Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance marching in rally.
Gay Academic Union of New England records
The Gay Academic Union (GAU) was founded in 1973 in New York City, New York, for the purpose of institutionalizing GLBT studies and activism at colleges and universities throughout the United States. Among the other aims of the organization were support for early feminist activism, the creation of a support and communication network for gays and lesbians, and active opposition of anti-gay discrimination. Regional chapters included those in New England, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The organization was disbanded in 1984.
Greater Boston Business Council records
Founded in 1991, "the mission of the Greater Boston Business Council (GBBC) is to foster and promote the vitality and productivity of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) business and professional community in the greater Boston area, thereby contributing to the economic welfare of the general Commonwealth of Massachusetts." The Council holds monthly dinner meetings and networking parties, as well as additional social events and a yearly Awards for Excellence gala. In addition, the GBBC publishes a bimonthly newsletter, the Business Counselor.
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Political Alliance of Massachusetts records
Founded as the Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance of Greater Boston (LGPAGB) in 1982, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Political Alliance of Massachusetts (LGBTPAM) is a political advocacy organization for gay and lesbian rights. The group has pursued causes relating to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues, such as funding for AIDS research and education, anti-discrimination legislation, legalization of same-sex unions, and the elimination of anti-gay violence. The founders of the organization hoped to increase the gay community's involvement in Boston's political process. Originally concentrating on Greater Boston, the Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance of Greater Boston later expanded to 18 towns. In 1994, the Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance of Greater Boston became a state-wide organization, changing its name to the Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance of Massachusetts (LGPAM). The group voted to include bisexual and transgender people in 1999, becoming the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Political Alliance of Massachusetts.
National Lawyers Guild. Massachusetts Chapter, Inc. records
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) was founded in New York City in 1936 in response to the conservative American Bar Association. The Massachusetts chapter (NLGMC) formed soon after. At the founding convention in Washington D.C. in 1937, the National group formally opened itself to all lawyers regardless of race, sex, or political beliefs and started campaigning for anti-lynching legislation, legal protections for collective bargaining, full scale social security, and federally funded neighborhood legal aid bureaus. Targeted early on in the second red scare, red-baiting of key members caused membership to crumble and the Boston Chapter was essentially decimated. The NLGMC reformed in 1969, focusing efforts on issues of labor, reproductive rights, Central America and government repression. NLG and NLGMC are still active today.
Gay and Lesbian Labor Activists Network records
The Gay and Lesbian Labor Activists Network is a Boston-based, non-profit, membership organization established in 1987. It campaigns for lesbian and gay liberation, fights against homophobia in the labor movement, and educates the lesbian and gay community about the importance of unions, organized labor, and the struggles of working people. The Gay and Lesbian Labor Activists Network has provided support to mainstream union campaigns, represented gay issues at various unions' meetings, and campaigned for domestic partner benefits and non-discrimination language in employers' policies. Among its greatest achievements is its role in forming a national organization for lesbian and gay labor rights, Pride At Work, in 1994. Pride At Work became a constituency group of The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) in 1997, and the Gay and Lesbian Labor Activists Network is now considered a local Pride At Work organization.
John C. Graves papers
John C. Graves was an activist involved in the gay liberation movement in Boston in the 1970s. Between 1964 and 1974, he was a philosophy professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After coming out in 1972, he became actively involved in mental health, educational, and spiritual assistance programs for Boston's gay community. He was also active in student organizations and founded the Gay Academic Union of New England in 1974. In 1974, he left MIT and became a psychotherapist at the Homophile Community Health Service in Boston. An opera singer with the Boston Concert Opera, Graves was also a member of the Boston Gay Men's Chorus in the late 1980s. He was also involved with the formation of the Boston Center for Lesbians and Gay Men, serving as a steering and board member between 1987 and 1988.
Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus records
The Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus (the Caucus) was founded in 1973 to fight for social equality for the gay and lesbian community in Massachusetts. The Caucus was the first group within the gay and lesbian community to employ a lobbyist to work full-time on equal rights for gay men and lesbians. Initially, the Caucus focused on three statewide bills: to prohibit discrimination based on sexual preference in state employment, to prohibit discrimination statewide, and to amend the criminal code in regards to sexual conduct between consenting adults. The Caucus's focus has since grown to include issues such as same-sex marriage and parenthood. On November 15, 1989, the Caucus achieved a major victory when Governor Michael Dukakis signed the Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Bill into law. The Caucus promotes participation from supporters of these issues by hosting annual lobbying events such as the Constituent Lobby Day, sending candidate and legislation endorsement letters, and collaborating with other local, state, and national gay and lesbian organizations.
Paul F. Perkovic papers
Paul F. Perkovic, a resident of Cambridge, Massachusetts and member of the gay community, actively supported a number of gay and lesbian organizations in the greater Boston area during the late 1970s through the early 1990s. Organizations he participated in include the Gay Speakers Bureau (now SpeakOut), the Cambridge Lesbian and Gay Alliance, ClearSpace, the Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance, and the Boston Intercollegiate Lesbian and Gay Alliance.