Lesbian Herstory Archives

In honor of the Lesbian Herstory Archives’ 50th Anniversary, and in the spirit of hot dates everywhere, Archives Coordinators Alexis Clements and Shawn(ta) Smith-Cruz are organizing a 40 over 40 speed dating event.  The event will be held in-person on Wednesday, September 25th from 7 – 9pm at the Lesbian Herstory Archives (484 14th Street, […]

From books to sculptures to comedic parodies, below (in date order, from earliest to most recent), is a listing of original scholarly and creative work that makes use of LHA or its materials as a significant aspect of or inspiration for the work. This list is not complete and may be updated over time.

It’s June, and all kinds of Pride Celebrations are happening! Here is a sampling of events we are joining, associated with, or just simply love. Join for any or all! June 4: NewFest shows “Jewelle, a Just Vision.” And the Lesbian Herstory Archives is co-presenting it!  This personal and moving documentary illuminates the decades-spanning work of […]

The Lesbian Herstory Archives hosts three events that capture activism, memory, pictures, publishing and community in lesbian herstory.

We are entering the final months of the Mellon Grant-funded Lesbian Elders Oral Herstory Project. We are so thankful to those who have already participated and look forward to including more voices, especially those that can bring a diversity of perspective to reflect upon the lesbian community at large. In particular, we encourage Lesbian Elders […]

By Joan NestleWith special gratitude to Wendy Smiley, who through her grieving, said yes. Editor’s Note: On June 18, 2021, The New York Times, ran an obituary of Madeline Davis with the headline “Madeline Davis, Who Spoke to the Nation as a Lesbian, Dies at 80.” The formal obituary is worth reading. These two personal […]

We are very excited to announce that beginning in June we are welcoming visitors back to the Archives for casual browsing! Please visit the calendar on our website to see the available dates and times, and to book your appointment.

During this Women’s History Month we are happy to share an update on LHA’s Lesbian Elders Oral Herstory Project! A second set of informational sessions were held in Fall 2021. Over the course of three virtual meetings lesbians joined from across the US, Canada, and the UK! The enthusiastic participation of the volunteers produced several […]

The words of Irare Sabasu, January 30th, 2019: “I arrived in New York, found the women of the Archives, also found the women of Salsa Soul Sisters. The rest is history. These women consistently encouraged me in my writing and suggested other venues to which I should submit my work. To the women of those two groups, I thank you.” In her 1970s bio for the Jemima Writers Collective, Irare described herself as a “West-Indian Amazon”. Irare left us on February 6, 2021.

We at the Archives hope this letter finds you safe and well. When we wrote our fund-raising letter to you in 2020, we had hopes that with this 2021 letter we would be reporting to you how we had fully reopened and were bustling with visitors and researchers...