Rare footage of LGBTQ life in Georgia was documented on the “OutTV Atlanta” public access show at the turn of the millennium. Now it’s available for all to see online.

Georgia State University Library recently announced that the new addition to its Gender & Sexuality Collection contains 228 digitized tapes of raw footage from the show that have been uploaded to YouTube.

“OutTV Atlanta” producer Michael Maloney approached Ryan Roemerman, executive director of the LGBTQ Institute at the Center for Civil & Human Rights in Atlanta, about donating the collection. Roemerman then connected Maloney with Morna Gerrard, who manages Georgia State’s Gender & Sexuality Collection.

Roemerman said Maloney’s work carries “immense historic value.”

“As the dawn of the new millennium approached, Mr. Maloney and his reporters were capturing events and preserving the moments that allow us to dig deeper into the cultural and emotional landscape for LGBTQ people at that time,” Roemerman said in a press release. “The potential for use, especially amongst Georgia State University students, can provide young LGBTQ people today with a better understanding of a bygone era. These historic video recordings can convey what written words cannot always do, and are sure to be utilized in even greater numbers as time passes on.”

“OutTV Atlanta” ran weekly from 1999 to 2001 on stations in Atlanta and Savannah. With the show, Maloney sought to widen the focus on Georgia LGBTQ life beyond the nightlife scene.

The collection includes coverage of multiple LGBTQ non-profits (including the now-defunct YouthPride, top photo), performances by the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, the Queerstock music festival, author readings at the since-closed Outwrite Bookstore and coverage of the 2000 and 2001 Atlanta Pride festivals.

Browse the full “OutTV Atlanta” archive here, and see a sample from the collection below. 

Photo courtesy Georgia State University Library