David Fagan was interviewed in 2010 by Ben Mitchell and Eric Zarsky.

Fagan agreed that the students could mount a Wikipedia entry about him. The original Wikipedia entry is provided below.

Informed consent, an audio recording, and extended paper documentation for the interview are available at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Return to the SWGS 201 interviewee list.

David Fagan (born on March 7, 1946 in Dallas, TX) is an educator, and historian/author in the Houston area. He is a former athlete who participated in and helped organize the Gay Games in the early 2000s.

Personal life and education

Fagan is the second of four children, and his father was a Methodist minister. He grew up in East Texas and Houston, and went to six different public schools before graduating from Charles H. Milby High School in 1964. He has one older brother and two younger sisters. David obtained a B.S. from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, a Masters from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a PhD from Florida State University in American Literature.(1, 2) 

Fagan first came out to his family as homosexual when his first lover Howard Cowell was diagnosed with AIDS. He had discovered he was gay during his years spent in graduate school at Florida State when he was twenty-seven years old. In 1987 Fagan was dealt an emotional blow when his lover Joseph Holton succumbed to AIDS. He used the death of his partner as a focal point in his athletic career.(3)

Involvement in the Gay Games and athletics

Fagan began bodybuilding because he was looking for a focal point both mentally and physically. He felt that the games were a way to create a positive image for himself. He wanted to “rebuild” himself (this in response to losing his partner to AIDS). Being an avid traveler, he found that the Gay Games were the perfect fit for his life.(4)

Fagan was a participant in the bodybuilding events at the Gay Games. He competed in bodybuilding in Amsterdam in 1998, and made the night show competition, where he got 4th place.(5, 6)  He helped organize the event in Sydney in 2002, and participated in the billiards competition. David lost in the first round of billiards to the previous Games’ winner.(7) 

Fagan became one of the facilitators for putting a Team Houston organization together. He helped coordinate the Team Houston organization for the Gay Games after the split between the Gay Games and the World Outgames in 2006.(8, 9)  He led the Team Houston Board during the split between the Gay Games and the World Outgames. He worked to ensure support and access for Houston athletes to both international sporting events and Team Houston sent delegations to Chicago and Montreal. Fagan chose to compete in Montreal. The team aspect of the Gay Games provided him with a sense of camaraderie that he extended to his efforts in the GLBT community.(10) 

Career

Fagan was involved with the Accelerated Center for Education in the Houston area, which specializes in educating children with exceptional intellectual abilities or those that are in need of special assistance.(11, 12)  Many of the students he taught were the first high school graduates from their families. He was a faculty member of UH Downtown during the first year it became a part of the UH system. He then worked at Houston Community College. He also worked at Galena Park ISD for North Shore High School. His career path led him to areas in which he could assist people who would not have achieved without special assistance. Having retired from education, he currently works at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston as a security guard.(13) 

Involvement in the GLBT community

Fagan is involved in many aspects of the GLBT community. He was an athlete in the Gay Games, which promotes unity amongst people not only in the gay community but also throughout the world. He co-wrote a 30-year history about the Pride Parade and other political aspects surrounding it in Houston, TX.(14, 15) 

He aligns himself with the Democratic Party, and is a block-voter. He has also been present at several political rallies. Was involved in all marches but the first march on Washington, D.C. for Lesbian and Gay rights. In 1987 he participated in the Second National March for Lesbian and Gay rights, which was the also the first display of the AIDS quilt. In 1993 he marched on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi-sexual rights and Liberation. Fagan also participated in the Millenium March in 2000 and the Equality March in 2009.(16)  He has participated in rallies against Anita Bryant and Dr. Laura Schlessinger.(17) 

References

1. ^ The Advocate. August 18th, 1998. Page 83. http://books.google.com/books?id=BWQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA83&lpg=PA83&dq=The+Gay+Games:+david+fagan&source=bl&ots=--zcNXU2v3&sig=-hGEpDVL_UmINQPcVBYeZWD7-UI&hl=en&ei=66d8S5HFOZz48Qa9nvnDBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CA8Q6AEwAw
2. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
3. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
4. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
5. ^ musclememory.com (http://musclememory.com/show.php?s=david+fagan&g=M)
6. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
7. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
8. ^ www.gaygames.net
9. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
10. ^ http://houstonarch.pbworks.com/David-Fagan
11. ^ . Accelerated Center for Education. http://www.trulia.com/schools/TX-Houston/Accelerated_Center_For_Education/
12. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
13. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
14. ^ Outsmart.com (http://outsmartmagazine.com/cms-this_issue/200806--Thirty+Years+of+Pride.html)
15. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
16. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010
17. ^ See interview on file at Rice University, March 2010