Finding Aid for the Diane Germain papers, 1941-2010
LSC.1961
Finding aid prepared by Stacy Wood, 2011 and Sabrina Ponce, 2017; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé.
UCLA Library Special Collections
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1575
(310) 825-4988
spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
Online finding aid last updated 16 November 2017.
Title: Diane Germain papers
Identifier/Call Number: LSC.1961
Contributing Institution:
UCLA Library Special Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
3.8 linear feet
(6 boxes, 1 carton, and 1 flat box)
Date (inclusive): 1941-2010
Abstract: Diane F. Germain is a French-American lesbian-feminist psychiatric social worker. She conducts the Lesbian History Project
and created and conducted a strength group for Women Survivors of Incest and/or childhood molestation. She was one of the
founding members of Dykes on Hikes, The Lesbian Referral Services, Beautiful Lesbian Thespians, and California Women's Art
Collective. She was an early principal member of the San Diego Lesbian Organization and a collective member of both Las Hermanas,
a women's cultural center and coffee-house, and the Califia Community, a feminist education retreat. She worked at Lambda
Archives throughout the 1990s interviewing women for history and gathering collections. She later returned to serve as the
Student Volunteer Coordinator. She was the staff cartoonist for
HotWire: The Journal of Women's Music,
Culture of Chicago, and
Lesbian News. The collection contains materials from activist organizations in which Germain was herself involved, magazine and newspaper
clippings that included her artwork, organizational records relating to the coffee house Las Hermanas, and educational presentations
for the Califia Community and other organizations.
Language of Materials: Materials are in English.
Physical Location: Stored off-site at SRLF. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button
located on this page.
Creator:
Germain, Diane F.
Conditions Governing Access
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. All requests to access special collections material must be made in
advance using the request button located on this page.
Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use
Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Diane Germain Papers (Collection 1961). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research
Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
Gift of Diane F. Germain, 1990, 1997, 1998, 2012.
Processing Note
Processed by Stacy Wood, 2011. Description enhanced and further physical processing completed by Sabrina Ponce in 2017.
This collection has no Box 6.
Sponsor
The
June L. Mazer Lesbian Archive at UCLA is an outreach and collection-building partnership between the
June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives , the
UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW) and the
UCLA Library . These collections expand the pool of primary source materials available to researchers and to the community at large. This
partnership was initiated by CSW and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to inventory, organize,
preserve, and digitize more than eighty Mazer collections pertaining to lesbian and feminist activism and writings.
UCLA Catalog Record ID
Biography
Diane F. Germain is a French-American lesbian-feminist psychiatric social worker. She conducts the Lesbian History Project
and created and conducted a strength group for Women Survivors of Incest and/or childhood molestation for five years. She
was one of the founding members of Dykes on Hikes, The Lesbian Referral Services, Beautiful Lesbian Thespians, and California
Women's Art Collective. She was an early principal member of the San Diego Lesbian Organization and a collective member of
both Las Hermanas, a women's cultural center and coffee-house, and the Califia Community, a feminist educational retreat.
She worked at Lambda Archives throughout the 1990s interviewing women for history and gathering collections. She later returned
to serve as the Student Volunteer Coordinator. She was the staff cartoonist for
HotWire: The Journal of Women's Music,
Culture of Chicago, and
Lesbian News. She is featured in both the anthology
Tomboys! edited by Lynne Yamaguchi and Karen Barber, and
Lesbian Culture: An Anthology.
Scope and Content
Diane F. Germain was not only interested in documenting her own experiences, but also in documenting the representation of
women in the media as well as preserving lesbian culture on the whole for posterity. The collection contains materials from
activist organizations in which Germain was herself involved, as well as information and resources from other like-minded
organizations such as the Gay Alliance for Equal Rights and the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. She also collected
magazine and newspaper clippings that featured her artwork and participated in other projects like the presentation on women
wrestlers included here. Financial documents and other organizational records relating to the coffee house Las Hermanas and
presentations meant for the Califia Community educational retreat are included in the collection.
Organization and Arrangement
Materials arranged into the following series:
- Series 1: Subject files
- Series 2: Collected clippings, ephemera, and literature
- Series 3: Correspondence
- Series 4: Las Hermanas
- Series 5: Activist organizations and programs
- Series 6: Women Wrestlers
This collection has no Box 6.
