each may be facing similar challenges. We should try new things and avoid stagnation, lest we become little old ladies. By not letting discouragement stand in the way, we can achieve our resolutions - and more! |