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Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles records

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: Coll2012-183

Scope and Contents

The collection contains materials relating to the activities of the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association from 1989 to 2011, with the bulk of materials pertaining to the 1990s. The materials include board meeting minutes, correspondence, news clippings, publicity, information regarding organizational events (primarily programs, flyers, invitations, and event budgets), and a selection of legal briefs. The publicity and news clippings contain significant information regarding the controversy over Assembly Bill 101, an anti-discrimination bill vetoed by Pete Wilson in 1991, the backlash from the LGBT community that resulted, and the eventual passage of Assembly 2601 in 1992. The collection also includes news clippings and legal briefings pertaining to discrimination against gays in the military.

Dates

  • Creation: 1989 - 2011

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

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

Conditions Governing Use

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.

Administrative History

The Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association (LGLA), formerly known as Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR), was founded in 1979 by Susan McGreivy, whose work at the The Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center inspired her idea for a gay lawyers group that could advocate for the rights of community members, and Ray Hatler, who did most of the initial organizing and served as the organisation's first president. Their first meeting took place in the Old Spaghetti Factory on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

The organization emerged, in part, as a consequence of battles over Proposition 6, also known as the Briggs Initiative, which sought to ban gays and lesbians from teaching in California. The organization would go on to be involved in numerous cases and legislative initiatives that responded to employment discrimination against members of the LGBT community and people with HIV/AIDS, including Assembly Bill 101, a bill that was proposed in 1991, during the height of the AIDS crisis, that sought to outlaw job discrimination against gays and lesbians. The bill was vetoed by Governor Pete Wilson, igniting a backlash from the LGBT community that eventually led to the passage of another anti-discrimination bill, Assembly Bill 2601 in 1992.

During this same period, the Lawyers for Human Rights adopted a transitional title, Lawyers for Human Rights: The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association, that's aim was to celebrate the new freedoms gained by gays and lesbians over the previous decade and to better represent the organisation's membership and goals. In October 2002, at its 21st Annual Dinner, the organization adopted its current name, the Lesbian and Gay Lawyer's Association, a move that was seen as a final "coming out" for the organization.

Today, the organisation's primary activities include making judicial endorsements, writing amicus briefs, participating in the Los Angeles County Bar Association and State Bar Association Conferences, and providing education, networking, and social opportunities for LGBT lawyers. Regular events include their Annual Anniversary Dinner, events at the Hollywood Bowl, the Summer Associates Reception, and networking opportunities with other LGBT organizations.

Sources:

Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Records, Coll2012-183, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California

"History: Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles," http://www.lgla.net/lgla/about/ (last accessed January 22, 2013).

Extent

3.4 Linear Feet (3 archive boxes + 1 archive carton + 2 banners.)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Materials relating to the activities of the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles from 1989 to 2011, with the bulk of materials pertaining to the 1990s. The materials include board meeting minutes, correspondence, news clippings, publicity, information regarding organizational events (primarily programs, flyers, invitations, and event budgets), and legal briefs. The Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association, formerly known as Lawyers for Human Rights, was founded in 1979 and went on to be involved in numerous cases and legislative initiatives that responded to employment discrimination against members of the LGBT community and people with HIV/AIDS.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in the following series:

Series 1. Administrative records

Series 2. Events records

Series 3. Amicus committee

Acquisition

Donated by the Lesbian & Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, represented by Rose Eustachio, August 18, 2012.

Separated Materials

The following newsletters have been separated from the collection and cataloged into ONE Archives' periodicals collection:

Lawyers for Human Rights Reporter, The Lesbian and Gay Bar Association of Los Angeles, 1989-1999

Tom Homann Law Association Newsletter, San Diego's Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Bar Association, 1999

Processing Information

Collection processed by Jennifer Ansley, January 2013.

Title
Finding aid to the Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association of Los Angeles records, 1989-2011
Status
Completed
Author
Jennifer Ansley
Date
(c) 2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Description is in English.
Sponsor
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Repository Details

Part of the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, University of Southern California Repository

Contact:
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles California 90007 United States
(213) 821-2771