Related Material
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Germain, Diane F. -- Archives
June L. Mazer Lesbian Archive at UCLA.
June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives.
Lesbian activists--United States--Archives.
Women social workers--United States--Archives.
Series 1: Subject files
circa 1947-2008
Scope and Content
Diane Germain's collection of examples of homophobic, racist, and sexist occurrences in mainstream media outlets through advertising,
newspaper clippings, art, and other means spanning several decades.
Organization and Arrangement
Folders titles derived from Germain's original labels and order preserved to express the themes she devised to collect items.
Box 1, Folder 1
"Girls are Good"
circa 1983-2008
Box 1, Folder 2
"Beauty/Body Standards"
circa 1970-2007
Box 1, Folder 3
"Children in Sexual Situations - in Advertising"
1984-2007
Box 1, Folder 4
"Church and Religion Issues"
circa 1992-1994
Box 1, Folder 5
"Cultural"
circa 1950-1992
Box 1, Folder 6
"Genitals - Insulted"
1974-1993
Box 1, Folder 7
"Feminism-Ridiculed"
circa 1978-1990
Box 1, Folder 9
"Sexism - 2"
circa 1949-1996
Box 1, Folder 10
"Anti-Feminist"
circa 1978-1990
Box 1, Folder 11
"Feminist Thinking"
circa 1950-1994
Box 1, Folder 12
"Incest/Molestation"
circa 1984-1991
Box 1, Folder 13
"Lesbians: Famous and Historical"
circa 1950-1993
Box 1, Folder 14
"Lesbian"
circa 1972-1996
Box 1, Folder 15
"Lesbian Images"
circa 1954-1992
Box 1, Folder 16
"Lesbian/General Issues"
circa 1950-1993
Box 1, Folder 17
"Anti-Lesbian"
circa 1982-1997
Box 1, Folder 18
"Lesbian/Gay Denial and Invisibility"
circa 1981-1990
Box 2, Folder 1
"3's Bad company" (Lesbianism negatively linked)
circa 1984-1990
Box 2, Folder 2
"Fat, Mouth as Vulva, Death as Art"
circa 1954-2007
Box 2, Folder 5
"Truncation of Women's Bodies"
circa 1947-2007
Box 2, Folder 6
"Violence - Movies, Pornography, Adverts"
circa 1951-2007
Box 2, Folder 7
"Relatives of the Rich and Famous"
circa 1989
Box 2, Folder 8
"Men in Dresses"
circa 1963-2007
Box 2, Folder 9
"Men's Pornography - A Few Examples"
circa 1985-1993
Box 2, Folder 10
"Men's Issues"
circa 1963-1989
Series 2: Collected clippings, ephemera, and literature
circa 1956-2008
Scope and Content
Includes Diane Germain's artwork and writings as well as ephemera and published materials she collected.
Organization and Arrangement
Materials arranged chronologically, with undated materials at the end.
Box 2, Folder 11
Photographs
circa 1956-2007
Scope and Content
This folder contains some of Diane Germain's personal materials: announcements of anniversary parties, relics from childhood,
and miscellaneous photos.
Box 2, Folder 12
Betty Jetter papers
1970-2007
Scope and Content
"Feminist Separatism: An Introductory Study," and miscellaneous other published materials.
Box 2, Folders 13-14
Published materials
circa 1972-1995
Scope and Content
Various published materials relating to lesbian/feminist activism. Also includes checks written to several publishing companies,
campaigns, and organizations.
Box 3, Folder 1
Artwork and commentary by Diane Germain
circa 1978-2007
Scope and Content
One framed cartoon as well as summaries and descriptions of various art projects. Includes "A Rose by any Other Name...,"
"Amazon Symbols Gift," "Triangles," "Billie Jean Slept Here," "This Woman is Not Screaming," and "Coin Art Piece." Also included
is a description of posters designed for various events and organizations as well as slides of the "Amazon Gift Project."
Box 3, Folder 2
Clippings and Articles about Diane Germain
1980-1997
General Physical Description note: laminated newspaper clippings, whole newspapers, printed paper
Scope and Contents note
Newspaper articles and clippings about the work and activism of Diane Germain, mostly from local San Diego news sources.
