Background
Sandy Holmes is a lesbian activist who was involved in a number of Black queer rights organizations throughout the 1970s and
1980s, in addition to working for the ACLU, parenting, and pursuing her interest in film studies. Holmes served as secretary
to the Bay Area Black Lesbians and Gays (BAYBLAG) in the mid-1980s. A decade prior to her involvement in BAYBLAG, while Holmes
was a student at Yale University, she headed a campus group called Yalesbians. Established in 1982, the Bay Area Black Lesbians
and Gays (BAYBLAG) was a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the civil rights of gay and lesbian people of color.
The group was among the earliest Black gay and lesbian societies in the Bay Area. In addition to hosting social events at
members’ homes, BAYBLAG organized campaigns aimed at educating the general public about Black and queer issues, such as economic
oppression and the AIDS epidemic. BAYBLAG was closely affiliated with the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays (NCBLG).
In 1988, members of BAYBLAG joined with other local organizers to form the NCBLG’s first Bay Area chapter.