Bil Browning and Jerame Davis Papers
name: label: Creator
content: Browning, Bil
label: Creator
content: Davis, Jerame
label: Creator
content: Davis, Jerame Joe, 1975-
label: Creator
content: Browning, William Dale, 1972-
topic: label: Topic
content: Sexual orientation
label: Topic
content: Political activists
label: Topic
content: Lesbian and gay experience
label: Topic
content: Homosexuality
label: Topic
content: Gay activists
label: Topic
content: Discrimination in employment
label: Topic
content: LGBT
acqinfo: label: Provenance
content: The papers were donated by Bil Browning and Jerame Davis, in 2015.
creator: label: Creator
content: Browning, Bil
label: Creator
content: Davis, Jerame
label: Creator
content: Davis, Jerame Joe, 1975-
label: Creator
content: Browning, William Dale, 1972-
setName: label: See more items in
content: Bil Browning and Jerame Davis Papers
abstract: label: Summary
content: Bil Browning and his husband, Jerame Davis were activists for LGBT issues, locally in Indiana as well as nationally in Washington, D.C.
bioghist: label: Biographical / Historical
content: Bil Browning (William Dale Browning) was born in Zanesville, Ohio in 1972. Jerame Davis (Jerame Joe Davis) was born in Columbus, Indiana in 1975. After coming out as gay in high school, Browning joined the Clinton presidential election campaign and the organization ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in 1992. Davis worked for multiple LGBT organizations, including Indiana Equality, Indiana Fairness Network, Columbus Gay/Straight Alliance, Indiana Stonewall Democrats, and Pride at Work. 

In the late 1990s, Browning and Davis were involved in an employment discrimination case against Fast Max Sunoco in Indiana. This case served as a catalyst for them to continue championing LGBT rights. The same case resulted in their organizing the internet's first gay rights grassroots online action against the local company that had fired them. Since then, Browning has won multiple awards for his work as an activist.  He is also a board member of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, and an advisory board member of the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance. Davis has served as the executive director of the National Stonewall Democrats.

Together, Browning and Davis were the co-owners of the Bilerico Project, a group blog that chronicled Indiana politics and LGBT issues for nearly 11 years. On June 30th, 2015, Browning made his last post on the blog, saying that he was taking time off to work on his book. Browning and Davis separated in 2023.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 3.15 Cubic feet (13 boxes)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1972-2015, undated
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.1334
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Posters
label: Type
content: Scrapbooks
label: Type
content: Petitions
label: Type
content: Photographs
label: Type
content: Correspondence
label: Type
content: Identity cards
label: Type
content: Bumper stickers
label: Type
content: Periodicals
label: Type
content: Oral history
label: Type
content: Videocassettes
label: Type
content: Programs
label: Type
content: School records
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: This collection is arranged into six series.

Series 1: Personal Papers, 1972-2015, undated

Series 2: Activism Records, 1992-2012, undated

Series 3: Legal Records, 1991-2011, undated

Series 4: Publications, 1981-2014, undated

Series 5: Photographs, 1972-2006, undated

Series 6: Audiovisual, 1992-2008, undated
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Processed by Sara N. Dorfman, intern, 2015; supervised by Franklin A. Robinson, Jr., archives specialist.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Posters -- 21st century
label: Genre/Form
content: Scrapbooks -- 20th century
label: Genre/Form
content: Petitions
label: Genre/Form
content: Photographs -- 1980-2000
label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence -- 21st century
label: Genre/Form
content: Identity cards
label: Genre/Form
content: Bumper stickers
label: Genre/Form
content: Periodicals -- 21st century
label: Genre/Form
content: Oral history -- 2010-2020
label: Genre/Form
content: Videocassettes
label: Genre/Form
content: Programs -- 21st century
label: Genre/Form
content: School records -- 1980-2000
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The Bil Browning and Jerame Davis Papers consist of approximately 3.15 cubic feet documenting their activism on behalf of LGBT rights in Indiana, and includes correspondence, photographs, school papers, a scrapbook from Browning's youth, posters, petitions, handouts, bumper stickers, periodicals, conference and event programs, ID cards, VHS recordings, and printed materials. There are extensive notes from an oral history interview with Browning and Davis conducted by Archives Center intern, Sara Dorfman, in Series 1.

Series 1, Personal Papers, 1972-2015, undated, consists of correspondence between Browning and his friends and family, school-related materials such as yearbooks and report cards, an oral history interview, and a scrapbook from Browning's youth. The scrapbook contains materials pertaining to Browning's work with ACT-UP, along with letters and other personal materials.  

Series 2, Activism Records, 1992-2012, undated, contains papers from the Fast Max Sunoco employment discrimination case, papers from the Indiana Stonewall Democrats, conference and event programs, papers from Indiana Equality, papers from the Human Rights Campaign, papers from Pride at Work, a presentation on LGBT youth homelessness from the LGBT Editor/Blogger Convening, an invitation to the inauguration of President Obama, an invitation to LGBT Pride Month from the White House, and papers from the Bilerico LGBT Media Foundation. 

Series 3, Legal Records, 1991-2011, undated, contains financial records as well as papers from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development and documents regarding termination of child support paid by Browning's father.

Series 4, Publications, 1981-2014, undated, includes newspaper clippings relating to Browning's youth, LGBT events, and ACT-UP. It also contains pamphlets, hand-outs from conferences, and multiple LGBT periodicals from around the United States, such as the Washington Blade, that claims to be the oldest LGBT newspaper in the country.

Series 5, Photographs, 1972-2006, undated, contains photos from Browning's youth, friends and family of Browning and Davis, Browning's significant others, protests, and drag shows.

Series 6, Audiovisual, 1992-2008, undated, covers Browning's involvement with the organization ACT-UP, interviews with Browning, an open forum led by Jerame Davis in response to a protest against Cummins, a rally staged by the Indiana Action Network, and various clips from news programs covering some of these events.