Personal papers, professional records, and digitized photographs of LGBT and feminist activist Carolyn Weathers, 1961-2015. The collection includes documentation of the Alcoholism Center for Women, and information about Brenda Weathers, Jenny Wrenn, among others.

Carolyn Weathers was active in the gay and lesbian bar scene in the 1960s in San Antonio, Texas. She moved to Los Angeles in 1968 where she became involved in the emerging gay liberation movement. As a member of the Gay Liberation Front, Weathers held feminist issues workshops, helped form the Gay Women's Speakers Bureau, performed in agitprop events, and participated in protests such as the takeover of the Behavior Modification Conference at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles to protest the use of aversion therapy on gay people. In 1970, she joined the Lesbian Feminists group at the Crenshaw Women's Center in Los Angeles, where she was involved in protests and workshops on lesbian and feminist issues. She wrote "The True Story of Lesbianism by Frank Straight" and spoke at conferences, festivals, and other events. She became one of the first out lesbians on Los Angeles television when she appeared on Regis Phibin's "Tempo Show." She protested for abortion rights, women's equality, and the end of sexist/racist labor practices. In 1975, she joined her sister, Brenda Weathers, to protest against fiscal mismanagement at the Gay Community Services Center in Los Angeles and helped her establish the Alcoholism Center for Women (ACW). Weathers was a printer at the ACW Press and helped create promotional material to fight Anita Bryant and the Briggs Initiative. She worked at the café at the Women's Building in Los Angeles and was an original member of the Southern California Women for Understanding. In 1984, she inaugurated the Lesbian Writers Series at A Different Light Bookstore in Silver Lake. Weathers has written and published numerous works, including the books "Leaving Texas: A Memoir," "Shitkickers and Other Texas Stories," and "Crazy." In 1986, Weathers and her partner Jenny Wrenn founded Clothespin Fever Press to publish books by lesbian writers. In 1987, Weathers and Wrenn formed the Los Angeles Committee to Free Sharon Kowalski. Carolyn Weathers has remained active in LGBT and feminist causes, speaking to researchers and the community regarding LGBT and feminist history.

3.8 Linear Feet 4 boxes + 2,400 digital images

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.

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.