Documents related to the development and activities of the Pride Center and the former Gay Student Union.

Historical Note: Although there was an LGBTQIA presence on campus at an earlier date, 1972 is the first recorded effort to develop a formal presence on campus. In 1972 students began the process of applying for a Gay Student Union (GSU), creating a formal association with the original bylaws dated in the fall of 1974. Facing resistance from campus administration and other campus constituents, as well as from the public, following a five year court battle that involved the state Attorney General, the GSU was granted official recognition as a student organization by the University and by the Associated Students, Inc. in 1976. The Gay Student Union was a membership organization developed to provide a forum for the study of “homosexuality on campus and community level”. The organization provided a forum for discussion and intellectual development for the gay community and the campus as a whole. Despite initial resistance to the organization, many community members and organizations on and off campus were in support of the GSU including local churches and CSU students, professors, and staff. Records in this collection wee collected by the staff and students of the Cal Poly Pride Center and transferred to the archives in 2018.

3 linear feet, 6 boxes

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