Collections of and about Lesbians and Bisexual Women

Selected Sources in the Sophia Smith Collection

PERSONAL PAPERS

Joann Aalfs Papers
1972-1983 (ongoing), .25 linear ft.
Women's rights advocate. This first installment of Joann Aalf's papers contains records and printed materials of 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.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.]

Dolores Alexander Papers
1945-1998 (ongoing), 25.5 linear ft.
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 Alexander's personal financial information and records. A small amount of biographical information is also included.
[Note: Partially restricted access - contact the Sophia Smith Collection for more information. This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use. Collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice]
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Batya Bauman Papers
1947-2005, 5.75 linear ft.
Animal welfare advocate; Ecofeminist; Feminist; Lesbian activist; Editor; Writer. Before becoming an activist in animal and ecofeminist concerns, Bauman was active in the 1970s and 1980s in New York City's feminist and lesbian communities, having co-founded Gay Women's Alternative and Lilith, a Jewish feminist magazine, as well as having been associated with Womanbooks, one of the first and largest women's bookstores in the country. Papers document her early life and activism in the realms of lesbian feminism, Jewish feminism, and animal rights.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use. Collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice.]
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Ruth Berman and Connie Kurtz Papers
1956-2006, 19.5 linear ft.
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 film documentary about the couple: Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House (2002).
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.]
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Joan E. Biren (JEB) Papers
1944-
Filmmaker, Photographer, Lesbian activist
[Note: Currently closed for processing]

Noel Phyllis Birkby Papers
1932-1994, 50 linear ft.
Architect, artist, and lesbian feminist activist. She was also the unofficial archivist for a notable circle of New York lesbians, including Kate Millett, Jill Johnston, Sydney Abbot, and Barbara Love and documented lesbian individuals and activities through film, oral histories, and photographs. The papers include writings, personal correspondence, memorabilia, clippings, subject files, and journals, oral histories, films, and photographs.
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Diana Davies Papers
1960s-1996 (ongoing), 17 linear ft.
Musician; Photographer; Artist; Theater worker. Papers consist primarily of Davies' photographs of individuals and groups, musicians, artists, political activists in the civil rights, peace, anti-poverty, and feminist events (marches, demonstrations, conferences, etc.); celebrities, musicians, politicians, and street people. Included is material related to her publication Photojourney: Photographs; fliers, broadsides; memorabilia; and artwork.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.]
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Jane Garrett Papers
1973-2003, 18 linear ft.
Episcopal Priest; active in church politics, especially with regard to its attitudes toward and stated positions on homosexuality and same-sex unions.
[Note: Partially restricted access - contact the Sophia Smith Collection for more information. This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use. Collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice]
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Eve Hinderer Papers
1967-2008 (ongoing), 2.25 linear ft.
Feminist; Anarchist; Naturist; Bisexual; member of New York Federation of Anarchists; and founding member of New York Radical Women in New York City, in late 1960s. In 1971, she joined the emerging gay liberation movement, becoming active in the lesbian separatist community in New York's lower Manhattan. She withdrew three years later, acknowledging her bisexuality. Her papers contain journals and diaries, correspondence, email, writings, clipppings and photographs.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.]
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Mary E. Hunt Papers
circa 1974-2007 (ongoing), 18 linear ft.
Theologian; Feminist; Professor. Papers document Mary E. Hunt's career as a feminist theologian. Included are published and unpublished writings and lectures; audiovisual materials featuring Hunt; files on conferences and events she attended, and her travels. There is some biographical information, as well as a small amount of material documenting the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (founded in 1983 by Hunt and her partner, Diann L. Neu) and Women Crossing Worlds, WATER's international outreach program (1986).
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use. Collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice.]
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Joan Laird Papers
1979-2001 (ongoing), 1.25 linear ft.
Professor of social work; family therapist. Papers consist of published books and journal articles.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use. Collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice]
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Anne MacKay Papers
1992-1996 (ongoing), .25 linear ft.
Author, Educator, Lesbian activist, and member of a lesbian community on Long Island's North Fork and a founder of that group's women's health initiative. Her papers so far contain copies of her writings: Just Lucky, I Guess (1996), an autobiography (typescript); Wolf Girls at Vassar: Gay and Lesbian Experiences 1930-1990 (edited by McKay, 1992), and She Went A-Whaling: The Journal of Martha Smith Brewer Brown (edited by McKay, 1993).

