David Schneider

David Schneider was born in Zanesville, Ohio in 1938. He was a newspaper man who worked in Dayton, Ashland, and Columbus. In his interview he talks about his childhood in Zanesville, his family, and when he realized he was "different." Schneider dated women when he was younger and thought that he would eventually meet the "right" woman. He discusses moving to Dayton for his first job where he also had his first sexual experience with another man. He describes being drafted into the Army where he served as an Information Specialist at Fort Sam Houston in Texas. While there he found the gay community and got caught up in an Army investigation about his sexual orientation. Schneider returned to Ohio where he attended OU for journalism, continued his newspaper career, and met his first partner Richard. He describes the gay clubs in Columbus, police harassment, and the social scene outside of the clubs.
This oral history was recorded by Rob Berger as part of his mission to collect and share stories from the LGBT community of Central Ohio.
Ohio Memory: ohiomemory.org/digital/collec...