Los Angeles LGBT Center records, 1971-2019

Request items

Summary

Creators:
L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Abstract:
The Los Angeles LGBT Center collection, 1971-2019, documents the business and work of the Center, covering a broad range of activities and functions including general business operations and administration; LGBTQ advocacy and activism efforts; theatrical and art events; fundraising; and social and health services. Materials include records, correspondence, public relations and marketing materials, flyers, posters, programs, ephemera, photographs, negatives, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs, and other media.
Extent:
120 Linear Feet 104 boxes.
Language:
Language of materials is in English, unless otherwise noted.
Preferred citation:

[Box/folder #, or item name] Los Angeles LGBT Center Records, Coll2020-008, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Background

Scope and content:

The Los Angeles LGBT Center collection covers a broad range of activities and functions of the Los Angeles LGBT Center during the 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. It includes business and administration of the Center, LGBTQ advocacy and activism efforts, theatrical and art events, fundraising, and social and health services. Materials include records, correspondence, public relations and marketing materials, flyers, posters, programs, ephemera, photographs, negatives, VHS tapes, CDs, DVDs, and other media.

Biographical / historical:

The Center was founded in 1969, by Don Kilhefner and Morris Kight and other lesbian and gay activists, some of whom were also part of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). Originally called the Gay Community Services Center, the original center opened in October of 1971 in an old Victorian house on Wilshire Boulevard and was the first non-profit in America to have the word "gay" in its name. Services were provided free of charge, with the exception of housing for which a nominal per diem fee was charged. In accordance with the founders' concept of "community," the Center was staffed entirely by gays and lesbians, most of whom were volunteers.

Since 1969 the Los Angeles LGBT Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBT individuals and families in Los Angeles and beyond.

In 2014, the Center changed its name from the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center to the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

In the 21st century, the Center employs more than 800 people and offers programs, services, and global advocacy that span four broad categories:

Health: including primary care, HIV/AIDS research and care, counseling, and addiction recovery.

Social services and housing: including homeless youth support; emergency shelter and transitional housing; support services for seniors, hate crime survivors, and domestic violence survivors; and family and youth services.

Culture and education: including performances and exhibitions on the Center's stages and galleries; the LGBT charter high school; GED and continuing education programs; and community meeting and event spaces.

Leadership and advocacy: including political and civil rights advocacy; suicide prevention programs; technical support and assistance to sister organizations; LGBT cultural competency trainings; and mentoring and training programs.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Jim Key, on behalf of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, August 28, 2014.
Processing information:

Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the California State Library. Collection processed by Beth McDonald, 2020-2021.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into nine series based on content and/or format.

Series 1: Administration and Business Records; Series 2: Advocacy; Series 3: Cultural Arts; Series 4: Events; Series 5: Health Services; Series 6: Social Services; Series 7: Photographs and Negatives; Series 8: Audiovisual and Media; Series 9: Realia, Textiles, and Ephemera.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

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

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[Box/folder #, or item name] Los Angeles LGBT Center Records, Coll2020-008, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.

Location of this collection:
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90007, US
Contact:
(213) 821-2771
askone@usc.edu
Website