Isabel Miller Papers
1937-1997, 37 linear ft.
Author, Lesbian activist (aka Alma Routsong). The papers include diaries (beginning when she was in her early teens), correspondence offering rich documentation of her personal life, from her years as a member of WAVES during World War II and as wife and mother of four daughters in a traditional heterosexual marriage, to her coming out as a lesbian and her life thereafter. Research and manuscript materials document the evolution of her profession as an author of lesbian fiction, the best known of which is Patience and Sarah. The collection also offers a personal record of the lesbian communities of New York City and the mid-Hudson Valley region, from the 1960s to 90s and includes transcripts of a lesbian consciousness raising group, extensive personal correspondence, and documentation of Miller's spiritual interests, including her numerous astrological charts of women. Correspondents include Sidney Abbott, Dorothy Baker, Noel Phyllis Birkby, Barbara Love, Dolores Alexander, Joan Casamo, Linda Clarke, Kate Millett, Diane Stevenson, Mildred Stewart, and May Swenson.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use. Portions of collection are stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice.]

Marjory Nelson Papers
1947-2006, 5.5 linear ft.
Lesbian and Civil rights activist; Therapist; Feminist. The Marjory Nelson Papers consist of a wide range of materials documenting the progression of her life, from faculty wife in a traditional marriage to graduate student, lesbian activist, radical feminist, hypnotherapist, and pacifist. Her activities in the feminist movement are richly documented, from its beginnings in the 1960s to the present. There are also correspondence, photographs and other materials representative of Nelson's personal life.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use. Collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice.]
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Diann L. Neu Papers
circa 1977-2005 (ongoing), 5.5 linear ft.
Theologian; Feminist; Psychotherapist. Papers document Neu's education in theology; her work and activism re: articulating and advocating radical new forms of feminist theology, and in re-defining the role of women in the church; her participation in numerous conferences about women in the church; and materials pertaining to her two books, Return Blessings: Ecofeminist Blessings Renewing the Earth (2002) and Women's Rites: Feminist Liturgies for Life's Journeys (2003). Types of material include correspondence, interviews, lecture notes, minutes, sermons, speeches, transcripts, writings, slides, and audiovisual material.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use. Collection is stored offsite; researchers must give 48 hours advance notice.]
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Kathleen O'Shea Papers
1910-2006, 6 linear ft.
Author; Lesbian activist; Social reform advocate; Catholic nun. Papers include documents and memorabilia from O'Shea's childhood, including her education to become a member of a religious order; correspondence; photographs; and a small amount of materials pertaining to lesbian former nuns. Photographs include Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, Angela Davis, bell hooks, and Sister Helen Prejean. Also included is research related to O'Shea's writings on women on death row with files on sixty-five women prisoners, including correspondence from some, and video tapes about women in prison, including Aileen Wuornos.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use]
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Ellen Shumsky Papers
1969-1972, .5 linear ft.
Lesbian activist, Feminist, Photographer. Small number of 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. (many of Radical Lesbians groups and individuals), and the written and printed materials offer a very good record of certain aspects of radical gay and lesbian political activism.

Carmen Vázquez Papers
1951-2007, 12.5 linear ft.
Lesbian activist. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Harlem, Vázquez lived and worked in San Francisco for almost two decades, becoming a seasoned activist and movement leader in causes ranging from immigrant rights to lesbian health. She was founding director of the Women's Building in San Francisco, the Director of the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Coordinator of Lesbian and Gay Health Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. In 1994 she became Director of Public Policy for the LGBT Community Center in New York City. Her papers contain diaries, correspondence, photographs, memorabilia, and essays, poems, and speeches. They document Vazquez's activism for gay and lesbian rights, gay and lesbian health issues, as well as Vazquez's interest and involvement in broader issues of race and class. Activities of the National Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center are also well-documented.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.]
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ORGANIZATIONS

