Administrative History
Conditions Governing Access
Acquisition
Preferred Citation
Processing Information
Scope and Contents
Arrangement
Separated Materials
Conditions Governing Use
Title: Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles records
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2012.183
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3.4 linear feet.
3 archive boxes + 1 archive carton + 2 banners.
Date (inclusive): 1989-2011
Abstract: Materials relating to the activities of the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles from 1989 to 2011, with the
bulk of materials pertaining to the 1990s. The materials include board meeting minutes, correspondence, news clippings, publicity,
information regarding organizational events (primarily programs, flyers, invitations, and event budgets), and legal briefs.
The Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association, formerly known as Lawyers for Human Rights, was founded in 1979 and went on to be
involved in numerous cases and legislative initiatives that responded to employment discrimination against members of the
LGBT community and people with HIV/AIDS.
creator:
Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association.
Administrative History
The Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association (LGLA), formerly known as Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), was founded in 1979 by Susan
McGreivy, whose work at the The Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center inspired her idea for a gay lawyers group that could
advocate for the rights of community members, and Ray Hatler, who did most of the initial organizing and served as the organisation's
first president. Their first meeting took place in the Old Spaghetti Factory on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
The organization emerged, in part, as a consequence of battles over Proposition 6, also known as the Briggs Initiative, which
sought to ban gays and lesbians from teaching in California. The organization would go on to be involved in numerous cases
and legislative initiatives that responded to employment discrimination against members of the LGBT community and people with
HIV/AIDS, including Assembly Bill 101, a bill that was proposed in 1991, during the height of the AIDS crisis, that sought
to outlaw job discrimination against gays and lesbians. The bill was vetoed by Governor Pete Wilson, igniting a backlash from
the LGBT community that eventually led to the passage of another anti-discrimination bill, Assembly Bill 2601 in 1992.
During this same period, the Lawyers for Human Rights adopted a transitional title, Lawyers for Human Rights: The Lesbian
and Gay Bar Association, that's aim was to celebrate the new freedoms gained by gays and lesbians over the previous decade
and to better represent the organisation's membership and goals. In October 2002, at its 21st Annual Dinner, the organization
adopted its current name, the Lesbian and Gay Lawyer's Association, a move that was seen as a final "coming out" for the organization.
Today, the organisation's primary activities include making judicial endorsements, writing amicus briefs, participating in
the Los Angeles County Bar Association and State Bar Association Conferences, and providing education, networking, and social
opportunities for LGBT lawyers. Regular events include their Annual Anniversary Dinner, events at the Hollywood Bowl, the
Summer Associates Reception, and networking opportunities with other LGBT organizations.
Sources:
Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Records, Coll2012-183, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California
"History: Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles," http://www.lgla.net/lgla/about/ (last accessed January 22,
2013).
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Acquisition
Donated by the Lesbian & Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, represented by Rose Eustachio, August 18, 2012.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder #, or item name] Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Records, Coll2012-183, ONE National Gay &
Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Processing Information
Collection processed by Jennifer Ansley, January 2013.
Scope and Contents
The collection contains materials relating to the activities of the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association from 1989 to 2011,
with the bulk of materials pertaining to the 1990s. The materials include board meeting minutes, correspondence, news clippings,
publicity, information regarding organizational events (primarily programs, flyers, invitations, and event budgets), and a
selection of legal briefs. The publicity and news clippings contain significant information regarding the controversy over
Assembly Bill 101, an anti-discrimination bill vetoed by Pete Wilson in 1991, the backlash from the LGBT community that resulted,
and the eventual passage of Assembly 2601 in 1992. The collection also includes news clippings and legal briefings pertaining
to discrimination against gays in the military.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in the following series:
Series 1. Administrative records
Series 2. Events records
Series 3. Amicus committee
Separated Materials
The following newsletters have been separated from the collection and cataloged into ONE Archives' periodicals collection:
Lawyers for Human Rights Reporter, The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Los Angeles, 1989-1999
Tom Homann Law Association Newsletter, San Diego's Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Bar Association, 1999
Conditions Governing Use
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Lawyers for Human Rights (California, U.S.)
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Gays--Law and legislation
Homosexuality--Law and legislation
Legal assistance to gays--California--Los Angeles
Legal assistance to lesbians--United States.
Minutes