Lesbian feminism

Abstract

Abe Louise Young is a poet, activist, Sophia Smith Scholar in Poetry, and a founder of the Poetry Center at Smith College. Collection contains correspondence; diaries; poetry and writings; passport; flyers, brochures and newsletters pertaining to the women's movement and lesbian activism; and miscellaneous printed material, memorabilia, and photographs. A typescript of an interview with Elizabeth Alexander, first director of the Smith Poetry Center, is also included.

Abstract Alison Bechdel is a lesbian cartoonist best known for her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For. The collection documents her illustrative and written works. It includes extensive drafts, drawings, and notes (referred to by Bechdel as sketches) that formed the basis for her comics from the mid-1980s onwards. Other material includes business correspondence, character and topic development files, manuscript edits, fan mail, interviews, reviews, publicity materials,...

Abstract Barbara J. Love is a feminist activist and writer. Among other projects she founded the Pioneer Feminist Project, which resulted in publication of Feminists Who Changed America (2006), the first comprehensive directory to document many of the founders and leaders, including both well-known and grassroots organizers of the Second Wave Women's Movement.The collection includes administrative files for the project, as well as the biographical files pertaining to...

Abstract

Blanche Wiesen Cook is a scholar and widely published author. This collection includes materials pertaining to Cook's biography of Eleanor Roosevelt; to her professional activities in the field of women's history and women's studies, including audio and video recordings of her lectures, speeches, and television appearances; and a small amount of biographical information.

Abstract

Lesbian activist. The Carmen Vázquez Papers document Vazquez's activism for gay and lesbian rights; they include materials pertaining to gay and lesbian health issues, as well as Vazquez's interest and involvement in broader issues of race and class. The collection includes diaries, correspondence, biographical information, an interview, photographs, memorabilia, writings speeches.

Abstract Documenting Lesbian Lives is a collection of life histories with people who consider themselves to be (presently or at one time) lesbian, queer or bisexual. The project provides a complex and nuanced collective story of American lesbian history and experience. Narrators include grassroots activists and political organizers; educators and academics; musicians, writers, and artists; as well as community and religious leaders. They come from a variety of class, ethnic, racial, social, and...

Abstract Writer; Reporter; Lesbian activist. The Dolores Alexander Papers consist of correspondence, writings, and other documents pertaining to Alexander's work as a writer (freelance and as employed by Time, Inc.); files pertaining to Alexander's activism in NOW, Women Against Pornography, and to broader feminist and lesbian issues; files documenting the history of Mother Courage Restaurant in New York; books and audiovisual materials on the subject of achieving financial independence, and...

Abstract

The collection contains personal and professional papers reflecting Elizabeth Kennedy's role as one of the pioneers in the field of Women's Studies and LGBTQ Studies as well as her activism, both in Buffalo, NY and in Arizona. Especially well documented is the emergence of Women's Studies as a viable academic field, as well as the opening up of American Studies and cultural anthropology.

Scope and Contents

Writings about lesbian and feminist issues by Shumsky and others; fliers; minutes of meetings of Radical Lesbians (NYC); other printed materials; photographs (photocopies); and 7 issues of the newspaper, Come Out. The photographs are identified and provide excellent documentation of women together - working, relaxing, marching, etc., and the written and printed materials offer a very good record of aspects of radical gay and lesbian political activism.

Scope and Contents From the Collection:

The Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History Periodicals Collection includes over 1,500 titles of current and historical, U.S. and international women's magazines, newsletters, and other serials dating from the 18th century to the present. Periodicals of the suffrage and birth control movements, and the mid-twentieth century women's liberation movement are well represented. Holdings range from full-runs to single issues for certain titles. Some titles are on microfilm.

Abstract

This collection consists of printed materials that document the evolution of attitudes and approaches to lesbian, gay, and bisexual people and organizations from 1932-1995 (mostly the 1970s), and documents the political struggles of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals to oppose homophobic discrimination in U.S. society. Also of interest are numerous newsletters, periodicals and leaflets that document lesbian organizing in Western Massachusetts.

Abstract Alma Routsong (pseudonym Isabel Miller) was born in 1924 in Traverse City, Michigan, the daughter of a nurse and a police officer. She was the author of nine books, many concerning lesbian feminist themes. The collection includes diaries, correspondence, research and manuscript materials, astrological charts of women, books by Miller (some in foreign languages); books from Miller's library; photographs; transparencies of Miller's family, friends and travels; memorabilia; artwork; and...

Abstract Joan E. Biren, known as JEB, is a filmmaker, photographer, and lesbian activist who has been professionally known for documenting lesbian lives and communities since the 1970s. She became particularly well known in the 1980s for her slideshow and historical lecture affectionately known as The Dyke Show, with which she toured extensively. This collection includes JEB’s personal and professional records, and is rich in documentation of her photography and...