Green Street Lesbian Rooming House Records
1977-1999, 1.25 linear ft.
Lesbian rooming house in Northampton, Mass. House logbooks including announcements, phone messages, minutes of occasional house meetings, and personal messages between residents.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.]
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The Lesbian Calendar Records
1912-1994, 5 linear ft.
Records includes the administrative records of the Northampton (Mas.) based newsletter, The Lesbian Calendar (TLC) from its inception in 1987. Also included are the records of LOGS (Lesbians of Greater Springfield); and subject files collected by Marie Louise Francoise, Pamela Kimmell, and local printer and activist, Willow Lamont documenting the local lesbian community, as well as the national and international Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender movement. Included are print and graphic materials such as flyers, pamphlets, posters, brochures, catalogs, artwork and memorabilia dating from the 1890s to the 1990s.
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Tribad Productions Records
1992-1993, .5 linear ft.
Theatrical production company, Playwrights. Typescripts of plays on gay and lesbian themes submitted for a playwriting contest sponsored by the women's theater company, Tribad Productions in 1992. Includes related correspondence.
[Note: This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.]

SUBJECT COLLECTIONS

Homosexuality Collection 1932-1995, .75 linear ft. Includes clippings, articles, pamphlets, memorabilia, and selected issues of lesbian and gay periodicals.
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Miscellaneous Subjects Collection includes lesbian comic books.
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ORAL HISTORIES

The Voices of Feminism Oral History Project documents the persistence and diversity of organizing for women in the U.S. Narrators include labor, peace, and anti-racism activists, artists and writers, lesbian rights advocates, grassroots anti-violence and anti-poverty organizers, and women of color reproductive justice leaders. The videotaped interviews average 5-6 hours and cover childhood, personal life, and political work. Most of the 60 interviews in this collection are open to researchers and are available in audiovisual format or as edited transcripts (more information).  Lesbian narrators include:

• Dolores Alexander, first director of NOW, North Fork (Long Island) lesbian community. See also Dolores Alexander Papers.

 

• Virginia (Ginny) Apuzzo, gay rights activist, former appointee to Clinton administration.

 

• Billye Avery, founder NBWHP (National Black Women's Health Project).

 

• Joan E. Biren (JEB), lesbian feminist activist, photographer and filmmaker. See also Joan E. Biren Papers.

 

• Marge Frantz, former Communist Party organizer, peace activist, teacher.

 

• Ronnie Gilbert, folk musician, former member of the Weavers [see also Gilbert Papers in SSC].

 

• Amber Hollibaugh, queer activist, feminist, writer and filmmaker.

 

• Eva Kollisch, member of the Workers Party 1940s, peace activist, feminist and teacher.

 

• Anne MacKay, author, lesbian feminist, North Fork (Long Island) lesbian community. See also Anne MacKay Papers.

 

• Cherrķe Moraga, poet and playwright, co-editor This Bridge Called My Back, co-founder Kitchen Table Press.

 

• Marjorie Nelson, civil rights organizer and peace activist, lesbian feminist, feminist psychotherapist.

 

• Suzanne Pharr, Southern anti-racist and anti-right organizer, founder The Women's Project in Arkansas, writer.

 

• Achebe (Betty) Powell, lesbian feminist and anti-racist activist, founder Salsa Soul Sisters.

 

• Minnie Bruce Pratt, poet and writer, teacher, Southern-born lesbian feminist activist, former member of Feminary collective [see also Pratt Papers in SSC].

 

• Pat Reeve, labor organizer and educator, co-founder of WILD (Women's Institute for Leadership Development).

 

• Catherine Roma, socialist-feminist student activist 1960s-1970s, leader women's music movement, founder and director MUSE chorus.

 

• Graciela Sanchez, lesbian activist, filmmaker, founder Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (Texas).

 

• Martha Shelley, lesbian feminist, writer, key member of Gay Liberation Front, Radicalesbians and Daughters of Bilitis.

 

• Barbara Smith, writer, public intellectual and activist, co-founder Combahee River Collective.

 

• Linda Stout, working class and anti-racist organizer, founder PPP (Piedmont Peace Project) and Spirit of Change.

 

• Carmen Vázquez, Puerto Rican queer feminist activist, author and public intellectual, founding director San Francisco Women's Building. See also Carmen Vázquez Papers.

PERIODICALS

The Sophia Smith Collection holds numerous periodicals by and about lesbians, including: Amazon Quarterly, The Ladder, The Furies, Sinister Wisdom. There is also a large collection of independently published Girl Zines with lesbian themes. A complete title list for the SSC Periodicals Collections is available in the SSC.

For secondary sources, see the Browsing and Reference collections in the SSC Reading Room.

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