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Finding aid of the Edward Westrick Collection on Veterans
Council for American Rights and Equality
Coll2009-018
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Title: Edward Westrick collection on Veterans Council for
American Rights and Equality
Dates: 1920-2002
Bulk Dates: 1984-1997
Collection number: Coll2009-018
Creator:
Westrick, Edward A.
Collection Size:
10.5 linear feet + 0.1 linear foot (unprocessed, awaiting
preservation).
(8 archive boxes + 2 flat archive boxes + 1 archive carton
[unprocessed]).
Repository:
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Minutes, correspondence, newsletters, clippings,
manuscripts, notes, financial records, flyers, photographs, audiocassettes,
textiles, memorabilia and other material relating to the gay and lesbian
veterans' organization, Veterans Council for American Rights and Equality
(Veterans CARE), founded in Los Angeles in 1984 by James Highland. The bulk of
the materials was collected and donated by Edward Westrick, who served as the
organization's Commander, and relates to the activities of the Los Angeles
chapter of Veterans CARE, as well as other Veterans CARE chapters and the
national organization, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Veterans of America (GLBVA).
Languages: Languages represented in the collection:
English
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access
restrictions.
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in
writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner.
Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in
the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant
copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for
all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).
Edward Westrick collection on Veterans Council for American Rights and
Equality, Coll2009-018, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles,
California.
Date and method of acquisition unknown.
Formerly housed in boxes 103-103, 103-124, 103-139, 103-270, 103-271,
103-272, 103-273, 103-274, 103-275a, 103-275b, 103-276, 103-277, 103-278,
103-279, 103-280, 103-281, 103-285. Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama,
December 31, 2009. An additional 0.1 linear foot of deteriorated and damaged
materials remains unprocessed, awaiting preservation and conservation.
In early 1984, following California Governor Deukmejian's veto of AB1 (a
California state gay rights measure), writer and health administrator Jim
Highland began meeting regularly with fellow veterans to discuss issues
relevant to the gay and lesbian community. By May of that year, the group,
which had grown to approximately 30 people, began developing a charter, bylaws
and incorporation papers. The incorporation papers for the Veterans Council for
American Rights and Equality, Inc. (Veterans CARE) were signed by Jim Highland,
First Officer, on June 20, 1984, and endorsed by the California Secretary of
State's office two days later.
The primary activities of Veterans CARE were fighting discrimination on
behalf of former service members and upgrading "dishonorable" discharges to
"honorable"; educating the general public on homophobia and discrimination
against gays and lesbians, particularly in the U.S. military; organizing West
Hollywood's first Veterans' Day Parade and Vietnam Memorial; and publishing a
monthly newsletter,
Aware. By 1985, local councils of Veterans
CARE had been organized in San Francisco and the Redwood Empire, in Rohnert
Park, CA.
In 1987, Veterans CARE took an active role in the March on Washington
for Gay & Lesbian Rights, and it participated in various national
organizing conferences of gay and lesbian veterans. In 1991, lesbian veteran
Miriam Ben-Shalom, and other veterans, including officers from Veterans CARE,
organized the national organization, the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Veterans of
America (GLBVA), with local chapters throughout the United States.
Subsequently, the Los Angeles Council of Veterans CARE became the Los Angeles
chapter of the GLBVA.
In the spring of 2002, the GLBVA changed its name to American Veterans
for Equal Rights (AVER). By 2010, Veterans CARE, also known as the Los Angeles
chapter of AVER, had become inactive.
Sources: Darby, James C. and Patrick Bova, "History: The Gay Veterans
Movement To Achieve Equality in America's Armed Forces,"
Gay Military Signal,
http://www.gaymilitarysignal.com/0905HistoryII.html
, last accessed January 26, 2010.
Edward Westrick Collection on Veterans Council for American Rights and
Equality, Coll2009-018, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles,
California
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection comprises minutes, correspondence, newsletters,
clippings, manuscripts, notes, financial records, flyers, photographs,
audiocassettes, textiles, memorabilia and other material primarily documenting
the activities of the Los Angeles Council of Veterans Council for American
Rights and Equality (Veterans CARE), founded in July 1984. The bulk of the
materials date from the founding of Veterans CARE to 1997, approximately the
date Edward Westrick donated the materials to ONE Archives. The collection is
divided into nine series: (1) Veterans CARE administration, (2) Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual Veterans of America (GLBVA), (3) Events and activities, (4)
Newsletters, (5) Other organizations and resource material, (6) Edward
Westrick, (7) Photographs, (8) Sound recordings and (9) Textiles and
memorabilia.
The Veterans CARE Administration Series contains incorporation papers,
minutes, correspondence, financial records and other materials documenting
activities of the Veterans CARE Board of Directors as well as the operations of
the national headquarters in Los Angeles and the other California councils. The
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Veterans of America (GLBVA) Series includes material
related to the national organization based in Washington D.C., as well as
various local chapters. The Events and Activities Series contains materials
documenting the various activities in which Veterans CARE participated or
organized. The Newsletters Series comprises issues and resource material for
the Veterans CARE newsletter,
Aware, as well as issues from other GLBVA
chapters and veterans' organizations. The Other Organizations and Resource
Material Series includes clippings, correspondence and various publications
used for research and educational outreach. The Edward Westrick Series includes
personal papers of Westrick, particularly his illustrations and graphic design
projects. The Photographs Series comprises photographs and photocopies of
photographs of Veterans CARE members and activities. The Sound Recordings
Series comprises four audiocassettes of music and Veterans CARE meetings. And
the Textiles and Memorabilia Series contains buttons, flags, a t-shirt and
other ephemera used in parades or other Veterans CARE activities.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Gay and lesbian rights--United
States--California
Gays in the military--United States
Gays--Civil rights
Highland, James
Lesbians--Civil rights
United States--Army
Veterans
Westrick, Edward A.
Women veterans
The following publications have been separated from the Edward Westrick
collection and entered into the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives'
database:
Bourdonnay, Katherine, R. Charles Johnson, Joseph Schuman, and Bridget
Wilson.
Fighting Back: Lesbian and Gay Draft, Military and
Veterans Issues
. Edited by Joseph Schuman and Kathleen Gilberd.
Chicago, IL: National Lawyers Guild Military Law Task Force: Copies distributed
by Midwest Committee for Military Counseling, 1985.
Gayellow Pages: The National Edition. New
York: Renaissance House, 1985.
Gorey, Edward.
The Glorious Nosebleed. New York: Dodd, Mead
& Company, 1974.
Herrn, Rainer.
100 Years of the Gay Rights Movement in Germany: An
Exhibition of the Goethe-Institut
. New York: Goethe-Institut New York,
1997.
Steiner, Lucius B.
Sex Behavior of the Homosexual. Hollywood,
CA: The Genell Corporation, 1964.