Abstract The Joann Aalfs papers document the New Bedford Women's Center (founded circa 1969), of which Aalfs was a member. She kept complete and highly detailed records that provide excellent documentation of the beginnings of this grassroots women's organization, the personal and political dimensions of the problems its members sought to address and remedy, as well as the economic, social and cultural context in which it existed. Much of the correspondence is family-related, over multiple...

Abstract Katherine Triantafillou was the first openly gay person to practice law privately in Massachusetts when she opened her doors in 1975. She continues to specialize in lesbian and gay issues, and offers legal council for victims of domestic violence and other disadvantaged citizens. Her papers contain biographical information, correspondence, photographs, AV material, syllabi and course packets from courses she taught at several Boston area law schools, documentation of cases she litigated, and...

Abstract

The collection has personal and professional papers of Lauren Taylor. The papers include the 1979 founding of My Sister's Place and the organizing of the city's first Take Back the Night march. The material also reflects the rise of the feminist self-defense movement, including Taylor's self-defense organization, Defend Yourself.

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Lesléa Newman is an American author and editor whose writing explores lesbian, feminist, and Jewish themes and their intersection. The collection contains materials documenting her professional career as a writer, speaker, and teacher, including drafts of writing, correspondence, speeches, and audiovisual material.

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Mary Daly (1928-2010) was a radical feminist philosopher, author, lecturer, and professor of religious and women's studies. This collection includes records of her personal and professional life. Of particular interest are Daly's fight with Boston College, her writing process, and her argument with Audre Lorde.

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First held in 1976 in Oceana County, Michigan, the Michigan Womyn's Musical Festival (also known as MichFest or MWMF) was entirely staffed, built, attended, and run by women. The collection contains festival programs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and memorabilia.

Scope and Contents

This publication profiles lesbian mothers in custody battles for their children and documents custody laws in the United States. It was published by the Lesbian Mothers' National Defense Fund from Seattle, Washington.

Scope and Contents

Published on Lawrence, Kansas, Monthly Cycle was "a newsletter for the Lesbian community, for sharing skills, services, thoughts and ideas."

Abstract The North Fork Women for Women Fund was founded in 1992 by a group of lesbians who had been living on the North Fork of Long Island, New York since the 1970s. Its primary purpose is to provide financial assistance to its members for uninsured medical expenses. This collection includes NFWFWF newsletters and flyers; results of a 2002 questionnaire; photocopies of interviews of Patsy Rogers and Lucille Goodman; videotapes; NFWFWF Board of Directors' minutes, reports, and financial information;...

Abstract

Architect; film maker; lesbian activist; feminist; founder, Women's School of Planning and Architecture; and professor. The Birkby papers include her own documentation of women's activities through various forms of documentation. Materials include films, photographs, journals, writings, and correspondence with several notable feminists.

Abstract Rosemary Keefe (1940-2012) was a feminist scholar and pioneer in the field of women’s studies as well as a social justice activist. She was a former Catholic nun who left her order, married, had a daughter, divorced and ultimately came out as a lesbian. Keefe became nationally known with the 1985 publication of the controversial book Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence, which she wrote with Nancy Manahan. The Rosemary Keefe papers include personal and...

Abstract Lesbian activists; Teacher, Health and Physical Education; Professor; Counselor. The Ruthie Berman and Connie Kurtz Papers include personal correspondence and emails, scrapbooks, photographs, and files related to gay and lesbian rights, same-sex marriage, and women's rights. The collection also includes audiovisual materials, production notes, and public relations materials pertaining to the documentary about the couple: Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House (2002). The most recent...

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Self-published magazines created primarily by women and girls who share a strong feminist perspective. Topics include "third wave" feminism, lesbian relationships, erotica, African American experiences around gender, and fat liberation. The collection is comprised primarily of individual issues, mostly dating from the 1990s.

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Theresa Carr was an activist and became involved in numerous political activities during her lifetime. Her papers include correspondence, journals, poetry, photographs, minutes, pamphlets, fliers, and organizational records. Also included is a significant amount of personal papers, political materials, and photographs related to Carr's long time lover, Alessandra Nichols.

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Music producer; Feminist; Peace activist; Artist; co-founder of the groundbreaking record label Kill Rock Stars, in Olympia, WA, and later the all-girl record label, Villa Villakula. The papers include materials pertaining to Tinúviel's feminist music recording and distribution company; recordings by girls and women; newspapers, magazines, zines, correspondence, and a small amount of writings by Tinúviel.

Abstract Author; Labor organizer; Lesbian activist; Professor, English; Professor, Women's Studies. The papers contain materials from her academic career and study groups. Most material is related to Marxist Feminist Group 1 (MF 1) which include an extensive amount of discussion notes, minutes, planning materials, and publications. The group's topics ranged significantly over the years, and have included socialism, homophobia, racism, and postmodernism. Some records also exist of her participation in...

Abstract

Feminist journal, Feminist collective. This collection consists of correspondence, minutes, research materials, mailing lists, financial records, reader mail, surveys, catalogs, films, legal documents, and most of the printed issues published by the journal. Topics include collectivism, feminism, and journalism.