First Arizona LGBT Archive Launches in Tucson
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
TUCSON, Ariz. - The life experiences of Arizona's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities will be kept in a new digital archive at the University of Arizona.
Filmmaker and director of the Arizona LGBT Storytelling Project: Community Histories Jamie Lee has been collecting interviews for nearly two years.
"People talk about same-sex marriage and domestic partner benefits... The first pride parade. We have a place in our state's history."
Lee will screen clips of selected histories to launch the archive this afternoon in Tucson. She plans to take the presentation around the state by next spring. There are also plans to loan out digital camcorders so that LGBT residents statewide can contribute to the archive.
One of the archived histories involves Merlin and Lee, who've been together for 40 years. They describe to Jamie Lee how they met and show her pictures of their commitment ceremony.
"It was just so heartwarming. And they want me to come back again at Christmas because they go all out decorating for the holidays. So they want me to come back with the camera and show everybody what they do to celebrate Christmas."
Equality Arizona executive director Barbara McCullough-Jones says the archive project is especially important for the education of future generations.
"It'll really illuminate the kinds of struggles Arizonans have gone through in the past, from anti-gay ballot measures to just personal struggles in the workplace, with their families, with faith and religion. It is really a part of Arizona's history that should be told."
The event is from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. today in the University of Arizona's McClelland Park Building, Room 105. The histories are online at
lgbcom.web.arizona.edu
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