Box 3, Folder 3
Ephemera
circa 1984-1985
Scope and Content
Various ephemera, postcards for Desert Hearts, matchbooks, and note pads.
Box 3, Folder 4
Articles and writings by Diane Germain
1987-1998
Scope and Content
Articles written for SCWU Newsletter, Lesbian and Gay Historical Society of San Diego Newsletters, The Lesbian News, Off Our
Backs, and an essay included in the anthology
Learning Our Way.
Box 3, Folder 5
Assorted materials
circa 1989-2001
Scope and Content
Includes assorted images, obituaries, illustrations, and literature.
Box 3, Folder 6
Button collection
2008
Scope and Content
Buttons for various activist causes or events.
Box 3, Folder 7
"Presentation" photo sculpture
undated
Scope and Content
The final version of a photo sculpture utilizing collage elements, entitled "Presentation."
Box 3, Folder 8
Rubber stamps
undated
Scope and Content
Customized rubber stamps made by Diane Germain. Includes: "Boycott," "If It's Good Enough for Eleanor, It's Good Enough for
Me," "Califia Builds Strong Women."
Box 7
Books
1982-2007
Scope and Content
This box includes selections from Diane Germain's personal book collection. Taken from Diane Germain's inventory:
The Feminist Papers Ed. Anni Rossi,
Passion's Shadow by Nicole Conn,
Sinister Wisdom Volume 21 Fall 1982,
My Blue Heaven by Jane Chambers (JH Press Gay Play Script Series),
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove by Jane Chambers (JH Press Gay Play Script Series),
The Second Coming of Joan of Arc and other plays by Carolyn Gage,
Heroes and Saints and other plays by Cherrie Moraga,
Art et Feminism - Catalog for an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Quebec 1982.
Box 8
Dolls
1990s - 2007
Scope and Content
This box contains dolls bought by or given to Diane Germain. Includes handmade Emily Dickinson, Gertrude Stein dolls as well
as two handmade transmogrified barbies and a star doll.
Box 9
T-shirts
circa 1980
Scope and Content
Four t-shirts: "Billie Jean Slept Here," "First Annual West Coast Women's Music and Cultural Festival 1980," and two assorted
t-shirts
Series 3: Correspondence
1973-2010
Scope and Content
Personal and professional correspondence between Diane Germain, friends, and activist organizations.
Organization and Arrangement
Materials arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Box 4, Folder 1
Correspondence: Detrick and Schwemer
1976-2010
Scope and Content
Also includes correspondence with various activist communities with which Diane Germain was involved.
Box 4, Folder 2
Correspondence: June L. Mazer Archives
1994-2004
Scope and Content
Correspondence with the June L. Mazer Archives concerning donations.
Box 4, Folder 3
Correspondence: Lesbians for Political Action
1979
Scope and Content
Correspondence related to an incident with a local grocery chain in San Diego handled by the Lesbians for Political Action.
Box 4, Folder 4
Correspondence: Women's Center Coalition (UCSD)
1973-1976
Scope and Content
Materials related to the foundation and operation of the Women's Center Coalition at the University of California San Diego.
Includes correspondence with administration, meeting minutes, and the development of mission statements and internal discussions.
Series 4: Las Hermanas
1974-1979
Scope and Content
Organizational documents of Las Hermanas, a women's cultural center and coffee-house of which Germain was a member.
Organization and Arrangement
Materials are organized by type and arranged chronologically.
Box 4, Folder 5
Las Hermanas: Lease and fictitious business name
1974-1978
Scope and Content
Documents related to the lease and fictitious business name of Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 6
Las Hermanas: Business papers
1974-1979
Scope and Content
Various receipts and invoices for services and operations related to the founding and functioning of Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 7
Las Hermanas: Mailing list and permits
1975-1977
Scope and Content
Permits and mailing lists for members and participants of Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 8
Las Hermanas: Insurance policy
1975-1977
Scope and Content
Forms and various information related to the insurance policy for the Las Hermanas facility.
