Lesbian Herstory Archives

In the early 1970s, the women involved with the gay liberation and feminist movements began to meet and discuss the sexist nature of their organization, the Gay Academic Union or GAU and other concerns that they had as women. Within these meetings, the Lesbian Herstory Archives was founded. It was officially launched in 1975 after the LHA started sending out newsletters to gauge the interest of the community. For the first 15 years the archives were housed in Joan Nestle's Upper East Side apartment. In the first 10 years, the LHA grew a greater network of supporters and volunteers who helped keep the archive afloat.
As the collection needed to expand, the LHA purchased their new site in Park Slope, Brooklyn in 1992 and it officially launched again in 1993. The archive is still there today and can be visited by appointment. The website also features a wide variety of digital collections. This archive is included in my exhibition because it rare in its kind. Lesbian history is often forgotten and never retold because it is not recorded properly, so the fact that the LHA even exists and is doing what it does is monumental.
You can learn more about the LHA at http://www.lesbianherstoryarchives.org/index.html