On January 21, about half of our class traveled to Los Angeles to visit the ONE National Archives, the "largest repository of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ) materials in the world" (according to their site). Founded in 1952 by One Inc., one of the oldest gay rights organizations in the United States, this brick building houses decades of queer history and experience.
The first room of the archives holds a front desk, multiple magazine displays covering the walls, chairs and tables pointing towards a projector, various desks for research to be conducted, bookshelves, and two leather sex swings. These sex swings were where our guide Michael C. Oliviera took us first, explaining the acquisition and care of these decades-old donations. A comment about how a line of sweat across the middle hadn't come out through multiple washings prompted a discussion over whether it was better to clean the swings or leave the imprints of bodies untouched. These swings being our first introduction to the archives was also significant in how it expanded our notion of what an archive could be, and what queer experiences should be seen as important to our history.
After taking the time to look over magazine displays, including a lesbian magazine collection and another of ONE magazine printings throughout the ages, we sat down to listen to a presentation from Michael. Though the audio is quiet, you may listen to nearly the entire presentation below.
Later, continuing through shelves of carefully labeled boxes, we discussed many topics relevant to the archival process and queer identity. Exploitation, intended audience, power dynamics, and censorship are all important to consider in relation to archival materials. One room, along with boxes full of letters addressed to ONE magazine, held a letter from ONE's publisher, demanding they censor certain "inappropriate" content. A room of books we briefly passed through was described as all "gay pulp fiction," with the only one shelf for lesbian pulps. This disparity is apparently due to archivists being more selective with lesbian pulps, since so many were written for heterosexual male audiences.
Though breezed past in the moment, the question of "which experiences are 'queer enough' for this archive?" was picked up during the final section of our tour. In a room housing activist posters and records, among other writings, we discussed donations that sparked debate over whether they should be included in ONE's LGBTQ archive. While some writings–and the "cage"–of an apparently cisgender heterosexual man who used BDSM as a way to explore and live with his chronic pain were included in the archives, the extensive records of one gay man had to be significantly pruned down, with only the specifically "queer" experiences included. These decisions, and how the archives should be organized, take significant discussion and may be influenced by external factors. Since ownership switched over to USC, there may be increased pressure to be more selective in which donations to accept. Individual archivists may also vary in what they prioritize. Overall, it was fascinating to see the topics we've been learning about in-class applied to an actual archive.
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