Box 4, Folder 9
Las Hermanas: Taxes
1975-1979
Scope and Content
Tax information, receipts and returns and various forms for Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 10
Las Hermanas: Articles of incorporation, bylaws
1976-1977
Scope and Content
Papers and information related to the articles of incorporation, original bylaws and mission statement of Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 11
Las Hermanas: San Diego County Community Action Program
1976
Scope and Content
Information and documents related to the application for a grant for Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 12
Las Hermanas: San Diego Regional Youth Employment Program
1976-1978
Scope and Content
Certificates and other information related to the youth employment program and its relationship to Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 13
Las Hermanas: Bank statements
1976-1979
Scope and Content
Contains bank statements and other miscellaneous financial information.
Box 4, Folder 14
Las Hermanas: Articles, interviews
1976-2010
Scope and Content
Transcripts of interviews about experiences of Las Hermanas as well as articles referencing services and events at Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 15
Las Hermanas: Event financials
1977-1978
Scope and Content
Financial information related to events and operations of Las Hermanas.
Box 4, Folder 16
Las Hermanas: Flyers, brochures, calendars
1978
Scope and Content
Calendars outlining events and services of Las Hermanas along with flyers and brochures of same.
Box 5, Folder 1
Las Hermanas: Policy book, procedure manual
1978-1979
Scope and Content
Documents outlining the manual for Las Hermanas as well as space for commentary and dialogue about day to day operations.
Box 5, Folder 2
Las Hermanas: Programming ideas
1978-1979
Scope and Content
Information related to potential programming ideas for Las Hermanas as well as guest speakers, performers, and proposed events.
Box 5, Folder 3
Las Hermanas: Log book
1978-1979
Scope and Content
The log book for Las Hermanas, which served as a way for all participants to communicate and express comments or concerns
about day to day operations.
Box 5, Folder 4
Las Hermanas: Networking resources
undated
Scope and Content
Contact information for like-minded organizations in the San Diego area used for the purposes of resource sharing, collaboration,
and mutual support.
Series 5: Activist organizations and programs
1979-1995
Scope and Content
Materials prepared for or gathered at events hosted by several activist organizations.
Organization and Arrangement
Materials arranged in alphabetical order by organization or event.
Box 5, Folder 5
Activist: Assorted flyers and brochures
1982-1995
Scope and Contents
Includes flyers for various lesbian performers and events in the San Diego area. Performers include Susan Westenhoefer and
Phranc, among others.
Box 5, Folder 6
Activist: Califia materials
1982-1983
Scope and Content
Mailing list of Califia participants, photo of Califia community.
Box 5, Folder 7
Activist: Gay Alliance for Equal Rights
1979
Scope and Content
Press releases about area events and issues related to gay and lesbian rights and the activism of the group Gay Alliance for
Equal Rights, along with pamphlets and notes for presentations.
Box 5, Folder 8
Activist: Michigan Womyn's Festival
1995
Scope and Content
Materials acquired at the Michigan Womyn's Festival including organizational materials, resource listings, event flyers, and
newsletters from various organizations.
Box 5, Folder 9
Activist: Myth California Protest
1986
Scope and Content
Flyers, newspaper clippings, and photos associated with the Myth California protest focused on the Miss California pageant
in San Diego in 1986.
Box 5, Folder 10
Activist: Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)
1990
Scope and Content
Notes for a slideshow presentation and a flyer for Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG).
Series 6: Women Wrestlers
circa 1941-2004
Scope and Content
Materials about a presentation on women wrestlers, the history of the profession, and issues surrounding its existence. Includes
original materials and notes.
Organization and Arrangement
Materials arranged in chronological order.
Box 5, Folder 11
Women Wrestlers: Original material
circa 1941-1982
Box 5, Folder 12
Women Wrestlers: Notes
circa 1982
Box 5, Folder 13
Women Wrestlers: Draft of presentation
circa 1963-1982
Scope and Content
Materials about a presentation on women wrestlers, the history of the profession, and issues surrounding its existence. Includes
original materials and notes.
Box 5, Folder 14
Women Wrestlers: Final script/sequence
circa 1963-1983
Box 5, Folder 15
Women Wrestlers: Presentation photocopies
circa 2004
Scope and Content
Photocopies of materials used in the presentation. Date reflects production and compilation of the photocopies.