Join Ovations and Stepping Out creators Dr. Wendy Chapkis and Megan MacGregor for a walking tour of significant Congress Street sites, followed by a conversation on queer placemaking led by Dr. Theodore Greene at the Equality Community Center.
ABOUT STEPPING OUT
Stepping Out: Portland Queer History Trail is a 1.5 mile self-guided tour through the downtown Portland exploring about a dozen locations and events important to local queer history. The materials for this history trail are drawn from the LGBTQ+ Collection of the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine at the University of Southern Maine. The history trail was made possible by a grant from The Maine Humanities Council and funding from the University of Southern Maine. The trail was created by USM professor Wendy Chapkis and USM librarians Mary F. Holt and Megan MacGregor with the assistance of student researchers. Portland Ovations’ one-hour walk will focus on 5 of the locations on the trail. The other sites can be accessed at: https://www.steppingoutportland.com/
INFORMATION
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2026 – 2 – 3 PM
MEET UP POINT AT CONGRESS SQUARE PARK
(RAIN DATE: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27)
FREE EVENT
RSVP through the red button to receive email reminders about this event.
ACCESSIBILITY
This is an outdoor event that follows public sidewalks.
ASL interpretation upon request.
Guests may listen to the speakers through livestreamed audio on personal headphones.
Wendy Chapkis, Professor Emerita and Presidential Scholar at the University of Southern Maine, has published widely on sexuality and gender. She was the University’s Faculty Scholar for the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine; created an oral history project, Querying the Past (https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/querying_ohproject/); and co-founded the Portland queer history trail, Stepping Out (https://steppingoutportland.com/).
