Getting Our History Out of the Closet
THE LGBT+ ARCHIVES Project of Louisiana was founded in 2014 by a group of dedicated individuals who sought to preserve the centuries-old history of the LGBTQ+ community in our state. While the Archives Project is not a formal repository on its own, it assists individuals in entrusting their treasures to various collections in New Orleans, as well as providing resources and funding for the digitization and archival of historical materials. In collaboration with libraries, museums, and institutions like Tulane University and the Historic New Orleans Collection, the LGBT+ Archives Project has facilitated several major collections chronicling local queer history. Part of this effort includes an active oral history program conducted in partnership with T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History at Louisiana State University. Each segment details major events and personal stories told through interviews with community members, which are available in both audio and transcript forms.
14
A recent project saw the digitization of “Just for the Record,” a weekly public access television show which ran from 1987-1993. The show, produced by Valda Lewis and Loretta Mims, is regarded as one of the first LGBTQ+ television programs to air in New Orleans. When Lewis began looking for a home for “Just for the Record” footage, the LGBT+ Archives Project assisted her in donating the materials to the Amistad Research Center, which has made episodes available to the public on its Vimeo channel. The Archives Project also serves to facilitate research involving the LGBTQ+ community in the state, be it for documentaries, films, writing, or other purposes. A complete bibliography of existing works can be found on their website. Anyone wishing to donate materials is encouraged to reach out to the LGBT+ Archives Project, though the only items they can accept themselves are “ephemera” (traditionally disposable materials like menus, event posters, etc.)
Major collections will be matched with an institution of the donor’s choosing. “It’s really important to preserve our history,” says Frank Perez, President of the LGBT+ Archives Project. “Our motto is ‘Get our history out of the closet,’ and that works literally and figuratively. People have a lot of things they might not think are important, but actually are. So before you throw anyone out, reach out to us.” Connect with the LGBT+ Archives Project and explore collections at lgbtarchiveslouisiana.org. WHERE TO FIND LGBT+ ARCHIVAL MATERIALS IN THE CITY: Amistad Research Center (504) 862-3222 Earl K. Long Library (504) 280-6549 Louisiana Research Collection (504) 865-5685 Louisiana State Museum (504) 568-6968 The Historic New Orleans Collection (504) 598-7171 Monroe Library (504) 864-7111 Newcomb Archives (504) 865-5239 New Orleans Public Library (504) 596-2570
