Records of the Pride Center

Finding aid created by University Archives staff using RecordEXPRESS
California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. University Archives
Special Collections and Archives
Robert E. Kennedy Library, Rm 409
San Luis Obispo, California 93407
(805) 756-2305
archives@calpoly.edu
https://lib.calpoly.edu/specialcollections/
2022


Descriptive Summary

Title: Records of the Pride Center
Dates: 1972 - 2018
Collection Number: UA0081
Creator/Collector: Robert E. Kennedy Everett M. Chandler GLSU Gay Student Union Pride Center Associated Students Inc. (ASI)
Extent: 3 linear feet, 6 boxes
Online items available
Repository: California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. University Archives
San Luis Obispo, California 93407
Abstract: Documents related to the development and activities of the Pride Center and the former Gay Student Union.
Language of Material: English

Access

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Preferred Citation

[Identification of item]. Records of the Pride Center. Collection Number: UA0081. California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo. University Archives

Acquisition Information

Transfer

Biography/Administrative History

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.

Scope and Content of Collection

Documents related to the development and activities of the former Gay Student Union and the present-day Pride Center. Includes bylaws, minutes, surveys, event announcements, and correspondence in opposition to the formation of the GSU from campus administration and ASI (Associated Students, Inc.) as well as other campus constituents. Includes photocopies of newspaper clippings from campus and community papers documenting the LGBTQIA experience on campus, later documentation of authorization of the GSU, and a letter of support from President Bill Clinton. Includes documentation of GSU members work to oppose legislation denying rights on the basis of sexual orientation and the Gay Campus Community Hotline; campus flyers for events such as National Coming Out Day, human rights, and LGBTQIA and gay rights activism.

Indexing Terms

LGBTQIA
PRIDE
GALA
Associated Students Inc. ASI
Gay and Lesbian Alliance
San Luis Obispo
Correspondence
Promotional flyers

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